Welcome to the sophisticated and fascinating world of insects with 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Tokyo...
Welcome to the sophisticated and fascinating world of insects! 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Tokyo (founded by prestigious fashion designer Issey Miyake) is hosting an exhibition challenging our relationship to insects from July 19th to November 4th 2019, where graphic designer and exhibition director Taku Satoh, along with anatomist Takeshi Yoro, bring together the works of Japanese designers, architects, structural engineers and artists to explore some "different" design perspectives.
Those tiny creatures who made their proof through times have a lot to teach us in the way they are engineered and designed; their larva nests continue to inspire architects, their anatomy robots design and their aspect movie directors and fashion designers. As an insect lover since early childhood, Taku is well-placed to give his opinion:
Architects and designers should look to the insect world to find solutions for the survival of our own species. The kinds of inspirations insects offer are, I think, infinite...
In this exhibition, you can find an "audio-visual theatre of insects" by Yosuke Abe, Kenji Kohiyama and Muneroshi Maruyama, a structural analysis of caddisfly nests by architect Kengo Kuma as well as a beetle-like bottle opener and ladybird-inspired sneakers by designer Keita Suzuki. But that is not all, there is also that bewildering insect-inspired robot made in 3D printing by Shunji Yamanaka + Kazuya Saito + Hiroshi Sugihara + Kotaro Tanimichi + Mitsuru Muramatsu and some spine-chilling installation art like the Weevil Leg (a 700 times magnified insect leg), gigantic insect wings by Munetoshi Maruyama and the Perfektron's Beautiful and Creepy Peep Hole...
According to Satoh, there is still a lot to do in so many industries; "for example, the means by which beetles fold and store their wings can be helpful in devising new systems to store satellite aerials, umbrellas or tents and their brilliant lustre can lead to new paint technologies".
He is hoping the exhibition will push people to reconnect with the bugs: "I very much want people to reengage with insects, too often we try to eliminate them, almost by reflex. I want to revive a curiosity that risks being forgotten."
Find out more on 21_21designsight and dare stepping into a microworld full of possibilities...