Artist Research: Naoto Fukasawa
Naoto Fukasawa focuses on the simplicity of products and uses almost exclusively organic forms for his designs, his aim is to create calming object. The forms are a perfect base to build on top of, which is why his designs could inspire my own product, for example the cup below.
The 'Kuru Kuru' cup is made from stainless steel with a glossy finish, the shape of the cup makes it easy and comfortable to hold without a handle. "A good design is something that you can use easily and intuitively without even realising it and without a need to learn to use it or change one’s habit for it." (Subhod, 2021). The shape reminds me of one of the species of fungi that I want to use for my designs, the dryad's saddle. Without a handle, I wonder if the heat from a warm beverage would make it impossible to hold until the metal has cooled off enough, by that time your drink would be cold. Stainless steel will keep your drink warm for longer, but without a protective outer layer, it might burn your hands.
Another shape that caught my eye that of the 'Fukasawa Humidier', which is completely smooth on the outside as all the functionalities are on the inside. This made me think of the idea to put designs on the inside of a cup, instead of only on the outside. The humidifier is as quiet as it looks, adding to Fukasawa’s goal to create quiet and peaceful spaces with his designs. It is made completely from polycarbonate plastic, with a basin on the inside that can be filled with water so the vapour can come through the hole at the top. It even comes with an aroma pot that can be filled with essential oils to add a scent to the vapour.
All of Fukasawa's designs are heavily simplified, another example of this is the 'Twelve' watch. "This seemingly effortless design makes the watch standout like an exclamation on a page." (Weiss, 2011).
The lack of detail on the outside of products gives a calming effect while simultaneously being extremely eye catching, a returning theme in Fukasawa's designs.
I would like to add more detail to my own designs for my project, however, every product starts with a base. The organic shapes and forms that Fukasawa uses are a great inspiration for the base of my own designs. Fukasawa's designs are inspired by nature, linking itself to the primitivism theme. Similar to Fukasawa, I would like for my final outcome to remind the user of a certain feeling. "Often he imbues his designs with visual or tactile clues to trigger memories of other objects." (Rawsthorn, 2007). Instead of the memories of an object, I would like my final outcome to convey the feeling of a calming forest at night, especially the details closer to the forest floor. Something someone might not notice at a first glance.
This design is inspired by Fukasawa’s humidifier. I wanted to make at least one design without texture, that is completely smooth with a pattern on the inside. The soft hourglass shape is the main focus of this design, which will hopefully still make it comfortable to hold once I have made its 3D outcome.
References:
Subhod, M. (2021). Naoto Fukusawa: Ideology and Philosophy. [online] RTF | Rethinking The Future. Available at: https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/know-your-architects/a4740-naoto-fukasawa-ideology-and-philosophy/ [Accessed 17 Apr. 2024].
Weiss, Z. (2011). Naoto Fukasawa’s Twelve Watch. [online] Worn & Wound. Available at: https://wornandwound.com/naoto-fukasawas-twelve/ [Accessed 17 Apr. 2024].
Rawsthorn, A. (2007). Naoto Fukasawa: Intuiting function from form. The New York Times. [online] 10 Jun. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/08/style/08iht-design11.1.6062009.html [Accessed 17 Apr. 2024].
This is okay but there is not a lot of information on the designs or the materials used here when I checked the humidifier there are drawing with how this worked which were more interesting look at these in more depth and add more detail
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