Surprising Japan
BRAJAK VITBERG
Brajak Vitberg is art and design studio, founded by two architects, Petra and Robert, from Ljubljana, Slovenia in 2019.
The focus of the studio is the conceptual search of eternity through materials with a multidisciplinary approach: through fashion, art, people and the inspiration of the moment.
We strive to design craft elements and make them timeless through experimental designing process.
The studio creates a range of products from handmade and limited small series to one piece unique products, inspired by materials and forms that create incomplete perfection. The language used in the design is stratified and eclectic, but at the same time it combines a poetic vision and raw design.
Our work is a ramification of our synaesthetic perceptions of the world around us. We have always had an urge to instantly materialise our visions without discrepancies between the creative process and the realisation: our design is an intersection of the creative part and the material one.
MIAMI TABLE LAMP PINK 1800 EUR + VAT + shipping
plexiglass dichroic film
dimensions Ø: 8 cm h: 33 cm
plexiglass + dichroic film lampshade Ø: 35 cm
h: 22 cm
the CORD/CODE chair is made of acrylic and stainless-steel wire. the six curved surfaces are shaped by horizontally stretched wires across u-shaped acrylic, which compose the seat and backrest of the chair. the curved surfaces are created by a total of 124 wires that are arranged to curve against the body, softly wrapping the person sitting.
a code is given to the cords to create a design where the tension of the straight line and soft curve coexist. in addition, the overlapping curved wires are visible from the side and back of the chair with a clear acrylic base, giving it a sense of lightness as if the person sitting is floating.
In 2020, we encountered an unknown virus and experienced an unprecedented crisis. However, as it is clear from the history of mankind’s battles with pandemics like SARS, MARS, and the Spanish flu, we will surely regain placidness. Packed trains will start running again and people will be talking with each other in close contact at crowded restaurants and cafes. While the act of forgetting pain might be an ability bestowed upon mankind, we must continue to be aware of the virus to protect the people around us. This device is designed to remind people of the invisible virus even in their daily lives after we regain placidness. Virus lamp consists of a light source that is directly mounted on an outlet plate and a cover for the light source. Not only does it light up spaces like a washroom horrifyingly, the device induces hand washing and other infection control measures by making people aware of the virus.
2020年、我々は未知のウィルスに遭遇し未曾有の危機を味わった。しかし人類がかつて戦ったSARS、MARS、スペイン風邪などの前例を見てもわかるように、しばらくすると我々はまた平穏を取り戻すだろう。満員電車が再び走り出し、飲食店では密な状態で会話が交わされる。痛みを忘れることは人類に与えられた能力なのかもしれないが、我々は周囲の誰かを守るために、これからも常にウィルスの存在を意識する必要がある。Virus lampは平穏を取り戻した日常であっても目に見えないウィルスの存在を我々に思い起こさせてくれる。既存のコンセントプレートに直接取り付ける光源と、それを覆うカバーから構成される。洗面所などでおぞましく空間を照らすだけではなくウィルスを意識させ手洗いなどの感染症対策を誘引する機能を有する。
Materials :
LED, Heat resistant nylon
Dimensions :
W250 × H250 × D125
“At the moment of fertilization, eggs emit light”
Since early childhood, I have been fascinated by the enigmatic nature of life, and when I came across the above statement, my imagination was completely seized by this description of that almost magical moment when life itself is created.
Strictly speaking, at the moment of fertilization, what actually happens is that the wavelength of the calcium ions inside the egg begins to change, as the atoms of calcium take on a slight positive charge. If we understand light as being a wavelength, I felt that those changes in the electric wavelength of the calcium ions could be interpreted as “light”.
I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity, in a research facility, to see that moment of fertilization myself through a microscope.
What I was able to perceive visually at that moment what was not light being emitted, but something in a sense grotesque and yet at the same time beautiful, and which did indeed appear to be shining.
The profound wonder of it all seemed to me to be encapsulated right there. That image of the countless tiny sperm swarming around the egg is something I still cannot get out of my head. I felt that I wanted to share the magic of this moment with the world.
