Highlights from DESIGNART TOKYO 2024: Reframing

DESIGNART TOKYO, one of Japan’s largest design and art festivals, showcased a vibrant blend of design, art, interior design, fashion, and technology this fall. Held across multiple locations in Tokyo, a city renowned for its cultural diversity, the festival featured 117 exhibitions at 96 venues. Drawing approximately 227,000 visitors, it highlighted the dynamic intersection of creativity and innovation, cementing Tokyo's status as a global hub for artistic expression.

2024 Theme: Reframing–the Beginning of a Shift

The key visual for DESIGNART TOKYO 2024, inspired by this year’s theme “Reframing–the Beginning of a Shift,” is by the remarkable still-life photographer Masaki Ogawa, whose work appears in a variety of media and advertising.

'Reframing' highlights the importance of continuous experimentation and craftsmanship, as creators strive to shape new, inspiring works that could redefine social progress and everyday experiences. This forward-thinking approach aims to open fresh perspectives, offering both joy and stimulation that enrich daily life and lead to a more fulfilling future.

DESIGNART TOKYO 2024 served as a gateway to this new vision, encouraging visitors to believe in the potential of their own creativity and explore what lies beyond the 'ordinary.'

DESIGNART TOKYO Highlights

DESIGNART TOKYO 2024 OFFICIAL EXHIBITION | Reframing

With the spread of the Internet, we now have instant access to vast amounts of information. However, this easy access has also led to the commoditization of ideas that often feel like déjà vu—the news that scrolls through our timelines and the images that flood our screens. The main theme of DESIGNART TOKYO 2024, “Reframing: the beginning of a shift,” focused on creators who present new values by viewing things from fresh perspectives, unbound by conventional frameworks.

This official exhibition was a groundbreaking event that allowed visitors to experience “Reframing” through the work of around 18 creators, curated by four leading figures from diverse fields such as art, design, crafts, and technology.

Aqua Clara × HONOKA｜Trace of Water

'Trace of Water' was an exhibition focused on water bottle upcycling, created in collaboration between the top water server brand Aqua Clara and design lab HONOKA. Aqua Clara promotes bottle reuse to support a sustainable society, and together with HONOKA, they explored the potential of repurposing bottle materials.

100BANCH | Beings and Art / Nature and Design

Under the concept of "An Experimental District for Creating the Future," 100BANCH united over 330 projects led by young innovators under 35, all focused on creating long-lasting value for the next 100 years. The wide range of projects, spanning various genres and stages, allowed 100BANCH members to break free from conventional "norms." A vision emerged from these activities—one where the symbiotic relationship between nature and humanity deepens.

Yamaha｜Edo Piano

Pianos are said to have first arrived in Japan near the end of the Edo period, around the same time Torakusu Yamaha, the founder of Yamaha Corporation, was born. Since then, the shape of pianos has not changed much, and Yamaha, in business for 137 years, has continued to manufacture classic European-style pianos.

However, people in Japan enjoy experimenting to adapt and improve many aspects of their daily lives. Yamaha conducted a thought experiment on a hypothetical piano, imagining how it might have evolved solely to meet the needs of the common people in downtown Edo. What kind of music might have been played by the people living at that time?

&T | Flow and Movement

The embroidery art brand “&T,” launched in April 2024, was featured at DESIGNART TOKYO 2024, showcasing a spatial installation and collaborative works with contemporary Nihonga artist Hiroko Otake. Through these pieces, the brand reimagined material use by employing fabrics and threads upcycled from fishing nets, thereby deepening respect for the materials themselves and the concepts behind them. The installation aimed to question society by reflecting on the ideals and issues associated with technological advancement.

For this installation, the brand created works in which the embroidery emits light when touched, setting off a chain reaction. At the same time, numerous embroidered butterflies appear to flutter in front of the artwork, creating an immersive spatial experience.

