LAB #1(40) 2008

has been created with the help of baking technolo- gies; it took the author over 3 years to study and employ the technologies into the design project. The designer got this idea from the National Geographic, which published an article on qualities of high-tech fibre and its importance for science and aerospace industry. This is where Tokujin found his inspira- tion. His first efforts to create a structure out of soft material produced no results, as the samples would not keep their shape, but would spread out. The de- signer insistently tried many kinds of fibre and held a number of experiments before he had a brainwave, it should be baked – just like a tinned loaf. The main ingredient is polyester elastomer. It was not easy to organize the production process. Semicylindrical block of fibre is rolled densely, placed into a paper tube and baked at the temperature of 104 degrees. As the designer says, such a chair makes one feel as if one is sitting on a cloud, though one should not lean backwards too much, because the project still requires some finishing. The author is pleased to conduct a soft revolution, and he is certain that this is only the beginning. In the framework of Design Miami exhibition, tak- ing place in Miami, the state of Florida, for the third time, this Japanese author was awarded the title of the Best Designer in 2007. His Tornado installation (consisting of 2 million plastic straws imitating the depth of snow and clouds) has again become the most inspired part of the exhibition space. Today Tokujin Yoshioka is the main character of this issue of LAB. He is a man of few words, as all Japanese are, however he answers each question with pleasure, he is all about design, as the best designer should be, but he still keeps exploring himself. – Please, tell us more about Tornado installation, created in the framework of Design Miami. What were the main sources of inspiration for this project? What kinds of material have you used? (I have read on one of the internet forums that the installation consisted of millions of cocktail straws).

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tion installation. Against the white background he presented his findings and experiments with this material, which he had serious plans for. This was a result of three years of fruitful work and experiments exciting for the author and amusing for viewers. Here weightless shapes echo the monochromatic winter

Tokujin Yoshioka _ Think About Creat- ing Fundamentality And About Design- ing People’s Feelings | Prepared by Maria Sazonova | Photo (portrait) Tomoki Futaishi | Photo courtesy of Ms. Kei Ueda, Tokujin Yosh- ioka Design Tokujin Yoshioka graduated from the Kuwasawa design school in Tokio, but he received his most valuable knowledge from masters Shiro Kuramata and Issey Miyake. This experience was enough to start his own mark Tokujin Yoshioka Design in 2000. Its founder had enough talent and creativity to cover object and interior design, industrial and graphic design, architecture and scenography. Perhaps this is why such diverse but definitely great trademarks stand together in the list of fans of Tokujin Yosh- ioka’s works: Issey Miyake, Driade, Lexus, Hermes, Swarovski, BMW, Shiseido, Audi. In 2001 Tokudjin Yoshioka presented a collection of Honey Pop chairs, transformers made of sheets of pressed paper. The object is exhibited in Vitra Design Museum in Berlin and in the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City and completely follows all curves the body of a person sitting in it has. Explorations concerned with honey-pop design were developed in further experiments with chairs. Visitors of major designer events are eager to see his installations. At the presentation of Lexus LS se- dan in Milan the designer has filled the space around the car with 700 kilometres of transparent luminous optical fibre, which looked like a cascading flood of rain. Making his way through them, the viewer found himself alone with the white sculpture of the car. To present Modal acoustic systems by Kunihiro Tsuji Scientific the designer chose an uncommon site, San Paolo Converso, a former nunnery of the 16th century. In the middle of winter in Axis gallery in Japan the artist arranged his Super Fiber Revolu-

mood, and the request to wipe feet at the entrance and to keep it clean reminds us again, that the author of the action is Japanese! The eye gets caught in the Hermes showcases filled with clouds and the major part of the exhibi- tion hall. This part of the exhibition is called Re- membrance. The background for Birkin bags and clothes as well as for admiration and meditation is filled with a relief of 550,000 transparent straws of optical fibre. The author carefully created the artistic surface, pressing and squeezing each stem of the equal length. Numerous ends of stems created that whiteness and glimmer that can be seen in the clouds flowing in the skies, subtly taking our memories away. Tokujin Yoshioka presented his Pane chair at the exhibition in Milan. This is the master’s favourite project. It has quite an interesting story. Pane is Italian for «bread». The product’s texture reminds of that of a traditional loaf of bread, besides the object

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