‘Rain’ (2024), Design: Hideki Yoshimoto, Production: Ryumon-yaki, Owl Craft, Photo © Jun Sugawara.
Artist talkThursday 12 September 2024
6:00pm – 7:00pm
New Horizons for Japanese Traditional Crafts
Drinks reception: 7:00pm – 8:00pm
13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle (entrance facing Regent's Park), London NW1 4QP
Organised by the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
Fully bookedJapanese traditional crafts have a rich history and utilise a wide variety of beautiful materials and techniques. But many Japanese people still perceive traditional crafts as a mere expression of the “classical” culture featured in social studies textbooks, overlooking their contemporary richness and diversity.
Inspired by his visit to a lacquerware workshop in Tohoku where he discovered extraordinary creativity as well as craftmanship, Dr Hideki Yoshimoto, a designer and engineer by profession, has been exploring the intersection of traditional craft and contemporary technology.
In this talk moderated by Corinne Julius, Dr Yoshimoto shared his perceptions of the current situation for traditional crafts in Tohoku. He then presented his Craft x Tech initiative which explores new horizons for traditional crafts by integrating them with contemporary design and technology, along with unique artworks produced through collaborations between Tohoku’s master craftsmen, artists and designers.
The Craft x Tech Tohoku Project will be featured at the V&A’s Prince Consort Gallery from 14th of September to 13th of October, including artworks by Dr Yoshimoto. Please visit here to learn more.
DR HIDEKI YOSHIMOTO’S PRESENTATION
About the contributors
Dr Hideki Yoshimoto
Dr Hideki Yoshimoto is Designer, Creative Director, and Project Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST). Born in Japan in 1985, Yoshimoto earned an MSc degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the University of Tokyo in 2010 and concluded his doctoral studies in Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art in 2016, concurrently founding the acclaimed design studio Tangent in London. In 2020, he co-founded the Advanced Art Design Lab at RCAST, the University of Tokyo. Yoshimoto specializes in the harmonious integration of design and engineering, crafting an array of innovative designs and concepts for globally renowned luxury brands. He is Founder and Creative Director of the international initiative Craft x Tech.
Corinne Julius (moderator)
Corinne Julius is a freelance journalist, critic and curator, with a special interest in contemporary craft and design. She has worked as a reporter and producer on BBC Radio’s Woman’s Hour, made features for Radio 4 and contributes to the Arts programme, Front Row. She has written regularly for the Evening Standard and magazines including, House and Garden, Selvedge and Ceramic Review. Corinne has been a judge for many applied arts and design awards and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art in 2008 for services to design and craft.
Corinne is the founder-curator of one of the country’s major contemporary craft shows, Future Heritage now in its 10th year. Hideki Yoshimoto was a participant in 2016. Her curation includes, Silver Speaks: Idea to Object an exhibition of contemporary British silver at the V&A and the contemporary jewellery shows Bloomin’ Jewels, and Memories Are made Of This.