Light of hope - Tokyo Michiterasu 2020 winter illumination
This unique light and illumination event has become the area's winter tradition since Tokyo Millenario was first held in 1999. This year, Tokyo Michiterasu 2020 is still hosting during the global pandemic, hoping to light the way of all of us to the future: Michi (unknown) and terasu (light). This event hopes to deliver a message of support and thanks to the people working towards the new era (the "new normal") from Japan's heart. *fRAum®︎ is the main visual for art calligraphy.
Light of hope, one of the latest projects created by KAZUKI KUMONO & YOKO FRAKTUR This light and illumination event has become the area’s winter tradition. This year, Tokyo Michiterasu 2020, with the wish of lighting the way to the future: Since we may not be able to visit in life but you may also visit online during the pandemic. They hope to deliver a message of support and thanks to the people working towards the new era (the “new normal”) from the heart of Japan. This is one of the winter illuminations that you can enjoy both on-site and remotely.
fRAum®︎ is the main visual for art calligraphy.
You may find there are many different characteristics in the city of Tokyo. Where history, the future and culture meet. Surrounding Tokyo Station, this area continues to emerge as a unique city where history, tradition, culture, science, business, and innovation blend together dynamically and form a hub that connects Tokyo, Japan and the world.
This unique light and illumination event has become the area's winter tradition since Tokyo Millenario was first held in 1999. This year, Tokyo Michiterasu 2020 is still hosting during the global pandemic, hoping to light the way of all of us to the future: Michi (unknown) and terasu (light). This event hopes to deliver a message of support and thanks to the people working towards the new era (the "new normal") from Japan's heart.
For those who can’t visit in person, Tokyo Michiterasu 2020’s official website offers a particular movie. It features five short stories told by art calligraphy animals in Tokyo Station Marunouchi Station Square and on Gyoko-Dori Street. Please enjoy whereby the dark world grows with the light of hope.
Episode 1:
Living is not breathing but doing - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Episode 2
Because love is, that forgives the conflict of opinion with mistakes and their own that person. - Florence nightingale
Episode 3
The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up - Mark Twain
Episode 4
If you fantasize anyway, it’s best to have a wonderful imagination. - Lucy Maud Montgomery
Episode 5
True courage and kindness go on with people together. - Samuel Smiles
The video will be released on December 24, 2020
Event Details
The name of the event: Tokyo Michiterasu 2020
Opening period: Thursday, December 10 - Friday, December 25, 2020, from 3:00 pm ～ 9:00pm
*Some of the online content is scheduled to be available until Thursday, December 31. AR is available both daytime and nighttime at the venue.
The venue: Tokyo Station Marunouchi Station Square, Gyoko-Dori Street
The hosts (in no particular order) East Japan Railway Company Tokyo Branch and Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.
Other sponsors (in no particular order)Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; Chiyoda Ward; The Chiyoda City Tourism Association; The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Tokyo International Forum Co., Ltd.; The Council for Area Development and Management of Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho.
For more information, please visit: https://www.tokyo-michiterasu.jp/en/
The Green Soul of Zegna - the Dream of Zero Waste Possible
At Zegna, they have taken care of the world we live in from the beginning, following in the footsteps of their founder Ermenegildo Zegna. This is their company mission, based on a constantly-evolving thought: looking at the future with the belief that our actions today will shape our tomorrow.
“At Zegna, we have taken care of the world we live in from the beginning, following in the footsteps of our founder Ermenegildo Zegna. This is our company mission, based on a constantly-evolving thought: looking at the future with the belief that our actions today will shape our tomorrow.”
At Zegna, social and environmental responsibility have been our roots for 110 years. When they were founded in 1910, Ermenegildo Zegna’s dream was not just to create the world’s finest textiles but to make his hometown and the world around it a better place, ensuring the highest-quality products without compromising the quality of life for future generations. His vision is still the heart of everything we do. The environment is at the core of our efforts: we believe the very best garments can only come from the best natural resources, and that these resources need to be cared for. The advanced vertical integration of our business model facilitates our journey towards a sustainable product and holds us accountable for responsible practices and processes.