While maintaining the beauty and material expression of traditional embroidery through TAJIMA’s craftsmanship, this work blends the identity and artistic expression of Otake, a contemporary artist working in the traditional Japanese painting method. By incorporating sensory experiences beyond the visual—such as the light emitted when touched—the work expands the possibilities of art. It is an experience to be enjoyed by both children and adults, engaging all five senses.

The First 130 | Furnitures in Space

This showcase featured a table, chair, and ceiling light uniquely constructed using the linear structure of 130. As the first furniture pieces by 130, they were composed solely of vertical and horizontal lines, presenting a primitive form that seemed to carve out space itself.

In this exhibition, the transformation of space into practical objects was presented, emphasizing the transition between utility and spatial art. The table featured a glass top, creating the only point of contact for users and highlighting the interaction between structure (space) and practical product. The furniture are made from PET, ensuring that 130's creations were monomaterial and could be 100% upcycled into new 130 products, allowing the original furniture to return to the spatial realm.

No.15｜DAFT about DRAFT

Inspired by free and elaborate ideas on par with fashion, DAFT about DRAFT conceived products to stay by people’s side throughout the long journey of life. At DESIGNART TOKYO 2024, DAFT about DRAFT unveiled a new chair design, "No.15," by Taiju Yamashita. No.15, the first new creation since the brand’s launch, combines a gracefully flowing, smooth wooden seat that molds comfortably to the body with delicate lines of the sleek frame, evoking both elegance and warmth.

At the flagship store in Omotesando, visitors had the opportunity to discover and experience the original "No.15" alongside the existing collection that debuted at Salone del Mobile Milano.

X-lab｜XX-Infinite form

Diamond-shaped wire mesh is usually used as a fence. Its structure is made up of wires that are independently intertwined, giving it unique properties as an iron material. This exhibition featured works that bring out the unique design and functionality of this material and suggested the possibility of it harmonizing with commercial facilities and interior spaces by elevating its expression.

IROCO DESIGN EXHIBITION

IROCO Design brought a multitude of brands to people in Japan. They showcased six brands: Brunner, True Design, Ondarreta, Green Furniture Concept, Pedrali and molo at the exhibition.

These brands were carefully chosen to bring design and sustainability into commercial, public and corporate spaces in Japan. Each brand's products are produced in Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Canada with the utmost attention to detail, quality control, design and sustainability in order to give all consumers happiness, safety and comfort.

NOMURA Co., Ltd｜Being - What if furniture had a life of its own?

Nomura is dedicated to creating spaces that enrich the heart. They are guided by their mission to 'Unleash the boundless creativity of our multitalented professionals, exploring the frontiers of spatial design.’

Through a series of experimental designs, this is a project that explored the relationship between people and objects. Nomura designs spaces and creates diverse productions. In doing so, they try to solve the question "How would we interact with furniture if they were transformed from simply 'being' to 'having life'?"

Panasonic Design | Aspect

Panasonic Design has consistently contributed to enhancing quality of life through various products and services. At DESIGNART TOKYO 2024, they presented "VISION UX," which envisions the future of living from various perspectives based on extensive research insights, aiming for a world where actions like caring for oneself, loved ones, and the Earth flourish.

About DESIGNART TOKYO

DESIGNART TOKYO began in 2017 as a design and art festival based on the theme “INTO THE EMOTIONS.” Eminent creatives from around the world converge in Tokyo, one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities, to hold various exhibitions across the city and in various genres, including interior design, art, fashion, technology, and food.

One of the major features of the event is one’s ability to enjoy numerous exhibitions while moving through the city and, should sparks fly, even buy pieces on the spot. The event has been known to be the catalyst of unforeseen chemical reactions between creative professionals in Japan and those hailing from abroad, who join up for new projects or otherwise launch their ambitions into the wider world.

With sustainability being the norm and questions arising about the responsibilities of the creator and those of the user, creative crafts and manufacturing will be a driving force that supports society into the future. To experience daily life enriched with long-lived designs and art—connections for such irreplaceable encounters and wonderment abound without borders when DESIGNART TOKYO turns the city into a veritable museum.

For updates on DESIGNART TOKYO 2025, stay tuned at https://designart.jp/.