A Study in Boyoyong by Jun Aoki and Mongoose Studio

Model images courtesy Jun Aoki

Next month, in an exhibition titled “A Study in Boyoyong,” architect Jun Aoki and design collective Mongoose Studio will present an installation that aims to study the intangible qualities of what can be compared to the recoiling motion of certain softshell objects.

Boyoyong (written ぼよよん) is an onomatopoeia used specifically to describe, for example, water balloons bouncing off of each other. Or the undulating motion resulting from pushing down on tofu and then releasing the pressure. In an attempt to conduct further study on the topic ahead of the installation, members have been creating youtube videos of different types of boyoyong.

Over 8000 polypropylene rings will be combined to create a cloud in an epic investigation of the mysterious characteristics of boyoyong. The show will open on July 26th and will run for about 2 weeks at the Okamura Gardencourt Showroom. Mongoose studio is known for their experimentations in the intangible aspects of industrial design. In 2007 they created Fuwapica, a series of seats that change color depending on how you sit and interact with it. Dubbed the “communication stool,” it was meant to create a connection between the seat and the sitter.