Shiro Kuramata is the most refined and influential contemporary Japanese designer. His works reflect the fascinating ancient history of the Japanese decorative arts and the modern Japanese need for simplicity and structural purity that has had such an impact on the dogma “function before form”.
“The biggest problem is gravity. We have to think of a way of getting rid of it. My greatest wish is to feel free of gravity, free of all bonds. I want to float”. Kuramata permeates the purpose of his work with spirituality, creating lightweight furniture that seems to float in the air and play with light. Kuramata’s attempts to defy gravity are given formal expression in transparent materials such as glass, acrylic and metal meshes and in experimentation with incorporating light. Kuramata uses these materials to explore the bonds between lightness and gravity, between matter and non-matter.
Shiro Kuramata is the most refined and influential contemporary Japanese designer. His works reflect the fascinating ancient history of the Japanese decorative arts and the modern Japanese need for simplicity and structural purity that has had such an impact on the dogma “function before form”.
“The biggest problem is gravity. We have to think of a way of getting rid of it. My greatest wish is to feel free of gravity, free of all bonds. I want to float”. Kuramata permeates the purpose of his work with spirituality, creating lightweight furniture that seems to float in the air and play with light. Kuramata’s attempts to defy gravity are given formal expression in transparent materials such as glass, acrylic and metal meshes and in experimentation with incorporating light. Kuramata uses these materials to explore the bonds between lightness and gravity, between matter and non-matter.