DESIGN Koishikawa
An exhibition is not merely only an occasion to showcase products, but also has an important role of connecting people and prompting communal exchanges to create a new culture.
The office building Ashizawa encountered was over 50 years old, and more than half of the tenants had moved out of the building, with demolition set to take place in two years due to redevelopment of the area. However, he saw potential in the concrete skeleton space, which was bathed in natural light coming in from three sides. He signed a short-term lease agreement to utilise the building in an attempt to design the future from a vanishing place and named it 'DESIGN KOISHIKAWA'. It had a gallery where artists and designers from all over the world could hold events, exhibitions and workshops, with a 'TAIYOU no SHITA' shop selling furniture and lifestyle-related items. In addition, the space could also be used as a marketplace, providing a venue for ‘B.U.D’, a plant shop specialising in epiphytic orchids, ‘PLAIN COMPANY’, which sells carefully selected foodstuffs, and a weekend market by local shopkeepers and a summer festival. The annexe of the office was also converted into a guesthouse, which welcomed artists and designers from all over the world, similar to an artist residency project. While developing the space in various ways, Ashizawa himself organised events: 'HIGHLIGHT' in 2016, 'GRAVITY' in 2017 and 'Architect meets karimoku' in 2018. For 'HIGHLIGHT' Ashizawa curated works by designers and artists who are truly highlights of our time, exhibiting art and products that encompass a message that sets them apart from the mass consumer society. Furthermore, during Tokyo Design Week, the fusion of Koishikawa with avant-garde design, 'TAI YOU no SHITA' and shops in the town of Koishikawa, connecting to an exhibition involving the Ishinomaki Laboratory showroom, showed a development that could be described as Tokyo's 'HIGHLIGHT'. 'GRAVITY' was co-organised with Anthony Moore, known for his work with Pink Floyd and his achievements as Professor of Art and Media Sciences at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. 'Gravity waves' was the theme of the sound installation and an exhibition of light gravity-inspired products by seven designers. 'Architect meets karimoku' was organised by Keiji Ashizawa, TORAFU ARCHITECTS and NORM ARCHITECTS, derived from the theme: ‘thinking about the furniture from the point of view of the space’. With Japan's largest wooden furniture manufacturer Karimoku as a partner, the project explored the nature of space and furniture design. It was an experimental attempt not only to create works for exhibition but also to use processes and dialogues with a view to establishing a production and sales system. DESIGN KOISHIKAWA, while developing in various ways, brought the curtain down on two years of activity in 2018. We feel that our approach to designing the future from a vanishing place has, while providing new opportunities, recorded results that have exceeded our expectations.