Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui by Yu Watanabe

Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui by Yu Watanabe is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Kukui a me Lako Kukui Competition Category.

KalaKukui· 2024

Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui

by Yu Watanabe

Client: Yu Watanabe

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Kukui Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #154276

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Colors

The Design

About Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui

Mai ka wai lāʻau maoli i ʻohi mālama pono ʻia ma Iāpana mai, ua hoʻopili ʻia ka pena Urushi i ka ʻohe e hana ai i wahi hoʻokomo ma waena o nā hiʻohiʻona e like ana me nā lāʻau. ʻAʻole like me ka moʻomeheu Komohana kahi e wehe ai nā kānaka i nā aka, hana kēia papahana i nā aka he ʻāpana ia o ka nani. Hiki i nā kia Urushi ke hoʻokulakulaʻi i ka mālamalama e like me ka ihoiho ma ka lumi pōuliuli, e hāʻawi ana i kekahi liko mālamalama e hōʻike ana i ka hohonu o ka pōuliuli. Hana nā ʻano kūikawā o ke ʻano a me ka mālamalama i kekahi paʻani hoihoi o nā kulakulaʻi a me nā aka, e hoʻāla ana i wahi liʻiliʻi kosmika e hoʻomanaʻo ana i ke kumu.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Radiance of Nature with Urushi Kukui e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Urushi lacquer is produced from natural sap sustainably harvested in Japan. Unfortunately, the traditional craft of Urushi is in decline due to the emergence of alternative materials. This project aims to revitalise this craft and create a space that connects people with nature. Urushi also has qualities that reflect even the smallest light. Through the arrangement of tree-like shapes, the play of light and shadows can immerse people in a microcosmic space reminiscent of nature.
Dimensions & Packaging: The object consists of 16 cylindrical lights. Diameter: 11 cm to 14 cm. It comes in four sizes: size S 60 cm, size M 90 cm, size L 128 cm, and size XL 167 cm.
Urushi lacquer is applied on the bamboo by hand by Urushi craftsmen.
The bamboo is cut by artisans who cut the bamboo vertically, revealing the cut section on a dare.
Tags: Lighting, Sustainable, Traditional, Revitalising, Cultural, Meditative, Darkness, Space, Installation, Product,
Production Technology: Urushi is extracted from trees in small amounts, applied to natural materials such as bamboo. Although highly durable, Urushi products can be returned to nature when disposed of breaking down naturally under UV light. Crafted by hand by skilled artisans, each product is created in respect of the slow, yet continuous production of natural material. This circular design has the potential to restore the relationship between nature and people contrasting the modern reliance on single-use plastics.
Design Challenge: Why can’t everyday objects also be an opportunity for people to connect with nature? Urushi, a fully repairable, biodegradable, and naturally produced lacquer, allows people to create products embodying the cycle of nature. This ancient Japanese craft founded in principles of sustainability is revitalized through a modern design in this project
Research: Design research was conducted through hands-on experiments, thesis research, and collaboration with experts such as craftsmen, harvesters, and product designers. Hands-on experiments involved experimenting with more than 20 natural materials in combination with lacquer, while on the theoretical side, we investigated the relationship between how traditional Japanese lighting and space are perceived, and the relationship between Japanese gardens, modernism, and minimalism.
Inspiration: Unlike the West, where people often remove shadows from space, the Japanese embrace shadows as a part of aesthetic beauty. In Junichiro Tanizaki's In Praise of Shadows, he mentions the true value of lacquerware is that it reflects a candle-like light in a dark room, giving off a luminous glow that gives a sense of the depth of darkness and invites one into a meditative space. Through this project, Urushi is used to reflect a small flickering light while embracing shadows.
Project Duration: The project started in August 2022 in London and Japan, and finished in June 2023 in London, and was exhibited in Saint Central Martins in London.
Operation Flow: Through the arrangement of tree-like shapes, the project seeks to evoke a sense of being in a forest. The play of light and shadows allows viewers to immerse themselves in a microcosmic space reminiscent of nature. This project not only explores the fascination of materials but also encourages the viewer to look at the materials through the lense of their backgrounds, narratives and connections with nature.
Image Credits: ALL Images: Yu Watanabe, 2023
Sound in Video: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Ambiment, Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/