EXHIBITION Gallery: "Experimental Creations" Project Showcases Material Innovation
Gallery
October 18, 2015

EXHIBITION Gallery: "Experimental Creations" Project Showcases Material Innovation

Held at Light Box Studio Aoyama, Aoyama, Tokyo, from Sunday, October 25 to Tuesday, October 27
Held at Light Box Studio Aoyama, Aoyama, Tokyo, from Sunday, October 25 to Tuesday, October 27
"tone pearl" Designed by AZUCHI The subtle color shifts emanating from the luster of pearls have always captivated people. Artificial pearls were born from humanity's desire to create that luster themselves. Their sheen has now reached a level indistinguishable from the real thing. We wondered if we could achieve a beauty that surpasses even the real thing by further altering the delicate colors of artificial pearls, which change with the angle, using different elements. This time, we attempted to develop artificial pearls that create new colors through sunlight and shadow by using paints that develop color under ultraviolet light.
"R-FRP" Designed by kamina&C FRP is typically a composite material made by incorporating fibers such as glass fibers into plastic to improve strength. Objects made from FRP are generally strong but tend to have an inorganic, cold appearance that gives a uniform impression. The R-FRP experimented with this time is an attempt to develop a composite material with plastic using fibers other than glass fibers. To preserve the texture of the fibers used, the aim was to maintain their appearance as if they were unprocessed and in their natural state, rather than encapsulating the fiber material within the plastic.
"Inside←→Outside" Designed by Kentaro Kudo When people touch a material, are they looking at its exterior, or feeling its interior? In this experiment, we focused on the steel plate—the "inside"—rather than the "outside" paint, of baked coatings, which have already undergone various surface treatments. By transmitting the internal effects to the outside, we explore the unexpected material expressions and phenomena that emerge.
"mold" Designed by Yoh Komiyama The research project "mold," which gives form to the concept of producing a single unique item through mass production, as envisioned by product designer Yoh Komiyama, with the craftsmanship of mold maker Mitsuru Muroshima, began in 2014, prompted by "Experimental Creations." We named the accidental shapes created by dropping acrylic resin bottles of the same shape, made by injection molding, from the ceiling to the floor while still hot as "Gravity," and the shapes created by inflating them with air as "Air."
"WASHI do" Designed by STUDIO BYCOLOR Washi paper's true value is conveyed through the uniform papermaking process perfected over years of craftsmanship. "WASHI do" maintains the papermaking process but changes the tools used, imbuing washi paper, traditionally "static," with "movement." Instead of fitting neatly into a mold, the paper intertwines, separates, and connects along the various shapes of expanded metal, creating a random texture as if each fiber composing the washi paper began to move in different directions. We are exploring the expanding possibilities of washi paper through experiments involving flat sheets, three-dimensional construction, rusting, and dyeing.
"COMPOSITION" Designed by TAKT PROJECT Is there a way to create home appliances simply from materials, much like carving wood to make furniture or kneading clay to make pottery? By treating electronic components as materials and mixing them with the resin intended for the exterior casing, we create a new composite material that is both electrically conductive and functional as a product. Where does the material end and the product begin? This is a prototype exploration of the boundary where materials transform into products, and the existing frameworks that define them, by thinking from the perspective of materials.
"DISSOLVE" Designed by Dan Tomimatsu This is an attempt to create a metal material with an unprecedented texture by combining the handicraft technique of alloying metals with a method used in etching, which involves corroding copper to process its surface. We have succeeded in further highlighting and bringing out the beautiful metal textures created by marbling.
"素肌" (Suhada - Bare Skin) Designed by Keita Hanazawa We are exploring the beautiful states glimpsed within existing production processes. These are in a "semi-finished" state and are incomplete, thus changing their appearance to become finished products. This time, we attempted to approach the semi-finished state from a different process than the existing one and to "preserve" its beautiful state. After an initial bisque firing, ceramics are coated with glaze and fired again to increase water resistance and strength (vitrification). During this process, firing at even higher temperatures changes the appearance, texture, and color, and the bisque surface is lost. We sought a method to commercialize while preserving this beautiful bare skin.
"Concretone" Designed by Kazuhiko Hayakawa Stones found on Earth exhibit a wide variety of colors and patterns, such as marble patterns and layered designs. These are formed by the aggregation of various particles over long periods and through chance. Concrete, which we see as commonplace, is also formed by the aggregation of particles, like stone. By mixing pigments, which are mineral particles, with concrete and pouring them simultaneously, the resulting colors and accidental boundaries create diverse patterns, giving concrete a new expression.
"cALoth" Designed by Yu Matsuda cAloth is a new material that can be called a "shape-memory fabric" and "unbreakable aluminum foil," created by bonding aluminum foil with fabric. Its ability to be freely deformed by hand stimulates the user's creativity. The mesh and non-woven fabric applied to the surface allow light to pass through the metallic luster of the aluminum foil, creating a unique texture. Two extremely everyday materials, whose properties are intuitively shared by everyone, have formed a symbiotic relationship to acquire new characteristics.
"OPTICAL FIBER BLOCK" Designed by Shinya Yoshida This is an optical fiber block with the same crystal structure as ulexite (TV-stone). Utilizing the optical properties of optical fibers, which can transmit information over vast distances, the color information of the touched texture is transmitted to the surface. This phenomenon is as if it's mimicking the object it touches. Each optical fiber acts as one pixel, displaying an abstract color information that appears digitally converted. After molding, it can also be cut and polished, making it applicable to all kinds of products and architecture.
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EXHIBITION Gallery: "Experimental Creations" Project Showcasing Material Experiments

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