Cutting, chopping, serving… a million years ago,
humans used one tool on which to perform multiple functions.
“sasso” is a versatile cutting and serving board,
inspired by the organic form of stone.
Year/ 2014
Object/ Cutting board
Materials/ Marble, Niangon wood, Bay Oak wood
Client/ WonderGlass
Year/ 2014
Lighting Design:
Grappa / Claesson Koivisto Rune
Luma / Zaha Hadid
Sleeve / John Pawson
Flow[T] / Nao Tamura
Photo&Video/ Carlo Lavatori
Sound: Aya Nishina
Sound Engineer: Fernando Aponte
→ http://naotamura.com/projects/morphing-installation-salone-2014/
When the technology evolves and its appearance is reduced, a new space is born between us and the mobile phone. From the mobile phone to the pendant, from the pendant to the mobile phone; various possibilities are created utilizing a “bluetooth” connection. A mobile phone packed with information and precision parts emerges in a new space.
As I find the view of a snow-covered town beautiful, when a colorful and precise semiconductor material is covered with one skin, it shows a new expression. The optics which emerge from the surface is a decor that is precisely worked. Not decorating cosmetically, but changing the expression of what is originally there. I want you to feel a new expression of the cellular phone.
すべてを一色で覆う雪景色の街並が美しいと感じるように、カラフルで精密に組み合わされた半導体の部品を一枚の皮膚で覆った時、それは新たな表情を見せる。そこに浮かび上がる凹凸は、まるで精密に細工された装飾品のよに見える。手を加え飾りたてるのではなく、本来そこにある物の表情を変える。ケータイの新たな表情を感じてもらいたい。
→ http://naotamura.com/projects/cypres-kddi-au-design-project/
“seasons” is an interpretation of functional kitchen and serving ware, inspired by nature and technology, through the cultural lens of Japan.
Like a real leaf, each serving dish is flexible and multi-purpose. It rolls up for storage using the benefits of silicone to insure its use in an oven or microwave, able to withstand repeated dishwasher cleaning.
Each leaf enjoys its own shape, stackable in its open state, and in
multiples, creating a sculptural display of serving artware.
In the land where I grew up, spring is a time when Japanese sweets come wrapped in cherry leaves. In summer, a fiery ripe tomato is carved out for use as a serving container. In autumn, fallen foliage from maple trees decorates the dinner table. And, the aroma of bamboo create the setting for winter.
Just as winter is followed by spring, there are things that wither and are those born anew. Both truisms run deep and are able to move us from our core.
Is this the cycle that dictates life on Earth?
In design, a brand new object with nary a scratch, and an object weathered and distilled by sustained use, both have their place. An object which has ceased to be useful can be recycled to begin life anew, in a fresh form. We must remain conscious of this cycle that exists in nature, just as we are conscious of the cycle of seasons.
冬の次に春が来るように、枯れていく物があれば、新しく生まれてくる物もある。モノもまた、傷一つない新品の良さがあれば、使い古され深みの出た良さもある。そして、使われなくなったモノはリサイクルされ新たな形となり生まれ変わる事が出来る。季節と同じように、私達はその自然のサイクルを意識し続けたい。その事を忘れないように、生まれたての葉と、枯れ葉をモチーフにシリカサンドからお皿を創りました。
自然の葉のようにしなやかに丸めたり、自由に重ねディスプレーする事が出来ます。毎日の生活の中での無造作な扱い、皿洗い機、オーブン、レンジにも対応した新しいお皿の提案です。
Year: 2010-2012
There is a moment when a clinging bead of water, in quiet orb-like suspension,
becomes a droplet.
The droplet reflects its surroundings while gathering light within.
There is a moment when molten glass transforms from liquid to solid.
This instant of transition is accompanied by an emission of beautiful light.
Momento freezes that moment of ephemeral beauty and turns it into a source of light.
The elliptical shadow, folding over itself, captures the glassmaker’s spinning technique.
It is a gentle ripple of light just like when a droplet hits the surface of still water.
水がゆっくりとしたたり、水滴として落ちるまでの瞬間、
周りの光に反射し、水滴の中に特別な光が集まる。
硝子もまた、その熱く柔らかい液体が 形になった時、
そこに美しい光が灯される瞬間がある。
Momento はそんな「瞬間」を固め、そこに集まる光を照明にしました。
そこから写される影は吹き硝子職人が回転させた軌跡の輪が重なり、
まるで水面に落ちたしずくの様に優しい光の波紋となります。
There are forces in nature that are beyond the control of mankind. We have learned how fragile we are in the face of such forces. However, we have also learned the importance of accepting nature and learning to live in harmony with it.
Interconnected and interdependent, there is a constant give-and-take in nature. Life does not rest. Our collective motion, nature’s response to our movements is essential to our planet’s delicate balance.
