The sheath-like sculpture emits otherworldly electronic sounds when a person places their hand on its lacquered surface. A teahouse encases floating wood in a dreamlike red wall made of safflower-dyed silk. LED lights illuminate the vertical curves of ceramics embedded in aluminum panels.
These are part of a series of unique creations brought to life through Craft x Tech, a new initiative that aims to fuse traditional Japanese craft traditions with advanced technology to help endangered artisanal skills survive and thrive in modern times.
Craft x Technology: Combining Japanese tradition and modern technology through design
Aizu Hongo Pottery x Hideki Yoshimoto
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
One key element is the connection between six international creatives, from Studio Swine to Sabine Marcellis, curated by Maria Cristina Didero, and the artisan traditions of six regions in Tohoku, which were devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The end result is six limited-edition artworks made from traditional materials (textiles, ceramics, woodwork, and lacquerware) and layered with contemporary touches, reflected in minimalist lines, AI technology, and music speakers. They will be unveiled at an exhibition in Kudan House, an atmospheric century-old mansion in Tokyo, before being exhibited at Design Miami Basel.
The project, realised by Hideki Yoshimoto, founder of London-Tokyo based design studio Tangent and specially appointed associate professor at the University of Tokyo, aims to bring traditional Japanese crafts to a new, contemporary audience.
“To achieve this, we first explore the fusion of historical heritage and modern technology,” he told Wallpaper*. “All participating creators are asked to think about this while they are creating, and are given complete freedom.
“In the Tohoku edition, the diversity of interpretations of technology in craft, such as solving structures mathematically in unique ways, adopting production processes using modern machines, and setting traditional materials with electronic instruments, is the core of Craft x Tech.”
Tsugaru Nurics x Iniarchivebon
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
He added: “There have been many collaborations between Japanese artisans and international designers on everyday items, but not many aimed at the art market. The crafts we work with are centuries or even more than 1,000 years old, and I wanted to celebrate their beauty and power with the highest quality pieces, not just cups and bowls sold in a shop.”
For Studio Swine, the starting point was the centuries-old tradition of the Sendai Tansu, a type of chest of drawers made of lacquered wood and decorative iron fittings, anciently made by artisans in Miyagi city, Sendai prefecture.
Working closely with the artisans, the studio devised a geometric cubic structure that balances the rich beauty of artisanal craftsmanship with clean metal grid lines that evoke a minimalist, contemporary aesthetic.
Sendai Tansu x Studio Wine
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
“For me, the Sendai chest is a time-travel device,” says Azusa Murakami, who co-founded Studio Swain with Alexander Groves. “I love the feeling of being connected to the past through new objects that dialogue with antiques and history.”
“Our aim was to faithfully recreate a historical moment in time when these pieces might have been considered contemporary. This involved creating pieces that exude freshness while employing time-honoured techniques and traditions that have been passed down by artisans for centuries.”
Kawatsura Lacquerware x Sabine Marcellis
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Sabine Marcellis was matched with an artisan who specializes in Kawatsurī lacquerware, a traditional and durable lacquerware technique that originated about 800 years ago in Yuzawa City, Akita Prefecture.
The final result is a contemporary wall hanging and two coffee tables, both minimal and contemporary, with smooth reflective surfaces in rich hues reminiscent of chocolate and coffee. Unusually for Japanese lacquerware, the pieces feature softly curved edges, an effect achieved through a challenging manufacturing process that requires artisans to create special jigs.
Kawatsura Lacquerware x Sabine Marcellis
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
“The texture of the finished lacquered surface is very glossy, shiny and very opaque,” says Marcelis. “In fact, it is completely different from glass or cast resin, which I am most experienced with. I realized that transparency was out of my reach, so I started to analyze what lighting effects I could achieve with the available material properties. I soon came to the realization that it was a very beautiful interplay of light reflecting off the surfaces. The soft surface with curves and corners really helped this effect.”
For Yoichi Ochiai, the excessive incorporation of AI into traditional craftsmanship formed the basis of his creation: a mobile teahouse made in collaboration with artisans specializing in Okitama tsumugi, a traditional textile made in southern Yamagata prefecture since the 8th century.
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
Floating on a sculptural black base, the minimalist cubic walls are made of red silk, echoing the centuries-old natural dyeing technique of safflower dyeing, while inside, sculptural pieces of wood traverse the interior space.
“It is a new artistic expression that understands and builds on the ontology of Yonezawa, the roots of digital nature, and incorporates elements of digital nature into the traditional space of a teahouse,” says Ochiai. “By adopting AI in design theory and dynamically changing images and music in real time, the physical space evolves into a portable work of art that blends into digital nature.”
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
Other highlights include a surfboard-shaped monolithic light sculpture that project founder Yoshimoto created in collaboration with Fukushima artisans who specialize in Aizuhongo ware, a type of pottery known for its distinctive patterns created by molten glazes in the kiln.
Michael Young delves into the world of Nanbu ironware, a type of cast iron long made in Iwate Prefecture and traditionally used for small items such as teapots, reinterpreting the material's craftsmanship into sculptural furniture pieces, including a triangular wall hanging and two coffee tables.
Details of Tsugaru Lacquer x Ini Archibon
(Image courtesy of Craft x Tech)
Ini Archibong's exploration of Tsugaru-nuri, a decorative lacquerware from Aomori Prefecture, has created an electronic musical instrument in the form of a large, organic, pod-like sculpture placed on top of a speaker-containing box, interacting with a human hand hovering above its surface to create a profoundly otherworldly soundscape.
According to Yoshimoto, the process was not without challenges, especially as some of the craftsmen had never met a foreigner before. “But it was clear that they agreed that new ideas and challenges were essential to preserve the traditions and pass them on to the next generation,” he says.
These new artworks are just one layer of a multifaceted craft x tech collaboration; other elements include technology research projects and manufacturing initiatives. “We want to consider whether this collaborative project can actually bring sustainable businesses to local artisans,” Yoshimoto explains.
And this is just the beginning: “We will continue our collaborative journey in other parts of Japan,” he adds. “This will be my life's work. It may take 20 or 30 years, but I want to cover the whole of Japan.”
Craft x Tech will be exhibited as part of Design Miami/Basel, taking place from June 11-16, 2024.
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