The “United Notions Collaborative Exhibition ‘17” was held at the New Space Moscow in Moscow. It is an exhibition that invited 20 design studios from all over the world to make a total of 40 artworks to further understanding of cultural practices specific to each culture.
Chosen from Japan, we teamed up with a studio based in Italy, Studio Mut, and each exchanged one word.
We chose “Mt. Fuji” as the word to represent Japan and we made an artwork (left) that makes use of blank space, which is a design language that represents Japanese notions of beauty. At the artworks botttom left:
“Mt. Fuji is a symbol of the Japanese spirit. Its gently rising form symbolizes the deep respect that Japanese people have for nature. And in the background, the sun shines brightly.”
We portrayed the shape of Mt. Fuji and its magnificence, and also the deep respect that the Japanese have for Mt. Fuji, by a simple gentle arc.
The word that the Italian design studio, Studio Mut, chose was Menefreghismo. This means “apathetic” in Italian, a notion represented by a design (right) that portrays retreat into oneself and closure to the outside world. At the artworks botttom left:
“Menefreghismo is an Italian word that means ‘indifference.’ No respect for rules or morality. Apathy toward one's surroundings. The egoistic tendency of not being interested.”
Each artwork was made by an artisan and a limited edition of one copy. It was then exhibited and sold.
