Naoto Fukasawa
High-tech design and high-quality workmanship, perfect marble, fine woods and legendary Portuguese corks form the essence of the Swiss premiere on the eve of Art Basel / Design Miami 2018. The Mise-En-Scène of the 40 square meter Zürich salon is arranged with works such as Alpinina by Jasper Morrison; Hipódromo, Eclipse 02 and Secção by Miguel Vieira Baptista; Large Vessel and Tall Vessel by Michael Anastassiades; Cork Kit by Amanda Levete; Bísaro, Pata Negra and Vase with Roots by Fernando Brízio and many more … A treat for true collectors and design lovers. The Cork Bench by Naoto Fukasawa was presented at the BNW Salon in Zürich.
His wall-mounted CD player for MUJI, humidifier for ±0 and the mobile phones INFOBAR and neon for au/KDDI are all part of New York’s Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) permanent collection. In 2007, he was accorded the title of Honorable Royal Designer for Industry (Royal Society of Arts), UK. MUJI’s wall-mounted CD player is also part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent collection, while his HIROSHIMA armchair for MARUNI is part of Designmuseum Danmark’s permanent collection. And most recently in Spring 2018, Fukasawa received Isamu Noguchi Awards.
Fukasawa is one of the directors of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT. He also sits on the design advisory board of MUJI, and is the art director of MARUNI. In 2017, he became a member of the judging committee for the LOEWE Craft Prize. He is a professor in the Integrated Design department at Tama Art University. In 2006, he established “Super Normal” with Jasper Morrison. He has been acted as the 5th curator of The Japan Folk Crafts Museum since 2012.
Fukasawa has co-authored “The Outline – The Unseen Outline of Things” (Hachette Fujingaho) with photographer Tamotsu Fujii and released “NAOTO FUKASAWA” (Phaidon Press). In Spring 2018, he released his second book with Phaidon press, “Naoto Fukasawa Embodiment”.
CORK BENCH
This bench provides a sense of gentleness through its rounded body, while transmitting a sense of friendliness and a sense of affection at the same time. One of the interesting aspects of this bench is our body’s contact with the material. Since it is a bench, we sit and put our hands on it or we can lie on it. Cork is known for its natural temperature-regulating properties and it is known to maintain a similar temperature to our own bodies, thus providing a unique connection between the user and the product. As a result, this bench offers a very comfortable experience.
- Type Bench
- Date 2013
- Dimensions 1450 x 650 x 450 mm
- Weight 32 kg
- Material Medium density expanded cork
- Edition Limited (8+3)
Made in Portugal with Portuguese cork.
This piece was developed for the Metamorphosis project, for Corticeira Amorim.
100% recyclable.
This exhibition presents pieces that were mainly created through projects commissioned by experimentadesign: pieces integrating the latest “First Stone” programme (2016 – 2017), the “Metamorphosis” project presented at the EXD’13 Biennale or even the project “Efeito D” for the EXD’09 Biennale. The exhibition integrates also pieces of independent projects created by designers constituting the pool of Lisbon Gallery Design & Architecture.
Working with some of the most relevant Portuguese and international protagonists within the field of design and architecture, Lisbon Gallery presents pieces that manifest a strong component of research and innovation. Most of the selected works were produced in Portugal, or turned out as a result of exploring other industries. All the pieces are commercialized in limited series or standard editions.New forms of working with materials were born during the design process of these pieces, creating new logics and representations. The preference over natural and organic materials or with a certain weight and history, projects in itself an identifying characteristic of the Lisbon Gallery: its investment in the area of sustainability.
Having its pieces travelling once more to international territory, the Lisbon Gallery gets a step closer to the international approach it has been claiming, as a way to disseminate its content and to promote the design mostly made in Portugal.
