It’s been observed that Japan is a country of contradictions: calm yet chaotic; modern yet traditional. So it makes perfect sense that Any Tokyo, an exhibition bringing “tomorrow’s applied design and ideas together under one roof” will be held at Zojo-ji, a Buddhist temple that was founded in present-day Tokyo in 1393. Now in it’s 3rd year, the Exhibition will run from October 24 – November 3, 2015. We’ve selected a few of our favorite projects you’ll get to see at Any Tokyo including a chandelier inspired by the moment of conception, feather-weight lacquerware and a table built like military equipment.
Shizuku: Lacquerware sake cup just 0.6 mm thick
Japanese lacquerware typically needs something of proper thickness to apply the lacquer to. But in a brand new innovation, artisans have managed to create an unprecedented sake cup using just lacquer and the result is an organically shaped cup only 0.6mm thick. It was designed by Yota Kakuda and is part of visual design studio WOW’s new product label BLUEVOX!
Bipod: Military equipment meets dining table
The box that this table comes in reminds me of something a sniper would carry around. But what’s inside is hardly violent. Inspired by the mechanical and utilitarian beauty of military equipment, the Bipod Table “is a tribute to the modernist principles of simplicity, practicality and tactility.” It was designed by Dai Sugasawa for the Singapore design label Industry+.
100 colors per tsubo
If you’ve ever dealt with real estate in Japan you’ll know what a tsubo is. At roughly 35.5 sq ft (3.3 sq meters), the measurement of land serves as a canvas for Tokyo-based architect Emmanuelle Moureaux to install 100 thin and delicate colors. Visitors will be able to lie down underneath and be blanketed by color.
The Birth: a chandelier inspired by conception
It was recently discovered that sparks literally fly when the egg meets the sperm and conception occurs. There is a release of billions of zinc atoms that create tiny ‘zinc sparks’ at the point of conception. Inspired by this miraculous event, designer Satoshi Itasaka created a chandelier that he hopes will make people reflect on the preciousness of life.
Redefining Mass Production Through DIY (Dye It Yourself)
By exploiting the mass-produced porous plastics that are so prevalent in our consumerist society, Takt Project proposes a redefining of these cheap materials into blank slates. “Dye It Yourself” is a movement to imbue these pieces with your own personality, which can lead to mass-produced goods becoming one-of-a-kind expressions of their user’s identity.
