japanese reads

i have developed a new passion...
japanese magazine hunting!
enjoy!

the mook.
it's not a book and not a magazine, it's something in between and this one is about design!

otherwise, traditional, japanese comic books.
on the inside they are supposed to be black and white, the images are divided horizontally and placed one under the other on the page. meaning, you normally read them from top to bottom.
we find it really interesting to study the images of the human body, especially facial expressions and the illustration of "natural" beings. every form and shape has a different meaning.

this is a japanese-english architecture magazine, unlike the mook that is entirely japanese.
it has great and influential history in its background.

there are various japanese craft magazines,
this one particularily stood out because it's devoted to paper.
japan has great history with the use of paper, not to mention that it is a natural material, with very high recycling potential which is also important, as the japanese culture is not one to waste any resourses.

yayoi kusama for louis vuitton

we have written about beloved japanese artist kusama before on this blog.
her obsession with infinite space which she portrays through dots that cover all surfaces.
this time...
her infinity reaches louis vuitton!

we were so excited to hear about this collaboration!

pictures from madrid exhibition

also this video is very informative!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-XR6MxkDTs&feature=relmfu

but we're so glad we stumbled upon the news on awesome designboom!

Crystallized - Tokujin Yshioka

The prize of Creator of the Year, Spring 2012 by Maison&Objet was given to Tokujin Yoshioka
who presented this Crystallized exhibition.
This time, through crystal like forms, he presents the image of nature. To me it seems like a display of nature's power over anything else, like an image of dying design under the impact of ice and crystals.
Similar to the scene in "Snow Queen", where the queen touches a boy's flesh and he squints with pain as his hand feezes and turns to snow making it impossible for him to make even the slightest move. Rose like figures and crystal object chairs and paintings are percieved under their spikey, crystal, translucent bodies.
It is interesting how the element of transparancy, popular in Japanese tradition in design and architecture, pervades this exhibition as well. Crystals have a translucency but, with the element of color.
It is not just clear or white.
This adds a mysterious character to the sight, a nostalgic look as if human design loses itself into nature's power and becomes one with it. Then, the object changes, it is no longer just a man's design, it becomes an element that each person's vision and mind interprets it in his own way, according to his connection with nature.

collage made from images on his personal website: Tokujin Yoshioka

You can read more details about the exhibition, as well as see a video on core77 blog.

Maison& Objet Paris  also has articles about the Designers of the Year nominations and all designers that were involved. Though the price was won by Japanese, Tokujin Yoshioka, the magnificent Campana brothers Humberto and Fernando were also nominated.

architectural spotlite - shigeru ban

since i am a big fan of mr shigeru ban, i had prepared a small presentation on him, his theory and
some of his most known works.

japanese architecture in vectors

i desgned vectors to make categorizing our notes easier...here are some of our favorites.

and as a new week's treat here is another awesome anime that you can watch online on youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAxbI5FoWbk

it is based on a manga written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima and it's a story about the adventures of  a celectial wizard that leaves to join Fairy Tail, a famous guild. enjoy! i know that's what we'll be doing!

ninkipen! architecture

japanese architecture studio with a very unique style in their solutions
ninkipen!
they are responsible for the omigachi global dispensing pharmacy, a "sandwitch" building in Osaka.
a building with light thin walls based on wooden columns and a thin, interior metallic structure.
the clear front facade creates a wonderful connection between the interior and exterior environment.

picture from our beloved dezeen

it is incredibly interesting how light and natural this building seems though integrated in a dense urban grid.

the design also consists of a subject we analyzed in our thesis quite a lot, the issue of privacy. the interior is visible from both front and back sides of the structure that seem to be a light cover for whatever activities will be involved. it invites the city wanderer to look and to enter. the warmth of the wooden surfaces also assist in that matter.

their website is also very interesting, there you can find a list of their projects.

the list is designed in a way that resembles paint cards you use to choose colors for your walls.