AXIS vol. 149 to be published on December 28
10.12.27
Cover interview: Kengo Kuma, architect
「Although Kengo Kuma says there were no projects for him in Tokyo in the 1990s, today he’s hard at work unveiling numerous creations on his home ground of Tokyo and around the world at an amazing pace. Responsible for this fortunate development is Kuma’s proposal of organic architecture rooted in the relationship between living things and the environment. Kuma has stated that he wants to create spaces that fuse with their surroundings, modest spaces that do not overwhelm people. What exactly is this new form of architecture?
Feature: Design department heads on the whereabouts of
Japanese in-house design
Presented here in these pages are interviews with six design department heads at Toyota, Yamaha, Toshiba, Nissan, Sony, and Canon. Under today’s economic conditions, Japan’s in-house design is said to be lagging behind companies in other nations, but is that actually true? Today, as Japanese industry makes a major course change away from the manufacture of concrete goods and moves towards more abstract systems and methods such as interfaces and interaction, it is certain that in-house design departments will draw close to some pretty major revolutions. What role will the in-house design department take? How will it be organized? We talk with six department heads to find out how each one sees the situation of their company and Japan, and what vision they embrace for the future.
Simon Humphries, Toyota Motor Design Center / Manabu Kawada, Yamaha Product Design Laboratory/ Masahiro Inoue, Toshiba Design Center / Shiro Nakamura, Nissan Motor Design Center / Kazumasa Sato, Sony Creative Center / Masaaki Sakai, Canon Corporate Design Center
Traditonal Craft Froms: Ink sticks (sumi)
The ink stick making season starts one early morning in October when the temperature starts to drop. The materials are soot, animal glue, and a small amount of scent. These are thoroughly kneaded together, hardened, and then dried. As high quality soot comes in the form of fine particles, it flies off easily. The artisans are proud of the fact their bodies turn pitch black as it is proof they are making high-quality ink sticks. The scent of camphor pervades the chilly studio.
Opinion: Andreas Kriegenburg, stage director, stage-set artist, and dramatist
“The theater is the ideal hideout for me”
Serving the roles of stage director, stage-set artist and dramatist, Andreas Kriegenburg is garnering an incredible amount of attention in the world of German theater today.How does he create his theatrical works in a world where such diverse elements as theater space, actors, and audience intertwine? Here’s a glimpse into his creative world.
topics: Old from the very beginningーA new symptom in design as told by Naoto Fukasawa
Designer Naoto Fukasawa has used various keywords when relating the world of design he envisions. Although these words also substantiate the products
Fukasawa brings to the world, in light of his recent work, he seems to have further refined his thinking. Here’s what’s on his mind now.
topics: Utilizing “the hands that are the brain”ーA discussion between Enzo Mari, Gabriele Pezzini and young Kyoto artisans
In October 2010, Enzo Mari and Gabriele Pezzini held a discussion with six young Kyoto artisans and craftsmen. Reported here are excerpts from the heated session.
topics:
Eurostar—Pininfarinas next-generation train design
Postage stamp design in the USA
Seoul establishes a design policy etc.
series
The Prototype Honda Access “On-board communication gadget”
Blinking Memory “A sense of the parabola”
James Dyson on “How manufacturing defines civilization”
The Civil Engineering of Ethics “Melancholic legacies of civil engineering” etc.