When we are one with nature, we are at our most powerful. Our movement together gives us life.Our movement forward creates the next generation of ideas.
Life is always more amazing in motion.
Interconnessione: Ci sono forze nella natura che sfuggono al controllo dell’uomo. Abbiamo imparato quanto siamo fragili al cospetto di simili forze. Al tempo stesso, abbiamo anche imparato l’importanza di accettare la natura e di saper vivere in armonia con lei.
Tutto e interconnesso e interdipendente. La natura e un costante dare e prendere. La vita non sta ferma. Il nostro movimento collettivo e la risposta della natura a questo movimento influenzano il delicato equilibrio del nostro pianeta.
Quando siamo in sintonia con la natura siamo al massimo della nostra forza. Il nostro muoversi insieme ci da vita. Il nostro muoversi in avanti crea la prossima generazione di idee. La vita e sempre piu sorprendente quando e in movimento.
インターコネクション: 私達はどうする事も出来ない自然の力を知り、人間の無力さ、生命のはかなさを知った。けれど、自然を受け入れる事、共存する事の大切さも教えてもらった。自然にある全てのものは絶妙なバランスを保ちながらそこに存在する。決して止まることのない自然からインスピレーションを貰い、 はかない物が繋がり合い、ゆだねあい、人々の動きと共鳴した時湧きあがるモーションを感じてもらいたい。
The reflections of the Venetian cityscape glistening on the evening water hints at an imaginary city below the moving surface. There is a border between the world under and the land above. In the city of Venice, where the real world and fantasy coexists, this chandelier is the embodiment of the beauty of dual worlds.
“Flow(t)” is a contemporary chandelier inspired by the colors of the Venetian lagoon and customized to the desires of each owner. Each piece enjoys its own shape, and in multiples, they create a sculptural display of lighting.
水面にぼんやりと映るベニスの町並みを見ていると
水の下にもう一つ町があり、そこに暮らしがあるような気になる。
水の中の世界と、地上の境。
現実の世界と空想の世界を行き来出来るベニスの町
空間に浮かぶ２つの世界をシャンデリアにしました。
Year: 2013-2014
Client: WonderGlass
Contained within a single tree is its unabridged chronicle
Year by year, never skipping a beat, it records its history slowly.
Some lines speak of seasons of plenty, while others cry of famine.
The size of the rings are never the same.
Each engraving bears witness to battles waged in the name of survival.
To observe such is to humble ourselves to nature’s love of life.
This celebration was created by layering upon the Alvar Aalto chair’s beautiful geometric shape, a complex and organic graphic of life. My hope is that the Artek “Stool 60” will evoke the bounty of nature as seen by the passage of 80 years of time.
毎日確実に失われていく自然。
たった一本の木でも、一年一年ゆっくりと成長した歴史が刻まれている。
豊かな年もあれば、厳しい年もある。
一輪一輪、違った太さで重ねられた印をみていると、
その力強さと私たちが失い続けている自然の重みを感じる。
美しく幾何学的な椅子の造形に、複雑で有機的なグラフィックを重ねる事で生まれる
コントラスト。そこから80年という自然と共に育った Artek “Stool 60” の歴史を感じてもらいたい。
Artek Stool 60: Alvar Aalto
Client: Artek
Year: 2012
Event:The Design Trust for public spaces
When injecting emotion into the symbol of advanced technology, the mobile phone, what will happen?
Temptation Concept 1>Hexagon: Luxuries like jewelry, lingerie, and perfume possess a subconscious attraction beyond their basic functions as objects. As technology becomes more emotionally appealing, it should sport elements that make us forget that it is industrial or engineered. Like dressing up to seduce a lover, it is time for mobile phones to take part in the chase.
ケータイほど肌身離せぬ工業製品が今までにあっただろうか。
私達が日常手にするこの小さなディバイスの間を行き来する、人間の「感情」に着目したプロジェクト。
心の内面、感情の動きからインスピレーションを貰い、より感覚的な動きを加えたインターフェース。人が持つ外の顔、飾るという行為に着目し造形をおこした外観。
従来の工業製品とは違った角度からのアプローチです。
Year: 2006
KDDI au design project
Producer: Naoki Sakai water design scope
www.au.kddi.com
Lifestyle Photography: NAGI, NYC
Product Photography: Yukio Shimizu
PROCESS
INSTALLATION
Tokyo Design Week / KDDI, au design project
Photo: NAGI
Motion Graphics: Peter Brune
→ http://naotamura.com/projects/hexagon-2006-kddi-au-design-project-water-design-scope/
As is in nature where no two shapes are alike, nanimarquina carpets are carefully handcrafted, with the utmost attention to detail. Like a living creature, each has its own expression.
Quill is inspired by their human handiwork. Like the delicacy of a single fallen feather, or the playfulness of multiple feathers gathered together, each reveals a different expression depending on its use.
