Designing Materials from Scratch, Presenting the Process

"Experimental Creations" is a creator platform launched in 2013. Rather than simply presenting finished products, the exhibition focuses on the experimental and production processes, aiming to showcase the breadth of design and the idea stage to present the creators' unique individuality and sensibility. At this year's Salone del Mobile, their first exhibition, they presented two content areas: "Material Experiments" and "Digital Experiments."

"Material Experiments" showcased the potential of eight new materials born from experimentation. Furthermore, seven designers presented products created using these materials.



Jun Murakoshi's "soup" is a CMF (※) experiment that considers the mold used for shaping the product as part of the artwork, leaves room for randomness to create unique pieces, and is based on a simple manufacturing process without special techniques.

※CMF: Refers to the surface of all objects. It is an acronym for Color, Material, and Finish.

Kaori Akiyama of "STUDIO BYCOLOR" presents "MW:WW/More Works:With Wood." To convey that "wood is a living material," she developed architectural hardware and accessories based on her unique surface treatment technology "MW:WW." By removing the adhesive elements from the main structure of the wood and making it porous, it not only offers interesting textures but also expands possibilities such as moisture absorption and sound absorption.

Proposing New Textures Through Digital x Analog

The other exhibition, "Digital Experiments," featured five designers presenting materials that were shaped using 3D computer graphics software "Rhinoceros" and "Grasshopper," outputted by a 3D printer, and then subjected to secondary processing such as dyeing and plating. By mixing analog processing with digital creations, new textures were proposed.



Jun Murakoshi's "SO" features a surface finish created by stacking in a way that suggests concentric spheres, rather than the typical horizontal layering of 3D prints. The unexpected movement of the liquid rubber material creates a unique aesthetic for each piece.

Kaori Akiyama's "TASTE of CELLS" explores the diverse surface textures of plants, such as fruits and vegetables, which can be bulbous, pointed, or indented. Using the graphic software Grasshopper, she simulated the size and balance of cellular structures and applied various plant surface textures to spoons. Dyes derived from the respective plants were used for coloring.

Experimental Creations
Produced by Yumi Ueno
Participating Designers: BOUNCE, Jun Murakoshi, kamina&C, Kentaro Kudo, Ryosuke Fukusada, STUDIO BYCOLOR, Tsukasa Goto, Hiroshi Komiyama
http://experimental-creations.com/

• Feature: Salone del Mobile.Milano 2015