Posts from — March 2009

How cool is this fondue pot, recently re-imagined by product designer Shizuka Tatsuno! It was created for use at the kaho (菓頬) snack café in Harajuku that opened last year.

Care to pay them a visit?
The address  is 3-22-11 Jingumae and they are on the 2nd floor of kyushuya bldg.

Japanese photographer Yanagi Miwa currently has a show going on at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (aka Syabi) through the month of April. On display is her ongoing work “my grandmothers.” The artist asks models to envision themselves 50 years down the road, then recording the image in a surrealistic format. The piercing question takes us on a journey beyond the dreams and aspirations of young women to a place where success is no longer of primary concern. And each photo is accompanied by an intimate dialogue.

If you are interested in the artist’s work, have a look at her early work “elevator girls” in which the artist envisions a world where only elevator girls roam.

I’m back! …I think. It feels like eons since I last posted. Thank you to everyone who sent along their good wishes!

I decided to check in on the ongoing show taking place in rooms of the boutique hotel CLASKA. For those frequenting our site often the participants should be familiar; Studio Note, MicroWorks and Noto Fusai to name a few.

So if you haven’t checked out the show yet now would be a good time as writtenafterwards has taken the stage. The duo unit comprised of Yoshikazu Yamagata and Kentaro Tamai are known for their experimental work in merging fashion and fine art. I’m a big fan of their work, especially Yamagata’s series, a long story.

Big Bra, from the series “a long story”

So, early early this morning little Huey was joined in this world of ours by a baby sister. And I`m happy to report that both are in excellent health. Consequentially, posting will be sparse this week but I hope things will settle down by next week!

Camper shoes continues to appeal to the artsy design crowd by collaborating with designers. First it was Spanish designer Jaime Hayon who worked his magic in their Barcelona store interior. Now they have enlisted Japanese design firm Nendo to create an exhibition space titled imagination walks at Bread & Butter in Barcelona. This makes a lot of sense given the fact that Camper shoes are huge in Japan.

Camper subsequently came out with a line of shoes designed by Hayon so I’m guessing in a few months we will also see a line of shoes by Nendo, which would, without a doubt, be pretty exciting.

via Jean Snow & Designboom

Related:

• Ghost Stories by Nendo
• Camper Store x Jaime Hayon

Something is not right here on Spoon & Tamago. My columns are missing and only the latest post shows up. Anyone know what’s up?

Please be patient while I try and get to the bottom of this.
I really hope it’s just that button that’s been turned to “not working.”

[Update] Seems to be a browser issue. I downloaded google chrome and it looked fine. Please let me know if anyone else is having issues with the site. Thanks!

Pecha Kucha NY #6 is happening next Monday! I would highly encourage anyone in the area to attend. Origianlly initiated by Tokyo-based architects Klein Dytham, Pecha Kucha invites notable presenters to speak for a total of 6 min 40 sec (20 images x 20 seconds) about their work to a diverse group of audinece members. Of particular interest to me this time are Swissmiss and DJ Spooky.

One of my favorite design shops, Bob Foundation (I always get a kick out of the name too), is in the current issue of Figaro Japon. They’re sharing some unique organization tips to give your personal space a little more oomph.

Create your own cup-dryer using twigs.
Create a mini-museum using all those chotchkies that you just can’t bring yourself to throw away.
Make a mobile out of old letters and stationary.
Instead of piling old books in a corner, create sculptures.

Related:

• No. 62 by Bob Foundation
• Bob Foundation Coat Hanger

Holy hallucinatory awesomeness! Comic book author and visual artist (only in Japan do those 2 disciplines intersect) Katsuki Tanaka’s experimental film AltoVision was just released on Blue-ray. But you can watch a short segment on the website! I recommend full-screen, speakers turned up, the works. It’s quite an experience.

The film boasts some raving reviews by actor and overseas heartthrob Tadanobu Asano, as well as Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi.

Thanks Mayu!

The big news last night in Japan – unconfined to the fashion industry – was that German high-end fashion designer Jil Sander would be signing on as fashion consultant for UNIQLO. The tie-up actually makes a lot of sense. Both designers have a similar minimalistic aesthetic, the only real difference being one or two decimal places in each other’s price tags.

According to the Nikkei we won’t be seeing any fruits of their labor until October. So until then, feast your eyes on Tokyo-based Bassett Walker’s hot-off-the-press S/S 2009 collection. So glad to see the they’re still pushing purple!