Nomadic Life

Research/ Household objects
2016

Materials:
Wood, leather, copper, stone, textile, natural fibers.

Project:
Kyoto Institute of Technology
JICA
CONACYT

Exhibition: 
Tokyo Design Week 2016 - Jp
Milan Design Week 2017 - It
Milano in Messico, Galería Mexicana de Diseño 2017 - CDMX

Photography:
Gerardo Sandoval Osio

Production:
Mr. Mori, Washitaka, carpentry
Mr. Miyake, Kurashiki Gozaya, tatami
Shuichi Kato, Platz, zen cushion
Mr. Asano, Heian Bijou, metalware
Mr. Kondo, Shakudani Natural Stone
Shuhei Hasegawa, Hasegawa Dairiseki, stonework


Acknowledgments:
Sensei Kentaro Yamamoto, KIT
Sensei Yoshito Nakano, KIT

Home is a place where we develop our most essential activities such as eating and resting. It is also a space where we have a reconnection with ourselves, away from all distractions of everyday life. Nowadays people travel a lot from one place to another because of work, making a nomadic lifestyle a reality for a lot of people. This kind of lifestyle creates a tendency of losing the sense of belonging to a place.

Nomadic Life is a selection of objects, inspired by Japanese culture and traditional crafts, that can be carried from a living place to another, making it easy to create a familiar space anywhere. This project aims to make a statement of how Japanese culture and traditional crafts can solve the problems of shrinking living spaces and nomadic lifestyle by bringing their simplicity, practicability and essence of their two main religious philosophies (Buddhism and Shinto) to these contemporary living phenomena.

Nomadic Life has the purpose to create a space with simple objects that reminds us to home. It is easy to see these objects getting old because of the natural materials which are made from, copper, wood, leather, straw, cotton and stone; this objects can tell a story as time goes by, creating a sense of belonging when they are used. This project is also inspired by Buddhist and Shinto religions, taking from them the essentials for wellbeing; simplicity, appreciation for the impermanent and the reconnection with nature.

Created in collaboration with six different Japanese traditional craft workshops, all the objects are hand made by the craftsmen in Kyoto, Fukui and Okayama.