all photos by satoru ikegami | click to enlarge
In a post-war Japan one of the country’s growth engines that helped it rise from ashes was industrial production. Japan showed the world that, with the hard work and persistence of its dedicated labor force it could swiftly evolve from a nation that had lost a quarter of its national wealth to the second largest economy. To this day the land of the rising sun is still proud of its powerful auto, metal and glass industries.
And no one is prouder than the City of Hamamatsu, “a major industrial hub based around textiles, musical instruments and transportation equipment.” City representatives describe Hamamatsu’s history:
From the textile industries at the end of the Edo period, to machine production as represented by powered looms, to the industries of musical instruments and transport equipment, and from the industrial commercialization of primary industries to the progression into mechanization and computerization, one can trace the pattern of industrial innovation in the city’s technological transformation.
To commemorate this heritage, designer Yuma Kano created an installation of 36445 screws, screwed into a large board and installed at Mannenbashi Park Building where Design East was being held. The seemingly obscure number of screws actually indicates the number of businesses that operate in Hamamatsu, while the screws symbolize Japan’s industrial strength. Kano is actually the creator of a rather unique smiley face screw. For the installation he playfully hid just 1 of his smiley screws within the installation and challenged visitors to find it!
Watch the video to see how the installation came together:
September 9, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Screw That!
September 11, 2014 at 10:05 am
The article says the screws were “nailed” into a board. Clearly the author isn’t a tool person. The screws were screwed into a board.
September 11, 2014 at 1:15 pm
@Tool Guy – correct, the author is not a tool person 😉 The wording’s been fixed. Thanks!