DesignArt Tokyo 2021 is now call for entires

An annual festival of "Art and design." Bringing together various creative works from all over the world to the city of Tokyo is now returns in October 2021.

Amid the Covid-19 crisis, challenges continue in our life, society, and business. However, now is the time when creative ideas and actions are much in need than ever. Setting this year's theme as "CHANCE!", DESIGNART TOKYO presents cutting-edge design and art from Tokyo.

Celebrating its 5th year, DESIGNART TOKYO continues developing as a hybrid and international event, merging physical and digital experiences. Many exciting projects and collaborations will be seen, reflecting hot subjects, such as sustainability.

New category luxury outdoor chair made from genuine leather One of the most notable Asian architects, Johnny Chiu, collaborates with a group of Japanese Meisters, "KOBE LEATHER," is unveiling a brand-new category of luxury outdoor furniture. Single chairs will be the first ones to be introduced during DESIGNART TOKYO 2021.

Don’t be miss these great chances to showcase your design and art pieces. In Tokyo, Japan, the call for entries deadline will be on May 20, 2021. For more information, please check the following link to direct to DesignArt Tokyo.

Call for entries:

Deadline: 20 May 2021

Entry Website: http://designart.jp/en/entry2021/

About DESIGNART TOKYO 2021

"DESIGNART TOKYO" is one of Japan's largest design & art festivals held every fall. Diverse objects and experiences of crossover the fields of ART, INTERIOR, DESIGN, FASHION, and FOOD, from around the world are presented in various locations in Tokyo. The world’s leading mixed culture city "Tokyo" transforms into a museum during the festival.

For more information, please visit: http://designart.jp/

Unlock your Imagination, Open your Mind to a Brilliant Prospect

The Existence of a City Depends on Memory

By naming the project in Chinese after the “Nanjing Brocade” –a traditional article famous for its cloud-like colours and intricate patterns, China Overseas Land & Investment pays homage to the heritage of a city, the place where the best fabrics in the country are produced: the “Fifth Cotton Mill.”

The mill has been a part of Chinese culture for different generations. It is the prime model of how space can become a symbolic memory. The connection between the mill, the city, and society creates a dialogue between architecture, space, and people.

The designer had arranged the space created similar to a carrier inside a glass box to generate fluid forms and dynamic sculptures resembling the sinuous shapes of the Nanjing brocade, extensive sand dunes that transform time into organic musical patterns.

In Art, Past and Present Overlap while the Old and the New Establish a Unique Dialogue.

The designer takes elements from nature and memory and twists them into threads that weave an architectural brocade, using flexible curves to provide artistic tension to the surrounding environment, combining memories with physical space.

Memories evolve before our eyes as if weaved with fine silk threads. Countless flying yarns condense day and night into a winged sculpture, a threader moving swiftly between giant ribbons in space.

A fifty-two-meter-long and nine-meter-wide sculpture rises toward the sky and extends through the whole interior space of the property. Inspiration for the piece comes from Chinese brocade, revolving and dancing around, both intertwined and scattered simultaneously, outlining the shape of an infinite loop, aiming toward the future.

 “We highlight the cultural features of the cotton industry in China. Using space to connects the past with the future. Through a dynamic momentum to create outlines, the beauty of life in bloom with unique elements from the past and formidable sights into future”. – said the designer.

“Time” is the Essence behind Brilliant Prospect

The designer adopted a unique artistic language to define Brilliant Prospect –the project’s name in English. Such a creative approach represents a distinctive landmark composed of artistic and cultural elements.

And thus, sinuous curves grow around the space, weaving segments of time into particular groups, orchestrating multiple ideas into one. Like an epic opera, its magnificent forms fascinate people with a distinctive charm.

Unlock your Imagination, Open your Mind to a Brilliant Prospect

Complementing the central sculpture, an artistic staircase becomes the symbolic entrance to a time tunnel that distributes imaginative elements above and below ground. At the center of two sculptural curved stairs lies an installation called the “Time Shuttle.”

The designer sets the central functional zone of the property in a sunken courtyard where mirrored are as vast as the skies, and lakes provide a deep depth of field, separating everything inside the property from the complexities of the external world. The salon area opposite the book bar interprets the convergence of time with geometric shapes.

