Japan 2018Kengo Kuma :a LAB for materials
The Kuma-no-mono Exhibition is centered on KKAA’s works and explorations of materials that have stretched over 30 years. We divided the gallery into rooms according to the materials we often use – bamboo, wood, paper, earth, stone, tile, metal, resin, glass, and fiber (membrane). In order for the visitors to feel the texture and smell the aroma of each material, we exhibited as many mock-ups and samples as could fit in the space.
One of the points we aimed to make was that we never finalize our experimentation within one project, but continue to develop our ideas in subsequent works, often by incorporating elements from our other line of works. We wanted to show our approach of expanding designs pluralistically like a growing tree.
We also tried to break away from a typical (clean and cerebral) architecture exhibition. We therefore expressed a messy space like a busy laboratory always full of things.
