Illusions; shattered or real?: Inspirational

During the course of my research and while looking for examples of interactive displays, i stumbled upon this interactive shop window created by the designer Tokujin Yoshioka. The display was one of the most beautiful and evocative installation pieces i had ever seen. The discovery was so inspiring that i went into a whole new ideology as far as my project is concerned. I started focusing on the incorporation of 'Minimalism' in spaces and how the lack of clutter and chaos can be an effective in changing moods and perceptions. I realized that when a space is condensed to it's most essential structure and given an organic feel, elements like sound, light, language and structure appear to have more meaning. Its like a minimal space has dimensions that go beyond just the aesthetic and hence trigger sensations that imply harmony, reason, truth in audiences.

Further exploring the artist and his works, i found out that he has created window displays, designed shops and installations for exhibitions. He has also designed promotional spaces for Hermes, Lexus, Apple, Peugeot, Toyota, Bang & Olufsen, BMW, Audi and Shiseido; an impressive career for any designer. I feel that his work is dynamic, larger than life in it's appeal, mood sensitive and organic yet extremely effective in a subtle, graceful way which to me is quite extraordinary. His work demonstrates quality, innovation and influence - a true visionary.

Below are some images from his installations and exhibitions.

"SNOWFLAKE" INSTALLATION FOR THE KARTELL GALLERY

DETAIL OF INSTALLATION

The above images are from a gallery installation by Tokujin Yoshioka as part of his "The Invisibles" collections. In this particular series he has incorporated the essence of natural phenomena and invisible elements. The idea being to communicate a sense of sitting on air so that the object disappears (the artist is dealing with objects; Kartell being a furniture brand) and only a feeling of floating in air is left behind. In the words of the artist himself:

I am drawn by things that do not have forms but leave an emotional effect on people. At a glance, such a material is invisible and its existence is erased. Through interaction with light, however, the form suddenly emerges. I am fascinated not only with such phenomena but also elements that can stir and stimulate our imagination. I also like the idea of light, which is a form of design itself.

For this installation, Tokujin created a serene world with numerous transparent prism sticks in plastic. The accumulation of these transparent sticks was tinged with white color just like real snow. The reason being; to offer visitors the extraordinary experience of stepping into a snowflake.

RAINBOW CHURCH

The idea behind the architectural project of 'Rainbow Church' was to design a space where people can feel light with all their senses. The installation will include approximately 8 meter high stained glass made with 500 crystal prisms will be filling the space with rainbow colors as the light shines on.

DETAIL OF INSTALLATION

An exhibition called "Second Nature", designed and directed by Tokujin Yoshioka featured a series of work which dealt with the mysterious beauty of nature and aimed to investigate designs and concepts which appealed to the human heart. The dictionary meaning of 'Second Nature' is "an acquired habit or tendency in one's character that is so deeply ingrained as to appear automatic", keeping this in mind, the exhibition not only intended to explore the meaning also use it to express a nature that exists deep in everyones memory.

The purpose of the project was to think and realize the wondrous power and primitive beauty in nature by creating designs which incorporate the attitude born out individual memory and the law of nature.

Here are some images from the exhibition:

CLOUD INSTALLATION

VENUS CHAISE LOUNGE

Tokujin Yoshioka especially created an installation for the exhibition called the "Cloud" installation which consisted of overlapping transparent fibers. The installation covered the entire exhibition with the idea of developing a space which will be retained in audience memory like a natural phenomenon they had experienced before.

One of the most amazing window displays i have ever seen and another example of Tokujin Yoshioka's brilliant work is the above posted video of Hermes window display in Tokyo. The installation in the window uses timed videos of a woman blowing and hidden fans to highlight one of Hermes most iconic accessories, their silk scarves.

The concept behind the installation, in the words of the artist, is :

" On designing a window display of Maison Hermes, i intended to express people's daily 'movements' with a suspicion of humor. There are moments when i perceive a hidden presence of a person in the movements born naturally in daily life. I created a design where one can perceive someone behind the scarves as if life were being breathed into them. The window is designed with an image of a woman projected on a monitor. The scarf softly sways in the air in response to the woman's blow." - Tokujin Yoshioka