back alley bookends. photo by monde
If you’ve ever wandered around Tokyo on foot you’ll know that it can sometimes be like a spider web of side streets and back alleys. It’s one of the things that makes Tokyo so unique and therein lies the allure of exploring the massive city. Now, one designer has brought that magic to bookshelves by designing back alley bookends.
the back alley bookends, on display at Design Festa in Tokyo. Photo by twitter user @riku_ton
The clever idea is the brainchild of a Japanese designer who goes by the name monde. Based in Tokyo, monde creates objects inspired by the city but also animals and insects. The back alley bookends come in a pair and can be used together to replicate a small back alley, or they can be used individually, exposing the intricate stepping stones, A/C units, piping, plants and other details that have been carefully recreated by hand.
Monde exhibited the back alley bookends, along with other works, last weekend at Design Festa, a Tokyo-based arts & crafts event where artists, both amateur and professional, come together to exhibit their artwork. The event has since ended but the next dates (August 2-4 and then November 10-11, 2018) have already been announced. If you’re interested, you can also try reaching out to the artist directly.
a detailed shot of the back alley bookends. photo by twitter user @riku_ton
the artist has also created a bunkobon (small format book) size bookend and equipped it with a small light
when the light is on the bookend looks like a literal back alley in your bookshelf
May 19, 2018 at 6:25 pm
Such great detail!