Reinventing the stodgy, conventional image of a carpet I have created a friendlier, lighter design in tune with modern day living.
自然の中に２つとして同じ形がないように、ディテールまで人の手が丁寧に作り出すNANIのカーペットは、生き物のように一つ一つ違った表情を持つ
Quillは生きた手仕事からインスピレーションをもらい、パラリと舞い落ちた一羽のような繊細さと、複数あつまり見せる遊動感と、使われ方で違った表情を見せる
重厚感を持った従来のカーペットのイメージを、より軽やかに、優しいデザインに、現代人の生活を意識してみました。
Client: Nanimarquina www.nanimarquina
Year: 2015 Dec
MAKING IN INDIA
ORIGINAL SKETCHES
When injecting emotion into the symbol of advanced technology, the mobile phone, what will happen?
Temptation Concept 1>Hexagon: Luxuries like jewelry, lingerie, and perfume possess a subconscious attraction beyond their basic functions as objects. As technology becomes more emotionally appealing, it should sport elements that make us forget that it is industrial or engineered. Like dressing up to seduce a lover, it is time for mobile phones to take part in the chase.
ケータイほど肌身離せぬ工業製品が今までにあっただろうか。
私達が日常手にするこの小さなディバイスの間を行き来する、人間の「感情」に着目したプロジェクト。
心の内面、感情の動きからインスピレーションを貰い、より感覚的な動きを加えたインターフェース。人が持つ外の顔、飾るという行為に着目し造形をおこした外観。
従来の工業製品とは違った角度からのアプローチです。
Year: 2006
KDDI au design project
Producer: Naoki Sakai water design scope
www.au.kddi.com
Lifestyle Photography: NAGI, NYC
Product Photography: Yukio Shimizu
PROCESS
INSTALLATION
Tokyo Design Week / KDDI, au design project
Photo: NAGI
Motion Graphics: Peter Brune
→ http://naotamura.com/projects/hexagon-2006-kddi-au-design-project-water-design-scope/
Alight is a lighting instrument inspired by nature and technology. It is lightweight and can be placed upon a thin tape formed to fit personal spaces in any shape you desire. Whether fixed to a wall, suspended from a ceiling or placed on a desk, “alight” enables you to create with a personal touch. To read, you need only one LED light which consumes just 11W of energy lasting 20,000 hours.
Customize your lighting experience from a single light to an inspired arrangement. Alight is light… according to your needs.
———————————-
As a child, I loved the magic of the night in the countryside. A firefly emitted a delicate glow, creating a spiral of light and fading lines across the darkening sky.
Over time, our street corners became harshly bright. The canvas of darkness that allowed the firefly to paint with light is no longer. Male and female fireflies can no longer see each others’ glow. Their eternal attraction extinguished.
Our ambivalent yet wasteful habits of daily life consume massive amounts of energy and destroy not only small insects… but nature itself. The lesson is clear, a new consciousness towards energy must inspire a more personal and responsible approach to design. Too much light… endangers our life.
The firefly returns as inspiration. Introducing a personalized light in which you can choose its size and brightness according to your need. Our nights can be beautiful again while being responsible for the energy we share.
→ http://naotamura.com/projects/alight-milano-salone-satellite/
“seasons” is an interpretation of functional kitchen and serving ware, inspired by nature and technology, through the cultural lens of Japan.
Like a real leaf, each serving dish is flexible and multi-purpose. It rolls up for storage using the benefits of silicone to insure its use in an oven or microwave, able to withstand repeated dishwasher cleaning.
Each leaf enjoys its own shape, stackable in its open state, and in
multiples, creating a sculptural display of serving artware.
In the land where I grew up, spring is a time when Japanese sweets come wrapped in cherry leaves. In summer, a fiery ripe tomato is carved out for use as a serving container. In autumn, fallen foliage from maple trees decorates the dinner table. And, the aroma of bamboo create the setting for winter.
Just as winter is followed by spring, there are things that wither and are those born anew. Both truisms run deep and are able to move us from our core.
Is this the cycle that dictates life on Earth?
In design, a brand new object with nary a scratch, and an object weathered and distilled by sustained use, both have their place. An object which has ceased to be useful can be recycled to begin life anew, in a fresh form. We must remain conscious of this cycle that exists in nature, just as we are conscious of the cycle of seasons.
自然の葉のようにしなやかに丸めたり、自由に重ねディスプレーする事が出来ます。毎日の生活の中での無造作な扱い、皿洗い機、オーブン、レンジにも対応した新しいお皿の提案です。
Something practical. Something contemporary. Architect Toyo Ito envisioned something that would resemble fallen leaves floating on water, and with the sensual input from New York based Nao Tamura, it was masterfully brought to life by wood-turner Yasuhiro Satake. Colored an earthy brown resembling dead leaves, there immaculate, ultra-thin plates could be considered a masterpieces of functional beauty. When places inside of this case, fallen leaves floating on water suddenly transform into leaves dancing on the wind. Ito wanted to create something that one could use in ordinary life while still admiring such beauty.
