Special lecture event

Japanese Design Today: Unique, Evolving, Borderless
 

Thursday, September 3, at 4:00pm

The Forum, Kathleen Holser Ahmanson Hall
Otis College of Art and Design
9045 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90045

Free Admission & No RSVP Required
 

For communication between cultures to occur, words and language become essential tools. Japanese design, however, has proven able to transcend language barriers and foster communication and understanding between cultures. Japan is a nation that, historically, has enthusiastically embraced elements of other cultures while developing and retaining its own unique sense of design aesthetic which today is recognized and appreciated throughout the world. But as Japanese society has transformed socially, geopolitically, and economically, so has Japanese design to accommodate these changes. As the world gets smaller and access to information wider, people seek a more personal connection with the world around them, which has given way to a new era of Japanese design.

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles has invited two design experts to delve into these topics and more in Los Angeles and New York this September. In their lecture, Professor Kashiwagi of Musashino Art University, Tokyo, and Yoshifumi Nakamura, an architect and furniture designer, will discuss the evolution, distinguishing characteristics, and current state of Japanese design today.

About lecturers

Hiroshi Kashiwagi : Professor at Musashino Art University, Tokyo. Born in Kobe in 1946. Majored in History of Modern Design as well as Design Criticism. Graduated with a degree in Design from Musashino Art University. Through his research in design, he has been attempting to spell out modern thought regarding aesthetic. Selected Exhibitions: Curated the Tanaka Ikko Retrospective Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo in 2003. Curated the Fantaisies Cybernetiques exhibition, Maison de la culture du Japon a Paris, 2003-4. Selected Publications: Modann dezain hihan（Critique of the Modern Design）Iwanami syoten, Tokyo, 2002.“Shikiri”no Bunkaron (Cultural Studies on "Boundary") Kodanshsya, Tokyo, 2004.  Tantei-syosetu no Shitsunai (Interior of Detective Story) Hakusuisya, Tokyo, 2011. Dezain no Kyokasyo (The Textbook on Design) Kodansya, Tokyo, 2011.

Yoshifumi Nakamura : Yoshifumi Nakamura, architect and furniture designer. Born in Chiba prefecture in 1948. Graduated with degree in Architecture from Musashino Art University in 1972. After graduating from Musashino University and working as an architect for a several years, Nakamura entered the Woodworking Department of the Tokyo Metropolitan Shinagawa Vocational Training Center to learn wood craft and furniture making. After completing the program, Nakamura worked as a furniture designer at the office of architect Junzo Yoshimura for four years, then he established his own independent practice named the Lemming House which specializes in residential and furniture design.  Nakamura has been a professor of the Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, College of Industrial Technology at Nihon University since 1999.
 

This event is co-organized by:
Otis College of Art and Design

This event is supported by:
Delta Airlines