2020 marks our 110th anniversary. On this landmark year, we are proud to renew our sustainability pledge, exemplified by OASI Zegna, where our Lanificio Zegna was established and our green philosophy was ignited. OASI Zegna is a unique model of our environmental consciousness, a territory that now covers 100km2 from Trivero to Valle Cervo in the Alpi Biellesi, which would not have been possible without the visionary approach of our founder.
“In an ever-changing world, luxury companies can simply adapt to changes or choose to be a positive force in driving these changes. Our responsibility is to leverage our past to build a better present and future. This carries over into everything we do, following our founder’s legacy. I’m very pleased that Zegna is part of the Green Pea project, partnering with Oscar Farinetti who shares the same sustainability ethos with us”, says Gildo Zegna, CEO of Ermenegildo Zegna.”
Meanwhile at Z ZEGNA, we continue to push the boundaries to explore sustainable fashion solutions, and use recyclablematerials to create the Z ZEGNA FW20 #Usetheexisting Nylon Padded Jacket and Vest. The extra-light recycled nylon stuffing creates feather-like comfort, whilst outstanding weaving and craftsmanship ensurewaterproofing and warmth. The streamlined design is ideal for outdoor adventures and city life alike, with functional details such as a patch pocket on the chest, zipper side pockets covered by a sleek, peach-skin technofabric shell, and a drawstring at the bottom. A carefree choice for contemporary gentlemen to mix and match, the Z ZEGNA FW20 #Usetheexisting Nylon Padded Jacket and Vest come in four colour options: black, red, bright yellow and dark green.
“Morethan a simple project, #UseTheExisting is a state of mind,” says Artistic Director, Alessandro Sartori. “The main goal is to rework the fashion system in order to reduce our ecological footprint. At Zegna, we are trying to reuse resources in order to not waste any materials in the production chain. It is a mission and a vision in which we are investing a lot. This is the principle behind the latest and future collections.”
Together, wecan build a better tomorrow.
For more information, please visit: www.zega.com
ZEGNA AND LEICA JOIN FORCES IN A COLLABORATION TO BE LAUNCHED GLOBALLY
Fashion meets Photography: the exclusive collaboration between Zegna and Leica Camera, the legendary German camera manufacturer, yields a capsule collection of high-end camera accessories, possibly the most refined to date.
Fashion meets Photography: the exclusive collaboration between Zegna and Leica Camera, the legendary German camera manufacturer, yields a capsule collection of high-end camera accessories, possibly the most refined to date.
Debuted in January 2020 on the runway of the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Winter 2020 Fashion Show, this highly expected capsule collection finally comes to life.
![[FOR DIGITAL ONLY] FW20 Leica - 03 9x16.jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5260d046e4b0c0ba62540470/1607322652279-JAV9WNOVU431207KO4JK/%5BFOR+DIGITAL+ONLY%5D+FW20+Leica+-+03+9x16.jpg)
Designed for the modern photographer, in search of the most beautiful image but equally attentive to the subtle details of handmade craftsmanship, the collaboration strengthens the link between two expressions of art and creativity, reflecting a broader dialogue between the two brands.
Zegna Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori, a photography enthusiast and authentic Leica lover, has always been inspired by photography as a creative language that he often visually uses as a reference for his collections. His own passion led Zegna to a collaboration built upon the mutual expression of creativity and innovation, craftsmanship and technicality which further cements Zegna’s reputation as a global luxury lifestyle brand.
