INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO will hold the “Craft × Tech Tohoku Project” exhibition from Wednesday, November 27, 2024, showcasing the eponymous initiative that connects traditional Japanese crafts with contemporary design and technology.

Craft × Tech is a project that aims to bring fresh insights to centuries-old crafts in Japan by examining the beauty of their materials and techniques both in terms of their history and their future, and transforming them into unique works of art. It was launched by Hideki Yoshimoto, winner of the first Grand Prix at the Lexus Design Award, an international design competition dedicated to supporting and nurturing the next generation of talent.

A fusion of Japanese craftsmanship, contemporary design and technology, Craft × Tech’s resonance with the LEXUS spirit of always pioneering a new future has now led to this exciting new exhibition.

INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO features two works in the project that resulted from collaborations between contemporary designers and traditional crafts from the Tohoku region of northeast Japan. The first is Rain, created by Hideki Yoshimoto using Aizu Hongo Yaki ceramics from the titular area of Fukushima. The second is Yōkan by Lexus Design Award mentor Sabine Marcelis, created with Kawatsura Shikki lacquerware from Akita. The new pieces are exhibited alongside samples of the Aizu Hongo Yaki ceramics and Kawatsura Shikki lacquerware that inspired them.

The venue also includes behind-the-scenes footage of the designers traveling to each region to visit the artisans in their workshops, and create these very special collaborations. The video provides visitors with a sense of the beauty of the resulting works as well as the background and story behind the Craft × Tech initiative.

INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO opened in 2013 as a place in the heart of the city to showcase encounters with the new through mobility, cuisine, design, art, and technology. It stimulates the senses and inspires with a lineup of unique artworks that fuse traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.

Craft × Tech Tohoku Project

Dates: Wednesday, November 27, 2024–
Venue: INTERSECT BY LEXUS – TOKYO 1F Garage

Hideki Yoshimoto (Tangent)

Designer, creative director. Project Associate Professor at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo. Born in Wakayama Prefecture in 1985, Hideki Yoshimoto completed a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the University of Tokyo in 2010, and a doctorate in design engineering at the Royal College of Art in London in 2016.
Yoshimoto founded the design studio Tangent in London in 2015. In 2020, he co-founded the field of Advanced Art and Design at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, and further expanded his activities based in both London and Tokyo. He specializes in the innovative integration of design and engineering, creating numerous designs and concepts for world-famous luxury brands, as well as engaging in a wide range of fields from the development of new businesses based on technology to urban development.
His recently founded international initiative Craft × Tech connects traditional Japanese crafts with cutting-edge technology. He actively presents artworks through collaborations with traditional crafts, striving to evolve and pass on Japanese culture.
His major works include the installation Beyond the Horizon (2024), created for LEXUS and shown at Milan Design Week 2024, the giant wall art Orb (2023) for the Space Art Tanegashima Light Festival, Dawn (2023), which fuses traditional Kanazawa gold leaf with state-of-the-art laser-processing technology, the installation Here (2019) for the Hermès pavilion at the international fine watch event Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, the glass sculpture Rise (2017) by Wonderglass, the animation Ascension (2016) for the facade of the world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, and the lighting Inaho (2013), inspired by swaying rice plants. Yoshimoto is the recipient of many awards in the fields of design and engineering, including the Excellence Award from the Artificial Intelligence Society of Japan, Super Creator certification from the IPA Unexplored Software Project, Wakayama Prefectural Culture Encouragement Award, Lexus Design Award, and Red Dot Design Concept Best of the Best.
https://www.tngnt.uk/

Rain (Aizu Hongo Yaki × Hideki Yoshimoto)

A floor lamp incorporating Aizu Hongo Yaki, the oldest pottery in Tohoku, is embedded into a monolithic structure. The large ceramic slate was fired with a unique glaze that evokes the appearance of falling rain. To combine the handmade ceramics, which shrink and warp during firing, with different materials, the fired slate was scanned and converted into digital data. This data was then used to precisely cut resin and metal materials, achieving the final composition.

Sabine Marcelis

The Dutch artist and designer Sabine Marcelis is based in Rotterdam. Graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2011, Marcelis works in product, installation, and spatial design with a focus on materiality. Her work is noted for its formal simplicity that emphasizes the characteristics of the materials. When collaborating with others, Marcelis draws on her strong sense of beauty to research and experiment with the materials, and involves herself fully in their manufacture to achieve innovative visual effects. Her wide-ranging practice encompasses exhibiting at art museums as well as client commissions and projects with fashion houses. Her many accolades include the prestigious Wallpaper Design Awards Designer of the Year 2020, Elle Deco International Design Awards 2019 Young Designer of the Year, GQ Men of the Year 2019’s International Artist of the Year and the recent Dezeen Awards 2024 Designer of the Year.

Yōkan (Kawatsura Shikki × Sabine Marcelis)

A series of two tables with a voluminous design and a wall-mounted piece, all lacquered in Kawatsura Shikki's style. Inspired by the interplay of light and materiality, the three distinct objects were crafted, each intersected with a singular gesture that manipulates the light captured on its surface, inviting viewers to explore from every angle. Stripped down to the essentials and punctuated with a single twist or inverted slice, attention is solely drawn to the lacquerware itself.

About Craft × Tech

Craft x Tech is an initiative to unify traditional Japanese crafts and contemporary technology through design. By exploring the beauty of traditional materials and techniques from both historical and futuristic perspectives, and transforming them into unique new works of art, it aims to bring fresh insights to the centuries-old history of craftsmanship.

• Website: craft-x-tech.com
• Instagram : @craft.x.tech