AXIS vol.147 to be published on Sep 1st
10.08.29
Cover Interview: David Adjaye, architect
David Adjaye burst out onto the front lines of architecture immediately after establishing his own architecture office in London in 2000. He has been praised as having an excellent command of light and materials and possessing a sophisticated artistic sense. At the very foundation of his thought is a respect for the various lands and cultures of the world, a scientific stance, and a sympathy with art.
Feature: Creative Talk Sessions II
Following the success of last year’s event, a talk session among creators active on the front lines of various fields was held at AXIS Gallery in Roppongi, Tokyo. The venue was packed with everyone from students to professional creators. Although a number of key ideas were prepared for the discussion, there were no real expectations that it would unfold according to plan, so with the participants inspired by each other’s ideas, the entire venue became engrossed in a talk that took off in diverse directions.
Kengo Kuma, architect & Hiroshi Ishii, associate director and professor of MIT Media Laboratory / Ryue Nishizawa, architect & Masaaki Hiromura, graphic designer
topics: 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE– A 21st century Clothing Revolution by Issey Miyake
A new project named 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE will be unveiled in the fall of 2010. The principal is one of using a computer program to transform a two dimensional geometric plane into an elegant three-dimensional form that gracefully envelops your body. Issey Miyake and his staff instigated a revolution in the process of making Pleated clothes in the second half of the 1980s. 132 5. represents a new creative challenge. It represents a return to Miyake’s touchstone-starting point of “A Piece of Cloth” and incorporates a desire to respect the need to recycle and conserve resources.
topics: Visiting Studio 7.5 in Berlin–Being able to live without compromise
Ever since its unveiling at the International World Trade Fair NeoCon in June 2009, Herman Miller’s Setu Chair has been making its influence felt around the world. Thanks to the kinematic spine, a frame element akin to a dinosaur’s backbone, the seat and back form a seamless unit that responds naturally to the posture and movements of the sitter, making possible a previously impossible manner of reclining. Just who are the creators who give life to a design that permits the body to apprehend the beauty of a product in this way? We paid a visit to the site of such creation: Studio 7.5, a group of designers who have not appeared much even in the German media, and who’ve taken the path of understatement.
series Traditional Craft Forms: Hinoki Bathtubs
A refreshing fragrance wafts up every time the wood is planed with a planer. What’s being made here is a barrel-shaped hinoki bathtub that measures 900 mm in diameter. The process is almost the same as making a wooden pail or barrel. The round form gradually emerges through a process of lining slats at a certain angle and joining them. This skill symbolizes a wood culture that relies solely on experienced intuition and know-how.
series Opinion: Naotaka Fjii, Head of Laboratory for Adaptive Intelligence at Riken
Naotaka Fujii is the head of Laboratory for Adaptive Intelligence at Riken that explores the field of brain science with unconventional approaches and research methods on the theme “social brains.” As he clearly states that previously inaccessible truths will begin to emerge if researchers can transcend the existing framework, We believe his research stance must surely have something in common with that of creators. We visited his lab to find out.
topics:
International Trade Fair LIVING & DESIGN
Benettons Fabrica—The role of research center marks its 16th anniversary
An exhibition that leads one and all to knowledge
The Product Design Department, The Glasgow School of Art rises to the challenge
series:
Blinking Memory “Zipper and Ship”
James Dyson on “My kind of genius”
The Civil Engineering of Ethics “Spare some compassion for smokers too” etc.