The collaboration collection consists in PELLETESSUTATM camera holsters for Leica Q2 and Leica M cameras; PELLETESSUTATM protectors for Leica Q2 and Leica M cameras; functional crossbody bags called Insta-Pack, inspired by photographers’ attitude that fit almost all Compact Leica cameras (Leica V-Lux excluded) and the Leica CL with the 18mm ‘pancake’ Leica lens; carrying and wrist straps; Leica keyrings and round wallets (both for coins or the Leica Q2 lens cap) that feature luxury details and precious touch of the PELLETESSUTATM collection, an iconic Zegna special woven nappa, result of an innovative Ermenegildo Zegna research aimed to recreate precious fabric using extremely thin strips of selected nappa leather in place of fabric yarns.“
“Zegna and Leica share the same values and very deep integrity and quality towards the excellence of their own products; my wish is to build up a long chapter together. The vision and the DNA of Leica have always been genuine, an obsessive quest for quality, extremely refined research, a very unique approach towards not only the world of camera and photography but mostly towards the craftsmanship and a distinctive syntax” says Alessandro Sartori, Zegna Artistic Director.
“What a wonderful addition: The creation of a Leica camera, moving images and a Zegna garment is unique and outstanding. Both brands share the same humanistic approach for values, design, sustainability, and quality” says Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Leica Global Director Art and Leica Galleries.
The Zegna and Leica collaboration collection are distributed globally in an exclusive selection of Zegna Flagship Stores (such as New York City, Paris, London, Milan, Dubai, Shanghai, Beijing, Ginza, Isetan) as well as in 60 select Leica stores worldwide.
The collection is also available on-line, on zegna.com and leica-camera.com.
TIFFANY & CO. Unveils Plans For A Contemporary Glass Addition Atop Its Classic Fifth Avenue Flagship Store
A holistic transformation of this magnitude has not taken place in the building’s 80-year history. Tiffany is embarking on the project in partnership with the renowned architectural firm, The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Led by Partner Shohei Shigematsu, OMA New York is engaged in specific aspects of the transformation–including a reimagined upper addition.
For the first time, Tiffany & Co. is revealing exterior renderings of the transformation underway at its Fifth Avenue flagship store. The upper addition (floors 8, 9 and 10) of the 10-story architectural icon located at 727 Fifth Avenue will be completely reimagined from office space originally constructed in 1980, into a new exhibition, event and clienteling space. Surrounded by a curtain of undulating glass complementing the classic limestone façade below, the contemporary structure above this historic building echoes the height and grandeur of the flagship’s timeless main floor. Construction began on Tiffany’s flagship transformation in spring 2019 and is estimated to be complete in spring 2022.
For the first time, Tiffany & Co. is revealing exterior renderings of the transformation underway at its Fifth Avenue flagship store and is estimated to be complete in spring 2022
“The Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue flagship is arguably one of the most beloved and well-known luxury retail spaces in the world. It's a place where so many have memories of important moments in their lives, filled with emotion and anticipation of the extraordinary,” said Reed Krakoff, Chief Artistic Officer, Tiffany & Co. “Tiffany’s newly transformed flagship will reflect the future of our brand while honouring our 183-year legacy.”
A holistic transformation of this magnitude has not taken place in the building’s 80-year history. Tiffany is embarking on the project in partnership with a renowned architectural firm, The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Led by Partner Shohei Shigematsu, OMA New York is engaged in specific aspects of the transformation–including a reimagined upper addition.
The ambition for the design of the new upper volume is to create a vertical continuity with the existing structure, while also setting it apart as a bold and innovative addition to the building. The corniced parapet of the original building will be mirrored by a slumped glass façade above. The eye is drawn upward creating a gentle transition between the two structures. This ribbon-like design detail brings a sensuality to the building, instilling a softness among the curtain walls of the building’s neighbours.
The recessed glass exhibition and event space will echo the feeling of the main floor with its column-free, double-height ceilings. The expansive glass facade brings an openness to both sides of the building and opens up to an outdoor terrace that will offer guests a view from the world’s most famous intersection for luxury retail, and up Fifth Avenue to Central Park.
