At the Escorte Aoyama Building, one of the official venues of the DESIGNART, DESIGNART GALLERY presented the works by notable creators from Japan and abroad. The space was designed by Atsushi Shindo, who was a designer selected for the “UNDER 30” program, which focused on creators under the age of 30 in 2021. The installation, which reused acrylic panels that were no longer needed after being consumed in large quantities by the Covid-19 disaster, decorated a space of approximately 500 square meters.

“DESIGNART GALLERY” (Escorte Aoyama Building) © USAMIRYO

In the existing collection of Ambientec, a Japanese portable lighting manufacturer, new products that were presented at the Milano Salone last April were unveiled for the first time in Japan. A glass balloon lantern made in Murano Island by designer Satoshi Itasaka, who created the main space of the World Kita-Aoyama Building last year, was also presented. This new work was also exhibited for the first time in Japan. WASARA, which produces eco-friendly paper tableware made from bamboo and sugarcane, collaborated with Maruni, one of Japan’s leading interior manufacturers, to reveal an upcycle-themed artwork.

Akira Hojo “+GRAVITY” + Ryoma Maeda “Design in the sense of phenomenon” (Tiers Gallery) © Nacása & Partners

The Tiers Gallery designed by Hikalu Tanabe, introduced four young creators included in the “UNDER 30” section. An installation highlighted lighting and leather shoes by two designers Akira Hojo and Ryoma Maeda. Gravity was set as the common theme, emphasizing lighting as a tool of gravity for function, and leather shoes utilizing gravity for design. Their contrasts were manifested in the installation.

Nyokki “hoop being” (SEIBU Shibuya MOVIDA) © Nacása & Partners

At a special venue on the 7th floor of the SEIBU Shibuya MOVIDA, an exhibition space centered around several groups of young creators. Nyokki‘s “hoop being” consisted of Haruka Mitani, Yuki Yawata and Daisuke Kakinoki, staging furniture as a kinetic object that unravels and emerges in relation to humans. The cushion material was made of recycled futon. PHAT a design group formed by four graduates of Kobe Design University, explored surplus materials – a world of mass production and consumption, and unused items that were discarded to discover their new value as interior pieces.