AXIS vol.153 in store now!
11.09.02
Cover Interview: Hisase Igarashi
Because Hisae Igarashi came out of Shiro Kuramata Design Office, people might think of her as an interior designer, but Igarashi calls herself “a designer of 3D objects and space,” and is involved in furniture and playground equipment as well as spaces. While Igarashi is indifferent to self promotion, she is watched intently by fellow designers.
Feature: Design for Tourism
The basic policies set out by the Japanese government in its Tourism Nation Promotion Basic Plan include “development of attractive, internationally competitive tourist destinations,” “enhancement of the international competitiveness of the tourism industry and nurturing of human resources that can contribute to tourism promotion,” and “promotion of international travel and improvement of an environment to promote sightseeing.” If these words are interpreted literally, there is a danger that the plan will fall into the trap of relying on existing methods, such as creating something new to attract tourists, improving transportation and surrounding facilities, and developing new souvenirs and branding including advertisements. Design must surely be involved in order to prevent that from happening. But is it being used effectively? Here we explore various examples of such attempts both in and outside Japan.
New series Masaaki Hiromura’s Junglin’: “Form are created by edges”
Junglin’ is a word coined by graphic designer Masaaki Hiromura, combining the Japanese word junguri, which means “in sequence,” and the English progressive suffix “ing.” It indicates action and behavior that people repeat unconsciously every day. In this series, Hiromura picks up Junglin’ that are quite striking, and explores how the mind and consciousness work.
Traditional Craft Forms: Fire engines
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.
Opinion: Haruo Hayashi, Professor at Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
Haruo Hayashi, Professor at the Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, has long been studying great disasters and their preventive methods. We first interviewed him in 2006, and can not forget what he said then: “Disaster prevention is not a purpose but a function.” We interviewed him once again about the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11.
topics: MEMORY FIELD: Memory of a place and “time and space”— DGT, architects of the New Estonian National Museum
Construction of the new Estonian National Museum started this summer. The winner of the international architectural design competition held in 2005 was DGT, an architectural design office headed by three architects from different origins. DGT also attracted attention for its installation for Toshiba at the Milan Furniture Fair in April as well as its stage design at Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto in August.
topics: Yoshio Akioka―An industrial designer who advocated “cherished use rather than consumption”
You’ve probably never heard of a designer by the name of Yoshio Akioka. He was involved in various activities throughout his life and was a truly diverse person. He also left numerous proposals that provided insight into the future. How will designers living today interpret his words?
other topics:
New Mercedes Benz Actros―Setting a new standard in heavy-duty trucks
Dai Fujiwara workshop report
Innovative designs employing a universal “box”―Container Architecture
other series:
The Prototype Hitachi Consumer Electronics “Gesture-Based User Interface”
Blinking Memory “Perspective of the Globe Image”
A wealth of books and reading Naoto Fukasawa/Satoshi Wada/Hisakazu Shimizu etc.
