why:
To securely connect Japan's present leading wood industry to the future.
To securely connect Japan's present leading wood industry to the future.
The craftsmanship of shipwright technology that supported the "Awahan" naval forces of Tokushima Prefecture was handed down from the Edo period. This technology developed from the Meiji to the Showa period as a major production area for box furniture that mainly focused on chest drawers, mirrors, and altars. However, Japan's traditional industrial value of production had fallen to 1/5 in the past 40 years. Tokushima's wood industry has been declining year by year, due to changes in modern lifestyle. Along with the rise of cheaper overseas products, Japan's leading box furniture production drove into prosperity. Where the wood industry was going out of business, we questioned what kind of design could revive the industry to create new opportunities for highly skilled carpenters of Tokushima.
Changes in production value of
traditional craft industry.
how:
Produced a wooden LED plant factory unit of multiple combinations.
As the first production place of blue LEDs, related companies still concentrate in Tokushima, as well as woodworking technology. We developed an indoor plant factory unit using domestic wood, “LECO.” Shelf-shaped LECO has electric wiring and a water device passing through the horizontal plates of the shelf, suitable for vegetable cultivation in offices and plant cultivation in the house, expected to be in demand in the future. As the domestic furniture market is shrinking, we aimed to recombine and regenerate the industries technologies by deploying woodwork in a different field from furniture.
now:
Although highly appreciated, the original purpose still needs to be reached.
The LECO prototype, which proposed to connect the two Tokushima industries of LED and woodwork technologies, resulted with good reputations. However, at the same time, we realized a single product for the production areas in crisis could not solve everything. Our purpose is to create new markets, movements, and relationships through branding and communication strategies, to save as many artisans and production areas as possible. These designs were a part of a series of projects NOSIGNER and Eisuke Tachikawa worked on, as a traditional industrial producer in Tokushima prefecture from 2007 to 2009. This series brought about valuable experiences that would determine our future missions.
LEDと木工という2つの徳島の産業をデザインで結びつける提案を行ったLECOのプロトタイプは、各所で評判を得ることができましたが、同時に危機的な状況にある産地には、ひとつのプロダクトをデザインするだけでは到底太刀打ちできないほど強い逆風が吹いていることを改めて実感しました。私たちの目的は、そのデザインが高く評価されることではなく、ブランディングやコミュニケーション戦略などを通じて新たな市場やムーブメント、関係性をつくり、少しでも多くの職人や産地を救うことです。NOSIGNER・太刀川が徳島県の伝統産業プロデューサーとして2007年から2009年までに手がけた一連のプロジェクトは、その後の私たちのミッションを決定づける重要な経験となりました。
what:
LECO
when:
2011
where:
Tokushima, Japan
who:
Product Design
Eisuke Tachikawa (NOSIGNER)
Manufacturer
Photo
Masaharu Hatta
Related Projects:
MAG CONTAINER