Team:
Toyo Ito / Architect
Yasuhiro Satake / Wood craftman
Nao Tamura / Designer
.
Client: Take Action Foundation, Charity Gala
Photo: Makoto Fujii
→ http://naotamura.com/projects/urushi-takeactionfoundation/
These strategic communication materials-product brochures, postcards and advertisements- strike a balance between demystifying an exciting, somewhat radical concept in clothing and promoting a brand by fashion legend Issey Miyake. By creating a symbolic graphic language to overcome cultural barriers, Pleats Please becomes accessible to all kinds of consumers, allowing Western women to appreciate the easy-to-wear collection for its style and versatility.
Client: Issey Miyake
Smart Design
Photo: F.Giaccometti
“July stool” is a wooden stool inspired by the intrinsic beauty of imperfection. Like a bundle of wooden logs, three individual “slices” unequal in size, variegated in grain and color, and uneven surface angles unite to create a beautiful, singular form.
Each stool enjoys its own sense of individuality. Together, in multiples, they create a sculptural seating display for gathering spaces.
Client: Nikari
Photo by Chikako Harada / Jenni Roininen
www.nikari.fi
[Designs for nature] tells about Nikari philosophy and the Finnish wood design ideology: how Nikari delicately manufacture exquisite quality furniture and products of the local forests’ wood in Fiskars Village. Because number 12 is the number of the year and there are 12 months in a year, Nikari asked twelve designers or design studios to study Nikari’s philosophy and give their comments to it in a form of a wooden product. Nikari co-operate with the Finnish WWF and part of the sales price is donated to protecting rainforests and forests globally.
Project designers:
JANUARY Harri Koskinen
FEBRUARY Thomas Sandell
MARCH Martí Guixé
APRIL Alfredo Häberli
MAY Simo Heikkilä
JUNE Mikko Paakkanen
JULY Nao Tamura
AUGUST Aamu Song Johan Olin
SEPTEMBER Mikhail Barashkov
OCTOBER Samuli Naamanka
NOVEMBER Louise Campbell
DECEMBER Jasper Morrison Wataru Kuman
L’Eau d’Issey Cold winter ends and spring begins. The bottle packaging design was for Issey Miyake’s Spring/Summer fragrance line. It’s like lieing on the grass, looking at the bright sky, feeling the fresh air of the spring. It expresses the perceptible energy of nature that you sense right before summer begins.
Client: Issey Miyake
L’Eau d’Issey D’Issey D’Ete Lueur
L’Eau D’Issey Pour Homme
www.isseymiyake.com
http://naotamura.com/projects/issey-miyake-leau-dissey-spring-summer/
Cutting, chopping, serving… a million years ago,
humans used one tool on which to perform multiple functions.
“sasso” is a versatile cutting and serving board,
inspired by the organic form of stone.
CLIENT: HEM [www.hem.com]
OBJECT: Cutting, serving board
MATERIALS: Marble, Niangon wood, Bay Oak wood
PHOTOS: HEM team
Client: WonderGlass
Lighting Design:
Grappa>Claesson Koivisto Rune
Luma>Zaha Hadid
Sleeve>John Pawson
Flow[T]>Nao Tamura
Photo&Video/ Carlo Lavatori
Sound: Aya Nishina
Sound Engineer: Fernando Aponte
http://naotamura.com/projects/morphing-installation-salone-2014/
When the technology evolves and its appearance is reduced, a new space is born between us and the mobile phone. From the mobile phone to the pendant, from the pendant to the mobile phone; various possibilities are created utilizing a “bluetooth” connection. A mobile phone packed with information and precision parts emerges in a new space.
As I find the view of a snow-covered town beautiful, when a colorful and precise semiconductor material is covered with one skin, it shows a new expression. The optics which emerge from the surface is a decor that is precisely worked. Not decorating cosmetically, but changing the expression of what is originally there. I want you to feel a new expression of the cellular phone.
すべてを一色で覆う雪景色の街並が美しいと感じるように、カラフルで精密に組み合わされた半導体の部品を一枚の皮膚で覆った時、それは新たな表情を見せる。そこに浮かび上がる凹凸は、まるで精密に細工された装飾品のよに見える。手を加え飾りたてるのではなく、本来そこにある物の表情を変える。ケータイの新たな表情を感じてもらいたい。
Client: KDDI au design project
Trilogy Exhibition
Producer: Water Design, Naoki Sakai
au.kddi.com
EXHIBITION AT KDDI SHOW ROOM
http://naotamura.com/projects/cypres-kddi-au-design-project/
