Articles
Series: Lines of Support for Things and People #16: Shiro Kuramata as a Poet
PROFILE
Mai Tsuno / Design Writer
After graduating from Keio University, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, she worked for a manufacturer before serving as an assistant to design engineer, Shunji Yamanaka, from 2012 to 2016. Following a one-year stay in Scotland, she is currently working as a freelance writer.
While searching for a means of expression to convey what should be conveyed without hesitation, she has been writing for media such as "Nikkei Design," as well as organizing exhibitions and copywriting.
Her main work includes curating the 70th anniversary exhibition of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science, "Potentialities: Exibition for a Possible Future" (National Art Center, 2018), and writing texts for the "Insects: Models for Design" (21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, 2019).
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When I try to write about the designer Shiro Kuramata, I feel a certain sense of embarrassment. Probably because my feelings for him are akin to a secret crush that I want to keep hidden.
The playful innocence that can be seen in his meticulous yet bold design. Delicate humor. A tinge of cheesy romanticism. And above all, the unabating allure of his poetic side, existing alongside his designer persona who crafts beautiful things, even after more than 30 years since his passing.
"It's similar to the fear of having your time consumed when you see something beautiful." (From the venue text, 「連載 色の空間8」, "Interior" No. 217, April 1977) I feel these words that he wrote exactly in his works.
From 2023, for about two months, the "Shiro Kuramata's Design - A Microcosmos of Memory" exhibition was held at the Setagaya Art Museum. In addition to Kuramata's furniture and interior work, his image sketches, letters, book collection, records, and even dream diary were made public, and his own words were displayed all over the venue.
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