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Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی by Yu Watanabe

Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی by Yu Watanabe is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award چاندی دا انعام in روشنی دیاں مصنوعات تے فکسچرز ڈیزائن Competition Category.


چاندیروشنی· 2024

Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی

by Yu Watanabe

Client: Yu Watanabe

A' Design Award چاندی دا انعام Winner in روشنی Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #154276

Colors

The Design

About Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی

جاپان وچ پائیدار طریقے نال حاصل تھیندڑے قدرتی رس کنوں، اُروشی لکر بانس تے لایا ویندا اے جیہڑا درختاں جئیں شکلاں دے درمیان اک ڈُب ویندڑی جگہ بݨاوندا اے۔ مغربی ثقافت دے اُلٹ، جتھاں لوک جگہ کنوں سائے ہٹاوندن، ایہ منصوبہ جان بُجھ کے سائیاں کوں جمالیاتی خوبصورتی دا حصہ بݨاوندا اے۔ اُروشی دے ستون اَنھیرے کمرے وچ موم بتی جئیں روشنی کوں عکس تھی سڳدن، اک چمکدار چمک جیہڑی اَنھیرے دی ڈونگھائی دا احساس دیندی اے۔ شکل تے روشنی دیاں انوکھیاں خاصیتاں روشنی دے عکساں تے سائیاں دی اک دلفریب کھیڈ بݨاوندیاں نیں جیہڑی قدرت کوں یاد دواوندڑی اک خُرد کائناتی جگہ کوں ابھاردی اے۔

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award چاندی دا انعام

Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی A' Design Award چاندی دا انعام دا جتݨ والا ہے، غیر معمولی حد تئیں معزز پچھاݨ جیڑھی اعلیٰ ترین درجے دے، شاندار تے متاثر کرݨ والے ڈیزائناں کوں ݙتی ویندی ہے۔ چاندی دے جتݨ والے بہوں روشن تے انتہائی تخلیقی کم ہن، جیڑھے اپݨے ڈیزائنراں دی شاندار مہارت، صلاحیت تے ذہانت کوں ظاہر کریندے ہن۔ Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی کنوں امید کیتی ویندی ہے جو او ہک شاندار نمائشی کم ہوسی، قابل ذکر حد تئیں پیشہ ورانہ تے گہری جدت والا۔ ایہ ڈیزائن جنہاں A' Design Award چاندی دا انعام جتیا ہے، ہک انتہائی قابل ذکر، سراہی ہوئی ایجاد ہے جیڑھی فائدہ ݙیندی ہے تے فن، سائنس، ڈیزائن تے ٹیکنالوجی دیاں حداں ودھیندی ہے۔ Radiance of Nature with Urushi روشنی ہک ایجھی تخلیق ہے جنہاں تے ڈھیر لوک حسد کریندے ہن، جیڑھی خواہشاں جگیندی ہے، مثبت جذبے آݨیندی ہے تے حیرت تے تعجب دی چنگاری بالیندی ہے۔

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/

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