That inspiration informed the conceptualization of this work, THE BIRTH. Onto a spherical framework of wire rods (as used in Buckminster Fuller’s “Geodesic Dome”), I added light bulbs (as used in the “Taraxacum 88” lamp by Achille Castiglioni). I turned the bulbs inwards so that the structure is suggestive of the amazing phenomenon of the sperm bustling around the egg to fertilize it, and the light which is said to then emanate.
In terms of the materials used in the construction (essentially only rods and circular holders), this is a very minimalist work. The reason for this is that the sight I observed through that microscope gave me a sense, in spite of the obvious complexity on the one hand, of the striking simplicity of life.
I also was conscious of the desirability of creating a design that, like the Geodesic Dome, would potentially be suitable for mass production.
Given that, increasingly, incandescent lamps (which convert a large part of their light into heat) are being replaced by the more efficient LED technology, a light source that faces inwards is no longer problematic.
I even like to imagine that if Achille Castigliono were alive today, he might have made a version of the Taraxacum 88 using the more efficient LED technology and with the lights pointing inwards.
Pointing the light bulbs inwards toward each other means that the light from multiple bulbs is reflected on the surface of each bulb. This is evocative of the way the fertilized egg repeats the process of cell division so that within a week it has multiplied two to three hundred times.
Although THE BIRTH is a chandelier it sends out a flickering light, like the beating of a heart.
This is representative of the repetitive spikes in the increase of the calcium ions (known as calcium oscillation) in the egg after fertilization.
There is, in the world today, a huge amount of suffering caused by such issues as racism and terrorism.
And given that nowadays it is even possible to bring about life by artificial means, so that the very significance of life can appear to be in a state of flux, it would seem appropriate to take a fresh look at exactly what “life” is.
Through this work, THE BIRTH, my goal is to create a sense of intimacy with one of the fundamental mysteries of life, so that observers will be encouraged to re-think the value of life itself.
「卵子は受精した瞬間に光を放つ。」
私は幼いころから生命の神秘に強く惹かれていたのだが、この記述を目にしてからというもの、生命誕生の瞬間における神秘性は私の中で一層特別な ものとなっている。
縁あって専門家の研究室にて受精の瞬間を顕微鏡越しに見ることができた。その瞬間に私の目で感知できるような光が放たれることはなかったが、それはグロテスクでありながらも美しく、間違いなく輝いて見えた。それはまさに生命の神秘だった。卵子の周りに無数に群がる精子の様子は今も私の頭から離れない。 私はこの神秘的なシーンを多くの人と共有したい。
厳密には、受精した瞬間、卵子内部ではカルシウムイオン(カルシウムの原子がプラスの電気を帯びたもの)の波長が変化する。
光を波長と捉えるならば、そのカルシウムイオンの電子的な波長を"光"と表現できるのではないか、と私は考えた。
その時に得たインスピレーションが、THE BIRTHの形態を決めている。
Buckminster Fullerが考案したGeodesic Domeの線材の交点に、Achille CastiglioniがデザインしたTARAXACUM88の電球を内側に向けて取り付け たような構成によって、まさに卵子に群がる精子が見事に受精し、光を放つ姿を表現した。
僅かなパーツ(アームと丸座の二種類)で構成されているのは、顕微鏡で受精のシーンを覗いた時に、生命は複雑でありながらも、極めてシンプルであると感じたからだ。
また、それはGeodesic Domeと同様に、量産化を前提とするデザインにもなりうると考えた。
エネルギーの多くを熱に変換してしまう白熱灯から、効率の良いLEDへと光源が入れ替わった今、光源が内を向き合うことも不都合ではない。 Achille Castiglioniが生きていれば、効率の良いLEDを用いてTARAXACUM88の電球を内側に向けたモデルを作ったのではないか、と私はひとり予想している。
電球同士を内側に向けたことによって、電球の表面には周辺の複数の電球が映り込む。それは受精卵が一週間で200から300という数になるまで細胞分裂を繰り返すさまを想起させる。
THE BIRTHはシャンデリアでありながら光の明滅を起こす。まるで心臓の鼓動のように。
これは卵子が受精後に反復的なカルシウムイオンの上昇(カルシウムオシレーション)が起こることに由来している。
今日、人種差別や無差別テロといった人道的課題は尽きることがない。人工的に生命を創り出すことすらも可能になり「生命の重さ」が変化しているようにみえる今こそ、「生命」というものを改めて考える必要があるのではないか。
「THE BIRTH」によって、生命の神秘を身近で感じることにより、一人でも多くの人が生命の尊さについて再認識するきっかけになることを、私は心から願っている。
Materials :
アルミニウム、電球、ケーブル
Dimensions :
750Φ × H : FREE
SINI MAJURI
Name of the piece: Motion
Year made: 2021
Material: Graal technique, silkscreened metal, unique hand made color, soda bubbles
Dimensions: 22 cm x 17 cm x 17 cm
Price: 2300 € 298000 JPY
Name of the work: Aeon
Size: 22 cm x 18 cm x 20 cm
Material: Blown glass. Graal technique. Hand shaped. Unique piece
Price: 2200 €
Statement: Aeon reflects the perspective of humanity; how our own position always affects the way we encounter each other. Inside the optical and vivid glass, a woman is distorted. Glass material is never static. Therefore it’s impossible to see her as she is. I often express women and how they have been portrayed in the culture.
