Global OS Project “Stella” at Tsukiji Jam
A traffic cone, ordinarily used to restrict human movement and mark boundaries, is inverted here into a small piece of furniture that generates places for people to gather. The result is a standing table.
The name “Stella” derives from Frank Stella, an artist we deeply admire, who used cones to articulate spatial principles.
Two cones are placed facing one another and held in tension with a rope, allowing them to stand independently. A translucent tabletop is then placed above them. In this way, an improvised table emerges in a corner of the city.
Traffic cones are lightweight, stackable, and easy to carry. Their temporary and portable nature offers a kind of freedom distinct from fixed architecture. They can be brought to wherever they are needed, remain there only for as long as necessary, and then move on to another place. They are elements for creating small places of belonging within the margins of the city.
The “Global OS” project began with the text “It Is Time to Rewrite the OS of the Earth,” contributed to Harvard Business Review in 2020. At its core is a shift in architectural design through small elements and landscape.
This small table is one prototype for updating the OS of everyday life by reinterpreting existing elements embedded in the city.
