“In order to get the most out of the ‘drop’ shape, I wanted to make sure that when the mirror is installed, the edge of the mirror doesn’t touch the wall directly. That’s why we had to bend the edge of the mirror inwards after removing it from the spinning mould. It worked out really well.”
Kumano says, looking at the mirror in front of him in the TOKYO CRAFT ROOM. The mirror, which also functions as a mirror, was named “bead”, as he had hoped. As the name suggests, it has the presence of a drop of water that has been absorbed into the wall.
The final result was the most difficult part of the project for Kitajima Shibori Seisakusho, which aims to use its own technology to accurately express the client’s wishes.
“It was difficult because we had to bend a part that didn’t have a shape. But in the end, we were able to make the whole thing very smooth and the mirror surface more beautiful,” said Mr. Mitsuhashi with satisfaction.
We look back again at this project, which focuses on “Tokyo craftsmanship”. From the outset, Kumano’s aim was to “bring out the characteristics and techniques of the materials in a simple way”, and in order to achieve this, he had to, as he says, “respect and pursue the technique of spinning.
“The person who makes a request must respect the maker’s technique. As a designer, I feel that it is important to understand and work with the techniques and materials.”
And from a designer’s point of view, he sees a lot of possibilities for the future of Japanese manufacturers’ technology.
“I felt the Japanese craftsmanship in the precision technology and the pride in it at Kitajima Shibori Seisakusho. I felt a sense of Japanese craftsmanship in their precision and pride in their work. I felt a sense of trust and security in this attitude. There are many small factories in Tokyo, such as Kitajima’s factory in Ota-ku and Sumida-ku, which have high Japanese technology. I believe that there are things that designers can do to preserve their skills for the future and to expand their possibilities. By collaborating with them, we hope that manufacturers will see new possibilities in their technologies and that we will both have a better understanding of the future. It doesn’t have to be a one-off project.”
“Although aviation equipment accounts for a third of our production, we would like to be involved in a wide range of products, from everyday items to objects”, says Kitajima Shibori Seisakusho. We want to design products that will carry this technology into the future. We hope that this “bead” will be the start of a further expansion of the value of craft.
Wataru Kumano
Wataru Kumano is a product designer. From 2001 to 2008 studied in Finland, studied Furniture design at Lahti Polytechnic (2001-2004 BA), and University of Art and Design Helsinki (Aalto University) for Postgraduate studies (2005-2008 MA). After he came back to Japan, he started work as an assistant designer of British Product Designer Jasper Morrison in Tokyo in 2008. Beside the work, set up own design office “kumano” in 2011, and work for interior, furniture, product design and project management around the world. In 2021, he was inaugurated associate professor for Musashino Art University.
Kitajima Shibori Seisakusho
Kitajimabori Seisakusho, founded in 1947 and located in Ota-ku, Tokyo, specializes in the processing of metal spinning. The company is involved in a large number of productions ranging from a small number of hand-made products to mass-produced products using automatic drawing and press forming. The specialize in spinning of special metals, and with its state-of-the-art equipment and know-how accumulated over the past 70 years, it is able to produce a wide range of sizes and types of parts, from satellite equipment parts to aircraft, semiconductor devices, and monuments.
“bead” Mirror
Size:
φ800mm
Material:
Stainless steel
Price:
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