Name of the work: Cell II
Name of the designer: Sini Majuri
Size: 22 cm x 18 cm x 20 cm
Material: Blown glass. Graal technique. Hand shaped. Unique piece
Price: 8000 €
Statement:
I look at the sea. This familiar infiniteness, I have stayed on its shores countless times. Still – disconnected from time. I contemplate how some moments are the most meaningful, how they can define your whole person. For me time is an invisible companion. We dive through it, we navigate through it with the help of our memory. I have wanted to give form to the invisible. Even if it was a mere whisper.
Cell II sculpture captures the feeling of experiencing time. It is an optical illusion in which the surface shapes of the glass cause the armchair to stretch and occasionally disappear from view.
Tuulia Penttilä is a Finnish designer and cabinetmaker. Her design is characterized by minimalist expression and carefully thought-out details. She prefers local woods and natural materials in her studio collection. Ecological thinking, functionality and in-depth knowledge of materials guide her design. Her works have been presented in several international exhibitions, biennalesand museums in Europe and Japan. She has worked as a freelance designer and cabinetmaker in Fiskars, Finland since 1999.
ROUND baskets
Tuulia Penttilä has designed timeless and unique basket with playful leather strap. Round basket is versatile and suits well for a modern home. Due to its lightness, it travels with you on daily errands and takes the place in street fashion as well. The production of the collection combines natural materials, modern technology and traditional craftsmanship. The main material of thebaskets is thin birch plywood and assembly is made without glue, by hand sewing. The Round basket is a modern interpretation of the traditional Finnish splint basket.
model 01: 25 x 20 x 32cm 250$
model 02: 25 x 20 x 32cm 260$
model 03: 30 x 25 x 32cm 270$
model 04: 30 x 25 x 32cm 280$
Materials: birch plywood, leather, waxed thread, beech wood
Tuulia Penttilä’s WEBSITE
Maria Joanna Juchnowska Artist, designer, curator, founder, and owner of Mari JJ Design brand, launched in 2010, in Stockholm Sweden, now based in Oslo Norway.
Cooperating with luxurious brands and companies in Europe, Asia, and the USA including Meissen GmbH in Germany, Franz Collection Ltd. in China, and Taiwan.
EGG VESSELS
"Deep Ocean"
2020
Is the third edition of Egg Vessels. Art pieces are a tribute to Earth´s "Seven Seas" and its inhabitants. As human beings, we do not know our planet very well and with all living creatures. Especially in deep seas, covering most of our planet. Yet we are polluting and killing it every day. This is a sad story of everyday consumerism and the greedy world that we all have contributed to.
The beauty of mother nature mirrored in unknown depths of our planet waters is inspiring to tell stories. Paying tribute to the beautiful "Deep Oceans" and it´s creatures.
Porcelain pieces are hand-painted in carat gold. The design of the vessels is inspired by a simple "egg-like" shape which is a symbol of eternal life. Divided form into 2 separate objects is creating "mobile decoration". The piece can be assembled into many different variations