ACT 6 | BE@RBRICK meets TOYO KITCHEN: Part 2

ACT 6 | BE@RBRICK meets TOYO KITCHEN Part 2

In this second installment of our interview with TOYO KITCHEN STYLE representative Takao Watanabe, we delve into the original BE@RBRICKs currently being developed by both companies.
The product samples, crafted with astonishing ingenuity and speed by TOYO KITCHEN's artisans, are nearing completion.

Text by Kunihiko HatanoEdited by Takeshi Takahashi (This Magazine)Photos by Kaoru Kitahara

A Stainless Steel BE@RBRICK, Born?

As we reported last time, this is the test shot using styrofoam.
From here, we move to slicing it and creating a stainless steel template.

AkashiWhile discussing various topics, President Watanabe saw the wooden BE@RBRICK from Karimoku and suggested, 'Since we have a method for stainless steel processing, why don't we try that?' This led to the current project of 'BE@RBRICK in stainless steel.' I was surprised. 'Wait, can stainless steel be bent?'

WatanabeFirst, we create a template, then laser-cut the stainless steel according to that pattern. The subsequent work is all done by our artisans by hand. Hammering and bending.

AkashiHearing that reminded me of the method for making tin toys. First, you create it like papier-mâché, then peel it off to make it flat and create a template. But stainless steel is incomparably harder than tin. How do you shape it from a flat metal plate?

WatanabeWhen you hit stainless steel, it expands. Then, when you apply heat and cool it, it contracts. We apply this principle to smoothly finish the overall shape.

AkashiYou say that so casually, but creating a 3D form by joining materials that expand when hit and contract when cooled is an extraordinary feat. First, you can't calculate the expansion and contraction without actually making it. The expansion would change depending on the size and angle of the cut surface, wouldn't it?

“Slight errors occur when taking molds from the existing plastic BE@RBRICK, so we are creating it from scratch using styrofoam.”
They explained.
Incidentally, the size is 1000%.

WatanabeWell, it is a painstaking process. After that, it's up to the artisan's intuition.

AkashiI was curious if stainless steel had ever been used for three-dimensional objects before, so I looked into it. It turns out that the first prototype of the DeLorean from 'Back to the Future' was actually made entirely of stainless steel.

WatanabeReally!

The mold was created to faithfully reproduce the form. As with previous products,
the neck, arms, wrists, waist, and legs are planned to be articulated (!).

AkashiIn any case, the desire to create the form in stainless steel was so strong that the first unit reportedly cost billions of yen to make. So, I nervously asked the president how much this BE@RBRICK would cost to produce, and I was astonished (laughs).

WatanabeWho knows (laughs). All of this moves. I told the artisan in charge that the moving parts would be difficult, so they could skip them, but they said, 'We'll do it.'

AkashiThis might be jumping ahead, but President, when do you plan to unveil this?

WatanabeIf all goes well, in May.

AkashiWhat, it can be done that quickly!?

WatanabeWell, up to this point has been the most difficult part; the rest isn't so much. We plan to make three units, but if we were to sell them, the price would likely be quite high. We're treating this as a product sample. For us, it's less of a figure and more of a test piece to see how it can be used as an interior motif.

AkashiThat's amazing. I might be the most excited person right now (laughs).

A Stainless BE@R, Achieved Through Master Craftsmanship

WatanabeInitially, I thought about creating a kitchen with the four legs of the BE@RBRICK as part of it, but the artisans told me that making the legs that small in stainless steel would be too difficult.

AkashiFrom there, it evolved into a stainless steel object based on the actual BE@RBRICK... That makes sense. If a kitchen is difficult, perhaps chairs, as you mentioned earlier, would be easier to make. For example, something that looks like just the head with ears attached.

WatanabeIf we disregard comfort to some extent, a person could sit on it even if the BE@RBRICK is in a seated position with its legs outstretched.

AkashiIf this collaboration can successfully lead to mass production, I believe we can create a very new and interesting business model.

WatanabeOur company has done many unusual things before. For example, the F-15 fighter jet. It's made of a special alloy, and we used to handcraft the gauges that measure whether the pressing and punching were done correctly. The fact that gauges made by our artisans were more accurate than machines is quite interesting, isn't it?

AkashiWow, you make gauges by hand?

WatanabeOriginally, stainless steel sinks were entirely handmade by artisans. With the development of pressing technology and special welding techniques, they became largely mechanized, and most manufacturers let their artisans go. However, my predecessor valued artisans and kept a large group of them. When I took over, I thought, 'Since we have them, let's collaborate with designers on stainless steel sinks.' We have a hit product called the '3D Sink,' which widens towards the bottom. You absolutely cannot create that shape with machine pressing.

AkashiYou mean the flask-shaped sink, right? I understand that cannot be mass-produced.

WatanabeBy moving the plates up and down, the sink itself can be used in three dimensions. Therefore, even with a narrow countertop, the cooking functionality increases. It's because we retained these traditional handmade artisans that we were able to realize this attempt to create a BE@RBRICK in stainless steel.

AkashiSince it's scheduled for completion in May, I'm thinking of visiting the factory in Nagoya. It's a bit thrilling to think that this could eventually be displayed at places like MoMA. If you don't mind, could you lend us one unit for the Medicom Toy exhibition in June?

WatanabeOf course. We're also thinking of using BE@RBRICK as a decorative item in our showroom. By continuously pursuing such initiatives, we want to impress upon the public the relationship between interiors and figures.

AkashiIt seems like many interesting things can come from this. Talking with you, President, I'm inspired by various methods I wasn't aware of.

WatanabeThank you. I'm happy to hear you say that.

AkashiSpeaking of which, President, I heard you're opening a select clothing shop soon. When is the planned opening?

WatanabeProbably around August or September. The interior design will be quite spectacular. Please do come and visit.

AkashiI'm looking forward to that as well. Thank you for your continued guidance. Thank you for your time today.