The expansive Tiffany flagship was a symbol of modern architecture when it was built in 1940. The grandeur and essence of that majestic space will remain and continue to awe guests as they enter the renovated store in 2022. An evolved luxury retail experience will draw consumers inside once again and inspire them to journey from the main floor up through the entirety of the building.
In the interim, the Tiffany Flagship Next Door located at the adjacent 6 East 57th Street will continue to serve as Tiffany & Co.’s home, showcasing the entire breadth of the Brand’s extraordinary collections, until the original flagship’s completion in spring 2022.
For more information, please visit: https://www.tiffany.com
The modern expression Cadillac House, designed by Gensler, Shanghai, China
In Shanghai, China, Cadillac China and Gensler’s Shanghai Office sound a clear note of great latitude in expressing Cadillac House’s individuality, thus giving it the leeway to embrace deconstructivism and digital technologies.
Gensler redefines Cadillac House in Shanghai
with a sleek silhouette and defines it with a magnetic personality.
In Shanghai, China, Cadillac China and Gensler’s Shanghai Office sound a clear note of great latitude in expressing Cadillac House’s individuality, thus giving it the leeway to embrace deconstructivism and digital technologies.
Cadillac has a longstanding history now and Cadillac House is at its tender age, who is born in the ‘Me’ Generation wherein its birth is intended for exploring the stronger relation between new-technology trends and aestheticism and Self-expressing.
And Gensler, in modern expression, would care to render any visit to the House into a journey of exploration of modernism and futurism. Xiaomei Lee and Peter Weingarten, Co-Regional Managing Principals at Gensler Greater China, said that The Cadillac House project exemplifies Gensler’s One-Firm-Firm culture through combining the expertise of a global network and cross-practice collaboration from retail design, digital experience design to interior design and architecture disciplines, to leverage the power of design to create a better world.’
Nestled on a small peninsula with a lovely pool encompassing around, the House could be perceived as a vehicle-like gemstone mined out of a lake. Installed in 7,000 rectangular stainless steel plates, the façade unveils its true charm as the dusk falls — ribbons of LED underneath the metallic husk twinkle bright and Cadillac, the sign, emits beautiful light — and it dawns on you ‘what a glittering site!’.
The House is equipped with durable solar panels, with the sustainable conversion from sunlight to electricity.
There could not be mere one single merit that natural light could engender. The House features skylights purposefully for the use of optimising light penetration into the inside.
Inside, the consistency of refinement and luxury will hardly astound you to see the discontinuity of an air of nobleness. Moving through a wondrous entrance, you will be greeted with an open-plan foyer emerging before you.
Awaiting are the Cadillacs. They are waiting for customers who take an avid interest in carrying a sign of luxury home. Gensler realises the idea of establishing a platform for Cadillacs to showcase their specialties, and, underneath a massive spiral staircase or in the centre of a lobby will you set your eyes on a different individual.
Standing still for a moment with eyes riveted on the Cadillacs, you will smell of classic aroma of dark roast coffee, which is tantalizing in the space, and that aroma is a high-profile fixture in a luxurious locality. A timber-and-concrete spiral staircase leads from the open-plan foyer to the second level and the third, dispensing with columns offering the verticality to offset the smoothness of the ribbon-like spiral.Three floors in total, Cadillac House rings the change with a linear arrangement of ‘past-present-future’, having a theme fixed on every floor but in a way that the ‘future’ is in the middle and the ‘past’ in the top floor.
Level 2 focuses on the theoretical possibility of multi-sensory interactive technologies. Adopting multiple ways to open up a novel opportunity for customers to a body-syntonic end, is actually, grounded on the basis of VR and 3D printing.
Technologies are an invariably trend-propelled force. There is a patch of the area which is characterized by a cluster of slender cuboids with digital screens embedded, which is named ‘Digital Forest’. The name could be conceived as a variation of ‘Concrete Jungle’ because these columns have a bearing on their architectural counterparts.
