Washi Futurism Book & App are available now!
The limited edition of the book including a corresponding AR application for Iphone can be purchased at NAI book store (ground floor Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam) or directly from us.
Pricing
Book store: EUR 78.- (incl. VAT excl. shipping)
Direct order: EUR 70.- (incl. VAT excl. shipping)
This project was initiated by two NL-based design duos, Cream on Chrome (Jonas Althaus and Martina Huynh) and Craft Portrait (Pauline Agustoni and Satomi Minoshima).
In the summer of 2023, the designers spent two months in Misumi, Japan, to learn from and collaborate with papermakers So Kubota and Masaru Nishita. Both are young successors of family businesses focused on the production of Sekishu Washi, a process designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
The team behind “Washi Futurism” has set itself the goal of imparting the valuable knowledge behind this craft through experimental publishing.
Washi Futurism is an essential reference book for creative professionals who like to inform their choices by a material’s origin story and cultural context.
Behaving neither quite like regular paper, nor like textile, Sekishu Washi bears fascinating properties. Its versatility is demonstrated through fourteen high end paper samples produced by ateliers in Misumi, highlighting their specific qualities and common usages.
In five interviews, different generations of papermakers reflect on skills, tradition, changing times, the long path of learning and what the craft means to them.
While in Japan, we were surrounded by examples of how Sekishu Washi is used in art, design and architecture. A selection of these findings are paired with practical instructions, since we very much recommend exploring this paper in a hands-on fashion.
In order to bring across the diverse facets of the craft, this sample book is of hybrid nature: Some pages are equipped with visual triggers for readers to scan using an Augmented Reality app for mobile phones, which will reveal their digital layer: Essays and photographs are elevated through audiovisual elements, such as immersive 360º image series that allow the reader to e.g. “step inside” the paper workshops.
Location: Gallery 3, third floor of Nieuwe Instituut, Museumpark 25, 3015 CB Rotterdam
Opening times: September 13 – November 20. Fr – Wed 10-17:00. Thu 10-21:00.
Admission: Free
Events and Special Dates:
So Kubota is the 3rd generation artisan leading Sekishu Washi Kubota. After working in a sake brewery, he felt a strong sense of responsibility for taking over his family business. With his humorous and open-minded personality, So has a fondness for experimentation and collaboration.
Masaru Nishita is the 8th generation successor of Nishita Washi Kobo. After graduating from university, he decided to work at his family’s workshop to ensure that the craft lives on. A dedicated papermaker, Masaru has a calm and focused way of reflecting about the essence of the craft.
Craft Portrait is the joint project of designers Satomi Minoshima (JP) and Pauline Agustoni (CH). The series of projects is dedicated to unveiling contemporary crafts and rethinking the narratives surrounding them. Based in Eindhoven and Berlin, the designers work directly with artisans of a given craft in order to understand a topic “from the inside out” to draw a thorough portrait of the craft.
Cream on Chrome is a socially-engaged experience design studio, founded by Jonas Althaus (DE) and Martina Huynh (CH). Working for academic and cultural institutions, the Rotterdam-based duo designs multimedia exhibitions and interactive spaces that bring social questions closer to a general public. As artists in residence, Cream on Chrome visited Sekishu Washi artisans in Misumi in 2019 and formed a lasting collaboration.
Book Launch & Exhibition Preview
Thursday 12th September, 18:00-19:30, Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam, Room 1
Exhibition Opening & Speech
Friday 13th September from 18:00 Auditorium at Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam
Guided Tours
Sa 14.09. & So 15.09. from 15:00
Meeting at F1, bookshop of Nieuwe Instituut
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