14 SEPTEMBER – 13 OCTOBER 2024
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Prince Consort Gallery
Craft x Tech, the cultural project promoted by Hideki Yoshimoto, founder of the engineering design studio Tangent, and curated by Maria Cristina Didero, showcases the transformative power of collaborative craftsmanship and cutting-edge art and design, bringing together six craft districts from Japan’s Tohoku region with internationally renowned creators including Sabine Marcelis, Studio SWINE, Ini Archibong, Yoichi Ochiai, Michael Young and Hideki Yoshimoto
London, 27 August 2024: This September, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, will host the cultural project Craft x Tech, as part of the prestigious London Design Festival within the beautiful premises of the Prince Consort Gallery. The exhibition will remain open until Sunday 13 October 2024.
Following its successful Tokyo debut at Kudan House in May and fresh off winning the Best Curio Presentation Award at Design Miami.Basel in June, the 2024 edition of Craft x Tech showcases a series of groundbreaking collaborations between six renowned international creators and master artisans from the Tohoku region of Japan.
This innovative project, spearheaded by Hideki Yoshimoto, founder of the engineering design studio Tangent, and curated by Milan-based independent curator and author Maria Cristina Didero, Craft x Tech brings together traditional craftsmanship and modern design, creating unique pieces that redefine the boundaries of creativity, celebrating cultural exchange and merging traditional craftsmanship with cutting edge technology.
Craft x Tech features an array of collaborations with distinguished creators from around the globe including:
- Sabine Marcelis partnering with artisans from the Akita prefecture on the creation of traditional lacquered pieces
- Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves of Studio SWINE reinterpreting the production of traditional Sendai-Tansu chests, originally crafted for samurai and merchants in the city of Sendai, in the Miyagi prefecture, and applying this to furniture
- Ini Archibong collaborating with Aomori artisans using the traditional Tsugari-Nuri lacquerware
- Yoichi Ochiai exploring the Oitama Tsumugi textile tradition from Yamagata
- Michael Young working on the ironware technique of Iwate prefecture’s Nambu-Tekki artisans
- Hideki Yoshimoto collaborating with Aizu Hongo Yaki artisans, the oldest type of pottery in the Tohoku region
Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis, who collaborates with Akita artisans, presents Yōkan, a series consisting of two tables and a wall-mounted piece. These objects, all exquisitely lacquered in the traditional Kawatsura Shikki style, explore the interplay of light and materiality. Each piece is crafted with a singular feature that manipulates light on its surface, inviting viewers to explore from every angle. The minimalist design, highlighted by a single twist or inverted slice, draws attention to the exquisite lacquerware.
| Sabine Marcelis in the Kawatsura Shikki workshop and Yōkan, the collection realised for Craft x Tech |
Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves of interdisciplinary design practice Studio SWINE, reinterpret the traditional Sendai-Tansu stately chest, originally crafted for samurais or merchants, with their piece Metropolis I. This new Tansu design combines graphical, flat patterns inspired by Ukiyo-e (Japanese block) prints and the dynamic geometry of 1960s Metabolism architecture. The result is a playful yet systematic ‘functional decoration’ that blends traditional cabinet-making with radical architectural movements.
| Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami, Founders of Studio SWINE, pictures in one of the traditional Tansu workshops and Metropolis I, the cabinet realised for Craft x Tech |
Designer Ini Archibong collaborates with Aomori artisans to celebrate Tsugaru-Nuri lacquerware through his sound-emitting sculpture, Artifact #VII. Described by Archibong as ‘the world’s oldest sound-emitting organic technology created using ancient alien skills’, this piece represents a unique fusion of cultural heritage and futuristic design, commissioned by a high priest on behalf of the children of the diaspora.
| Ini Archibong in a workshop of Aomori artisans and Artifact #VII, the piece realised for Craft x Tech |
Japanese artist Yoichi Ochiai explores the Oitama-Tsumugi textile traditionfrom Yamagata with his architectural piece Null-Beni-An / Nouvelle Néant.Yoichi’s piece is a tea room with a Tensegrity structure that balances thread tension using the Oitama Tsumugi silk, an elegant silk fabric realised through the labour-intensive dyeing technique before weaving and plain weaving. At its centre, natural wood sourced from the prefecture of Yamagata serves as an element in place of a kake-Jiku (hanging scroll). The tea room is dyed a unique crimson with regions of Safflower, the symbolic flower of Yamagata, and can be folded into a compact size, allowing it to travel.
| Yoichi Ochiai in the textile workshop of Oitama and Null-Beni-An / Nouvelle Néant, the tea ceremony piece realised for Craft x Tech |
Hong Kong-based designer Michael Young revitalises ancient ironware techniques of Iwate’s Nambu-Tekki artisans with his modular piece Blossom Links. This collection of tables and wall-mounted pieces is constructed from identical iron modules adorned with cherry blossoms and geometric patterns that are 3D-printed. Using modern technology and precise calculations, Young revisits his earlier modularity studies, exploring functional structures within mathematical limitations.
Finally, Hideki Yoshimoto pushes the boundaries of pottery with Aizu Hongo Yaki artisans in the design of his lighting piece, Rain. This floor lamp incorporates the oldest pottery skill of Tohoku, embedded into a monolithic structure. The large ceramic slate, fired with a glaze evoking falling rain, is scanned and converted into digital data to precisely cut resin and metal materials, achieving a seamless integration of handmade ceramics, which shrink and wrap during firing, with modern materials.
Maria Cristina Didero, the curator of Craft x Tech, remarks: “This project is a testament to the limitless possibilities that arise when traditional craftsmanship meets modern technology. We are thrilled to bring this visionary initiative to the Victoria & Albert Museum, following its debut in Tokyo, Japan, in May and the award-winning exhibition at Design Miami.Basel in June, and to share these unique creations with the world during the London Design Festival.”
Hideki Yoshimoto adds: “Craft x Tech is more than an exhibition, it’s a celebration of cultural collaboration and innovation. By showcasing these exceptional works, we hope to inspire new dialogues and creative expressions within the design community and beyond.”
Each collaboration in Craft x Tech produces stunning works of art, fostering a deep cultural exchange and mutual respect, pushing the boundaries of creativity and craftsmanship.
Craft x Tech will be on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Prince Consort Gallery throughout the London Design Festival, offering a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the fusion of tradition and innovation firsthand. This exhibition not only highlights the artistry of the participating designers and artisans but also underscores the transformative power of combining ancient techniques with contemporary design.
On the occasion of the London Design Festival, the team behind Craft x Tech will announce the roster of six international creators who have been invited to participate in the next edition of the project.
Craft x Tech at Victoria & Albert Museum
Prince Consort Gallery
14 September – 13 October 2024
V&A South Kensington
Cromwell Road
London, SW7 2RL
V&A Opening Hours
Daily, 10:00 to 17:45
Free admission
ABOUT THE VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM
The V&A is a family of museums dedicated to the power of creativity. Our mission is to champion design and creativity in all its forms, advance cultural knowledge, and inspire makers, creators and innovators everywhere. We share a 5,000 year old story of creativity through exhibitions, events, educational programmes, digital experiences, conservation, research and an ever-evolving national collection of over 2.8 million objects spanning every creative discipline.
ABOUT THE LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL
Established in 2003 by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Ben Evans CBE, the London Design Festival celebrates and promotes London as the design capital of the world. London Design Festival has since earned the reputation as a key calendar moment of London’s autumn creative season, alongside London Fashion Week, Frieze Art Fair and the London Film Festival, attracting the greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to the capital, in a citywide celebration.