A hallway is imbued with a notion of the time tunnel, through which you are capable of having a panoramic view of the growth of Cadillac.
Cadillac sets the bar high and it is estimated that over 3000 songs have included its namesakes on purpose to indicate that Cadillac is synonymous with automobile sleekness and a sign of wealth. Richard Chang, Greater China Retail Practice Area Leader at Gensler said, ‘‘We are proud to be working with Cadillac on designing such an important project. And the AIA award is great recognition for all the hard work to bring the project into completion.’
Project credits:
Project Name: Cadillac House
Location: No. 2199, Jufeng Road, Jin Qiao, Pu Dong, Shanghai, China
Architectural and Interior design: Gensler (Gensler’s Shanghai Office)
Date of Open: 27/3/ 2019
Site area: 6493㎡
Photographer: Blackstation & CreatAR
Design Pier capture the preciousness of time and the fragility of a moment
Design Pier returns for Designart Tokyo 2020, compiling a selection of high-end design objects that capture the preciousness of time and the fragility of a moment and compels them to experience life to its fullest. The selection includes unique and precious pieces that challenge commercially made objects' homogeneity and brings a refreshing perspective, creating an emotional attachment between products and users.
Design Pier returns for Designart Tokyo 2020, compiling a selection of high-end design objects that capture the preciousness of time and the fragility of a moment and compels them to experience life to its fullest. The selection includes unique and precious pieces that challenge commercially made objects' homogeneity and brings a refreshing perspective, creating an emotional attachment between products and users.
DAZINGFEELSGOOD (DFG) is a Singapore based design practice founded by Kiat Ng and Karen Chiam in 2015. Guided by design fundamentals, the practice reflects on rational and reduction approaches to explore, design, collaborate and create works that span across furniture, graphic and spatial design disciplines.
The practice has led DFG to produce works that are represented at international art and design platforms including Art Stage (Singapore), Maison&Objet (Paris), SaloneSatellite (Milan), and received recognition from A’ Design Award (Italy), Asia Design Prize (Korea) and Bolia Design Award (Denmark).
Objet is a series of modular planes in the expressions of geometric shapes connected in a methodical arrangement to create assemblages that function as lighting.
Title: Objet
Year: 2020
Dimensions: 500 x 500 x 500mm each (A series of 3 artworks)
Material: Acrylic with dichroic film
In my work I try to find a good balance between what is made and what is found. I want to submit to the nature of fired-clay, and keep certain evidence of my existence. That is my pride as a maker. I like boundaries and rules. Craftsmanship is very important to me.
I make vessels sometimes. Sometimes, I create an object with the intention of creating a vessel. When I take various kinds of minerals, clay, and different parts of Earth, arrange them in a specific way then heat them in my kiln and I feel like I am making a new type of rock in a very short time. The actual rock cycle in nature goes on for millions of years. In my lifetime I hope I can illustrate the process through my practice and bring it into the domestic settings and environments for people to experience.
Pim Sudhikam (1973/ Thailand): Pim holds a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, and a Master of Fine Arts from HDK Gothenburg University, Sweden. Since 1998 Pim has been working with clay as her primary medium, investigating pottery as material, process and content. Her works include collections of objects, sculptures, and large-scale, site-specific installations. The works explore a balance between what happened and what being made while she tries to bring natural phenomena into the domestic context in the form of vessels. Pim has taken part in exhibitions, symposia, and residencies in Thailand and abroad. She has received “Awards of Excellence in Arts and Crafts” from the Ministry of Culture, “National Invention Award” from the National Research Council of Thailand, and an Honourable Mention from the 39th Ceramic Competition Gualdo Tadino, Italy. Pim is a board member of the Thai Ceramic Society and elected Council Member of The International Academy of Ceramics (IAC). Her studio is built among trees and gardens in the middle of Bangkok.