The whole space is bestowed with church-like sacredness and tranquillity. It cultivates a life of elegance with poetry, wine, flowers and tea, gathering the essence of life through elements such as rhythm, softness and comfortable surroundings to enjoy the company of old and new friends. 

The clubhouse is an extension of the household, a unique kind of companionship that further refines and integrates social circles. Once again, the “spindle” becomes the main artistic symbol of the space. This time, the shape hangs down from the ceiling, concentrating the light coming from a surrounding “ocean of knowledge.”

Thus, the designer transforms space into a petri dish of curiosity and creativity, awaking memories and shaping them. The area feels like a “dance frozen in time” about to begin again, prompting a breathtaking melody that transforms objects into lively and meaningful beings.

The designer hopes to create an artistic “choreography” between real and imaginary times, providing guests with endless possibilities from the future, a banquet, meeting or party in modern times.

Project info
Project name: Brilliant Prospect Project status: Completed in September, 2020
Location: Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
Developer: China Overseas Land and Investment Contractor: Beijing Mingyang Hanhai Decoration LLC. Design team: GBD  Lead designer: Du Wenbiao (Bill Do)
Interior design: Guangzhou GBD Design Project area: approximately 2000m2
Main Materials: Terrazzo, Faux paint, Metal paint Photographer: BenMo Studio

Kukan Design Award is now partnering with the IF Design Award

Kukan Design Award / 日本空間デザイン賞is now calling for entries. The Japan Spatial Design Award is now partnering with the iF Design Award, managed by the German iF International Forum Design GmbH. As a result of this partnership agreement, the Shortlisted winners of the Japan Kukan Design Award 2021 will be exempted from the registration fee and pre-selection process for the iF Design Award 2022 to become a finalist in iF Design Awards.

The Japan Kukan (Spatial) Design Award was created in 2019 and is the only and most significant spatial design award in Japan. The aim is to discover, recognize and evaluate outstanding and best designers in Japan and abroad. Kukan Design Awards hope to communicate to as many people as possible worldwide to deliver the 'power of spatial design' through great design.

Besides, following the "Sustainable Development Goals," Kukan Design Award has established a new "Sustainable Space Award" for works that contribute to realizing a better and more sustainable future for all people.

*All entries must be submitted via the dedicated entry website.

For more details, please visit the following website：https://kukan.design/

Application period: Thursday 1 April 2021, 10:00 - Wednesday 16 June 2021, 23:00 (Japan time)

Eligible entries: 11 categories, including exhibition, commercial, office and residential

Sponsored by: General Incorporated Association Japan Commercial Environment Design Association, General incorporate and sponsored by Ministry of land infrastructure, transport and tourism, Japan Trade promotion Organization (Jetro), Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Planned)

For the application inquiry, please contact Kukan@japandesign.ne.jp.

A feeling called Home - City Home Collective

BRABBU is a design brand that reflects an intense way of living, bringing fierceness, strength and power into an urban lifestyle. With a diverse range of furniture, casegoods, upholstery, lighting and rugs, and through sensory design, they pass on a unique experience in every product that they design and produce.  Assuming that home is a lot more than a space, City Home Collective, the company responsible for this Park City House, wanted to do something exceptional with this project, creating a meaningful feeling to the client: a place where he belongs.

The prime objective of this design firm is to match people with unique spaces, working with high-skilled designers, such as Helena Morozoff, the senior designer responsible for this Park City project, who prospects smart design with no boundaries.

As a result, the strategy here was to let the material drive the design, always opting for the most comfortable furnishing, choosing and combining materials that speak to each other, which made this warm, tactile and visual feeling of a retreat possible.

ESSEX Swivel Chair

This perfect combination of neutral tones and patterns, contributed to the arising of this cosy and monochromatic space, filled with elegance and uniqueness, allowing the space to evolve over the time.

In a nutshell, City Home Collective believes that “life is better when you love where you live”, so they designed this house as the perfect place to relax, reconnect and recharge. And that is why home is so much more than a space, it is definitely a feeling.

