A Moment of Appreciation

Let's all just take a moment and appreciate the fact that what we see below is artwork titled "Japanese Sweets" and they are made of glass. They look like food, but they are art.

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They are beautifully translucent, and colored. You look at them and your mind is boggled by jumping from what looks like nature trapped in a small geometric shape, and how edible they look. It is a brilliant and beautiful mind game - just what art should be.

connecting the past to the present*

here are some beautiful japanese illustrations. if you have a moment, sit and observe them, see how tradition intertwines with modern design and illustration. let the drawings carry you away and imagine the scenery and nature, because this is exactly what illustrating japanese nature is - meditation on nature and life.

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illustrator yuko shimizu is new york based and multiply featured artist. there is a great article with her words in it that definitely offers some great food for thought.

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above is an   illustration of a chrysanthemum variety "nishiki no mihata" from the japanese book "a hundred chrysanthemums" by keikwa hasegawa.

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this is an illustration by young artist masayoshi mizuho. i find his art very contemplative, and the way he depicts nature reminds me a lot of gaming design techniques, and images from that time we spoke of locoroco.

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toshiyuki fukuda is another young illustrator. his work is magnificent in that it is also not the utter realism you often see or expect. he takes nature many steps further and ignites your imagination. if it was up to me to say, that is one of the best ways to do art!

ENcyclopedia of Flowers - Really.

a new book that i have been all admiration for is the "encyclopedia of flowers" by shunsuke shiinoki which is about the mesmerizing works of makoto azuma.

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makoto azuma is a flower artist. he creates synthesis' with flowers and plants. his work takes the unique and never repeated figures found in flora and synthesizes them in a way that extends their existential value. 

his work, like a true japanese, travels the mind. it will never fail to make you think, wonder and lose yourself in the highness that is nature. 

{the bottled series}

the series pictured above is one that captures me the most. it is work that appears to put life in a capsule in the most aesthetically pleasing way, almost as if to perserve it. the contrast created by the fact that your mind knows the fatality of this work that lies in the delicateness of flora is simply captivating.

his works encapture the concept of "the cycle of life" magestically, as they change as the flowers inevitably age to their decay.

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in this book, there are photos of his works taken by shunsuke shiinoki, a well established and known photographer who captures the essence of azuma's work.

i reccommend this to anyone who loves art, gardening, photography and nature as seen through the japanese scope which seems to have been perserved extremely well within these artists. 

we introduce to you, kokedama gardens

it has become quite the trend here in the states, with features all over well renowned blogs, websites and magazines.
kokedama gardens, otherwise known as string gardens are precisely that. within a (let's call it) mold of clay and moss, lay root balls. the moss wraps around the ball shape of the plants root with the stabilizing clay and is then tied traditionally with natural string and hung from desired place. this is an old japanese technique which i am currently researching its history.
so far it is to be understood that this gardening technique, or style, was used so as to allow the plants to find their balance.

{craftzine} 

balance is a very strong element in all aspects of japanese design. it is strongly connected to nature, almost by definition, as all things natural answer to an internal harmony which dictates proportion and even life and death. it is also connected to the concept of the cycle of life, which must be respected even in the most urban of environments. entire cities are to function with a cycle just as a forest would, or even a tiny little plant.

furthermore, the results of kokedama can be glorious, as you defy gravity and literally create a hanging garden. i am not to get into the, already well known, details of the countless reasons why planting is good for us and simply give you imagery from around the web.

{gardenista}

below, is a project by fedor, inspired by this japanese technique to which he was drawn from the scarcity of free space and love for gardens.

{apartment therapy}

more captivating images can be found here and here.

pet architecture*

no matter how many times i look at my storage space and think i should cut down on certain things, when it comes to books i fail with a blast. my list has lengthened again and there is one book in particular i felt was more than worth sharing with you!
having researched japanese architecture and nature, i became fascinated when the case reached the contemporary need to create habitable space in anything that exceeds. a movement was developed called "pet architecture" also starring the coolest firm - bow wow.

so, pet architecture namely concerns architectural works that evolve in awkward spaces between old buildings, narrow alleys, sharp corners and rigid space that was left after others constructed. these are spaces which seem unlikely to bear the ability to house one person, not to mention an entire family!

within the concept of recycling space, using what you have without spreading the city over more and more rural area, the idea of pet architecture actually coincides with some areas of a very old japanese design logic. having respect for your sources, using them in a way that contributes and playing with contradictory elements like boundaries and exteriors are characteristics that can be found deep in their architectrual past, and seeing them applied so differently (but still, applied) today in utterly urban and technologically advanced cities is simply thrilling!

this is another one of their books showcasing work along these fascinating lines. the design is impeccable and the entire book is a great source of inspiration, especially for anyone who like me, lives in a very small space. it is amazing what you can do with unlikely material (not necessarily expensive) and how many ways there are to create more space!

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.

m house- takeshi hirobe architects

m house is in japan, designed by takeshi hirobe architects.

the design here plays with the meaning of "privacy" while trying to
bring a new connection between the house's interior and the outside environment,
a game we see quite often in contemporary japanese architecture.
we believe it is acheived here rather poetically, with the intrusion of light
through the different skylights that dig holes into the building's body, as well as with
the choice of materials...wood and beton seem to make such a beautiful combination
with the soft colors and the interior plants...don't you think?

what grasps one's attention is undoubtedly the amazing stairs...
they remind you of a spider web..and the way light filters through them and their rather bright white
come to such a contrast with the interior of the house...
as if the sole part that connects the inside with the outside world, your connection to the city life is seperate yet entirely a part of the building!

more details here.
got the pictures from here too.

issey miyake

fashion designer
he emphasised on the geometry and nature of the human body.
his works communicated and flowed with the body as one.
very interesting part of his work was the use of colors and different textures.

lower part of a dress

bag

dress

perfume

videos:

 issey miyake shop visual london

animation for his website

House in Kitakami- Nadamoto Yukiko Architects

new world transparent specimens - iori tomita

having started as a fisherman to preserve organisms he caught,

today japanese artist, iori tomita advances his technique making protein invisible
and creates an art out of nature and death itself.

his work, as he himself has noted,

can be seen from many different perspectives.

i give you mine:

through his art you can see the architecture of different animals

how their bodies are built, what can happen to them after death.

it rises questions like, can colors and light make the image of death tolerable

or even magnificent to look at?

a dead organism is still part of nature...by preserving it, there is created a whole new world

a whole new perspective of it. how can this perspective alter other things in our everyday life...?

like architecture, interiors,or posters, this offers new aesthetics, as 

many other great artists have done before.

i find his work quite intuiguing in every way!

these amazing pictures were borrowed from designboom

which is also where you can find much more detailed information 

as well as here

layer house - hiroaki ohtani

architecture review on this blog
this is a great example of contemporary japanese architecture in today's contemporary city.

"it is what we call a "sandwich house", meaning a house built on a very narrow
site, quite a common thing in condensed japanese cities."