The Slim table, available in different sizes and heights, was designed by Matthias Demacker for Sovet. The designer sought the perfect balance between elegance and minimalism to create a model that can surprise the lines' lightness. Offering a selection of finishes that can fit any environment, Sovet's expertise in using materials added value to the model.
About Sovet: Sovet blends the Italian glass art tradition and the contemporary design inspiration to create furniture that speaks an original, elegant and versatile language. The company provides innovative material inspirations, combining elegance, sustainability and minimal design, focusing on the quality of the materials and the craftsmanship, the versatility of the project and the sustainability of the production process. Sovet is a new culture of living for home & contract spaces.
StudioEJ is a Seoul based design studio focusing on furniture and interior design.
“We try to make scenes of space that are created through unique relationships among objects and space.”
Printed Light 2020 is a shelf containing poetic moments drawn with natural light found in interior spaces. The light which is common in everyday life-light coming through the curtains in the morning, red light coming through the blind in the late afternoon and always nice rainbow (prism effect) on the wall-are applied to the spaces of different sizes to induce a warm light experience.
Happy Pixel intends more active and dramatic conversations with objects, which is interaction by applying a mirror to the lenticular as a pixel. If you apply a mirror to the naturalized pixelated image and reflect it on the mirror which is a part of the pixel, you will find a moment assimilated with the natural image.
With several years of working experience for architectural firms, she started her practice focusing on experimental and conceptual projects in a wide range of fields from small objects to space design. Her approach to design is to create a special and unique experience taking a fresh perspective on the mundane.
“Not what it seems to be”
Our memory is molded by daily social interaction with environment. We store the experience in our memory and we shape our own belief and faith.
We tend to judge and make decisions based on what we know. But more often things are “Not what it seems to be”.
“Not what it seems to be”, the massive and masculine objects lead us to believe that they are made out of Heavy Black Iron, yet in contrary all the objects are made of light weight Recycled Carton. Once interacting with the objects, you would find out that they are not merely objects, but an instrumental pair of Maracas filled with natural seeds creating sound inside. Deceiving our expectations, they challenge our sense of perspective and question our own memory and faith while planting a New Memory through interacting with the pieces. Reminding us that Memory is Re-Created every day yet it is a Fragile, Mortal, and Fallible “Object” veiled by a thin layer of Rusting Faith.
THE DESIGNER
Wataru Sakuma is a Philippine-based Japanese designer with a strong background in fine arts. Famous for his creativity and ingenuity, Wataru uses even the most basic of materials, like paper, to create functional yet artistic pieces for urban living. His respect for nature and his ability to see something beautiful in discarded or overlooked materials gives his work conscience.
For more information, please visit: www.designpier.co or http://designart.jp/designarttokyo2020/en/exhibitor/design-pier/
Exhibition dates：Oct 27th – Nov 3rd, 2020
Hours：11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Omotesando Hills Main Building B3F, Space O
Address：4-12-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
About Omotesando Hills
Omotesando Hills is a unique cultural/commercial complex, emerging as the new face of Omotesando, which has transmitted various trends as the hub of Japanese fashion and culture.
The six-level atrium (three stories above ground and three underground stories) at the heart of the main building is complemented by the 700m “Spiral Slope” ramp (“the second Omotesando”) spiraling around the atrium space in an incline roughly equal to that of Omotesando. At the center of the atrium space is a grand stairway (from the first basement to the third basement), leading to a 548㎡ multi-purpose space, called “Space O”, in the third basement which serves as a base for imparting information.
The exterior wall holds a 250m long LED display called “Bright-Up Wall”, illuminating the nightscape of Omotesando.
These creative spaces are combined with “selective” stores mainly positioned along the Spiral Slope, “MEDIA SHIP.”, involved corporations, participating artists, and trend-conscious people who gather at Omotesando Hills combine together in order to evolve the complex into a new facility with unparalleled expressive ability. It is the venue for various events related to fashion and art and continues to generate the latest news.