Nature, light and technology: Tokujin Yoshioka's experiments

/ A person /

One of the most recognized contemporary Japanese designers, Tokujin Yoshioka, celebrates his 20nd birthday on January 52. An experimenter and innovator, he researches different materials and even invents his own, strives to combine design with art and reflect the human perception of nature in his works.

Yoshioka has been awarded many prestigious awards, collaborated with world brands, his works are part of the permanent exhibitions of museums around the world, including the Center Pompidou in Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA decided to collect the most interesting experiments of the designer.

Prismatic Cloud installation by Tokujin Yoshioka

Prismatic Cloud in Houston (Texas, USA)

Tokujin Yoshioka's Prismatic Cloud installation consists of almost 18 transparent rods suspended on barely noticeable cables in the lobby of the One Allen Center skyscraper in Houston. In general, the design resembles a white cloud. Each rod has the shape of a prism, thanks to which it can reflect the light that changes during the day.

 

SF Senses of the Future in Milan (Italy)

The huge SF Senses of the Future installation was created in collaboration with the LG brand for Milan Design Week in 2017. The space was occupied by 17 luminous chairs made of double-sided OLED panels, which demonstrated various light and color effects.

SF Senses of the Future installation by Tokujin Yoshioka

The second part of the installation was a pulsating Wall of the Sun consisting of 30 OLED modules. In general, the project was supposed to convey "meditation against the background of the blindingly fast speed of modern life."

Tornado in Miami (USA) and Saga (Japan)

The designer has already done the Tornado installation twice – the first time at the Design Miami exhibition in 2007, and then in 2015 at a retrospective exhibition of his own works at the Art Museum of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu.

Tokujin Yoshioka's Tornado installation in Japan

The project required more than 2 million cocktail straws, which were arranged in such a way as to resemble a tornado. The installation served as a background for expositions, breaking through doorways and penetrating exhibition spaces.

 

Spiders Thread in Tokyo (Japan)

For the Spiders Thread installation as part of the Tokujin Yoshioka_Crystallize exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the designer grew mineral crystals in the shape of a chair.

Installation Spiders Thread by Tokujin Yoshioka

According to Yoshioka, this project was a reference to a novel by the Japanese writer Akutagawa Ryunosuke. "Buddha lowers a spider's web from heaven to hell so that a criminal can use it to climb to heaven," explained Yoshioka. - In the story, a spider web is a symbol of weak hope and fragility."

 

Snow in Tokyo (Japan)

For the exhibition Sensing Nature, which was held at the Mora Art Museum in Tokyo, the designer created a dynamic installation Snow ("Snow"), filled a 15-meter aquarium with flying feathers.

Snow installation by Tokujin Yoshioka

According to the idea, the snowy landscape was supposed to symbolize "memories of snow", and not real snowfall.

Rainbow Church in Seoul (South Korea)

In the Beyond museum gallery in Seoul, the designer made a 9-meter window made of 500 glass prisms, which, refracting the light, created the effect of a rainbow. The installation was called Rainbow Church ("Rainbow Church") and was inspired by the bright images of the Rosary Chapel in France, built according to Henri Matisse's design.

Rainbow Church installation by Tokujin Yoshioka

We also want to remind you that earlier we already wrote about one of Tokujin Yoshioka’s installations – crystal tea house.