For more information, please visit: www.brabbu.com

Japan Kukan Design Award 2021

The Japan Kukan (Spatial) Design Award was created in 2019 and is the only and largest spatial design award in Japan. The aim is to discover and recognize the best designers and outstanding design work in Japan as well as abroad. We hope to communicate to as many people as possible around the world, the ‘power of spatial design’ through great designs from Japan.

In addition, in accordance with the "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDG), a set of 17 goals and 169 targets adopted by the United Nations, from this year Kukan Design has established a new "SDG Award" for works that contribute to the realization of a better and more sustainable future for all people in spatial design. They are pleased to announce the launch of the new "SDGs Award" for entries that contribute to a better and more sustainable future for all.

Furthermore, the Japan Spatial Design Award will sign a partnership agreement with the iF Design Award, which is managed by the German iF International Forum Design GmbH. As a result of this partnership agreement, the Short List winners of the Japan Kukan Design Award 2021 will be exempted from the registration fee and pre-selection process for the iF Design Award 2022, to become finalist in the iF Design Awards.

*The details of the partnership agreement between the Japan Kukan Design Award and the iF Design Award, as well as the benefits of applying for the award; will be officially announced at a later date.

Japan Kukan Design Award 2021 Application Process

All entries must be submitted via the dedicated entry website. Please visit the following website：https://kukan.design/

• Application period: Thursday 1 April 2021, 10:00 - Wednesday 16 June 2021, 23:00 (Japan time)

• Eligible entries: 11 categories including exhibition, commercial, office and residential

• Further details on the judging process and application fees will be posted on the application guidelines webpage.

• The above website will be relaunched in mid-March.

The Celebration of the heritage that narrates Parisian history by Neri & Hu, the Papi Restaurant

Nestled in the Grands Boulevards district of Paris' 9th arrondissement, Papi is the latest brainchild of up-and-coming restaurateur Etienne Ryckeboer his debut seafood bar Bulot Bulot. This time, he teams up with Neri&Hu to rehaul the façade and interior space, and with talented Japanese chef Akira Sugiura to serve a seasonal menu of modern Italian dishes.

Located on the ground floor of a typical late 19th century Haussmann building, Neri&Hu's design concept celebrates the layered material heritage that narrates Parisian history. During the dismantling phase, the existing site was treated carefully; by stripping back the strata of finishes built up through the decades, the raw materials' beauty is revealed. Every single element was meticulously examined, and the challenge was to resist the urge to fix every imperfection, instead, honour the imprint oft of time upon each surface. Within the interior, portions of the old limestone and brick walls, a raw steel column, and a brick column are preserved and integrated into the design. On the façade, an existing steel I-beam lintel is featured, while a segment of the old stone moulding by the entry is left exposed, stitching the façade seamlessly to the neighboring building. Each fragment neighbouring ants a different period in Paris' history, forming a beautiful yet imposing canvas for the architects to add their new strokes.

The new raw-steel-framed fully-operable glass façade maintains a visual continuity between the street and the venue and effectively extends the public realm into the interior. As guests enter the space through the main door, they see the clash of juxtaposing old and new materials, telling a story of sophistication with fresh textures of tile, glass and wood. Mirrors are placed strategically to create dynamic perspectives and voyeuristic moments between interior and exterior while inviting guests into cross gazes. The spatial and material strategies deployed to create a layered reading against the historical backdrop, offering guests a variety of experiences to explore within the space - moments of both public introversion and private extroversion.

Despite the compact 52 square meters of usable area, Neri&Hu’s asserts two figures into space: an oblong volume forming an arena-like enclosure that integrates all the functional needs of seating, display, chef’s preparation counter, privacy screen, as well as a round shape containing the wood-burning oven. Clad in handmade convex-curved white ceramic tiles, the enclosure features large openings framed with thick birch plywood that become seating benches for guests. Entering the arena, where the floor is adorned with narrow white ceramic tiles, guests are instantly transformed from spectators to performers on stage. The central communal table features a long custom pendant light above, while a series of lights by Viabizzuno create a stark modern contrast on the old limestone wall. Custom wood and fabric chairs, manufactured by De La Espada, are designed by Neri&Hu specifically for Papi Restaurant to fit within the limited footprint.