LESS, LIGHT, LOCAL – BY WE+ FOR ARAKAWAGRIP
This project combines the cutting-edge wire system “ARAKAWA GRIP”, from Arakawa & Co., Ltd. and the innovative “NORI” research project by we+. This collaboration opens up new possibilities for seaweed.
As the world’s largest consumer of seaweed, Japan has a rich history of seaweed processing technologies that produce a wide variety of edible seaweeds. Among these, ITA NORI, an edible seaweed sheet used for sushi and rice balls is a unique processed product with a deep connection to traditional Japanese craftsmanship..
It is said to have been invented during the Edo period, and was derived from the Japanese handmade paper-making technique. This product demonstrates the wisdom of our ancestors, who conserved limited resources without waste and appreciated the gustatory qualities of this product. However, in recent years, rising water temperatures due to climate change and changes in ocean currents and ecosystems have led to numerous seaweeds growing wilted and lacking in nutrients. Many of these seaweeds are not edible for human consumption and commercial use, leading to their combustion and wastag.
Takumi Ota Photography Co.,Ltd.
Arakawa & Co., Ltd. invented the first wire gripper mechanism, which could be adjusted along the wire cable with one push and locked without a set of screws. This innovative system can be applied as a display tool for shop interiors and art museums in collaboration with architects and designers.
Arakawa & Co., Ltd. was the first in the world to develop a wire cable gripper,” ARAKAWA GRIP,” in 1975, which is now used in museums, galleries, and stores around the world. We opened our first showroom outside Japan in Milan, Italy, last November for architects and interior designers..
Takumi Ota Photography Co.,Ltd.
This project combines the cutting-edge wire system “ARAKAWA GRIP”, from Arakawa & Co., Ltd. and the innovative “NORI” research project by we+. This collaboration opens up new possibilities for seaweed.
Takumi Ota Photography Co.,Ltd.
Takumi Ota Photography Co.,Ltd.
photo by Masayuki Hayashi
Creator: we+
we+ is a contemporary design studio founded in 2013 by Toshiya Hayashi and Hokuto Ando, that gives form to new perspectives and values using methods based on research and experimentation.
The studio explores the possibilities of alternative design that establishes a close coexistence with the natural and social environment around us, and incorporates a diversity of values that are often forgotten in today’s society, where convenience and rationality are sought. Members with diverse backgrounds and skills: designers, engineers, researchers and writers, come together to present self-initiated projects that have emerged from their daily research, both in Japan and abroad.
In recent years, we have been working on projects including “”Nature Study””, which investigates how human beings have coexisted with nature until now and imagines a new way of living whereby nature and artificial merge, and “”Urban Origin””, which examines the origins of today’s overly complicated manufacturing process and reevaluates the waste produced by cities as indigenous materials.
Dezeen Awards / Emerging Design Studio of the Year Public Vote（UK), Wallpaper* Design Awards / Best Elements of Surprise（UK), EDIDA / Young Designer of the Year Nominee（Italy）/ KUKAN DESIGN AWARD Gold Prize (Japan) / DSA Design Award Gold Prize and other awards / The work is in the collection of Vitra Design Museum, Germany..
Director: STUDIO BYCOLOR
Kaori Akiyama founded the firm in 2013, a design office that effectively utilizes colors and materials. She graduated from the Department of Design Science of the Faculty of Engineering at Chiba University in 2002 and worked for an office furniture manufacturer in Japan until 2012. INHERENT:PATTERN, the result of material experimentation, won the iF DESIGN AWARD in 2022. STUDIO BYCOLOR has also received iF DESIGN AWARD, German Design Award, DFA Gold Award, DIA Top 100, Good Design Award, and was selected for LEXUS NEW TAKUMI PROJECT 2016. In addition to serving as a judge for the Good Design Award, she is a part-time lecturer at Chiba University and the Faculty of Design Engineering, Hosei University.
In recent years, she has organized MATERIAL IN TIME, a design exhibition that conveys Japanese creativity to overseas countries using materials as a starting point, both in Japan and abroad, including Hong Kong. In 2022, she directed BLACK SERIES, co-sponsored by Almach Gallery, at TIERS GALLERY, operated by Arakawa & Co., Ltd.
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