ATELIER MUJI GINZA will be holding the "Rethinking Anonymous Design - When Names Disappear" exhibition in Gallery 1 from October 23, 2020 to March 14, 2021.
©ATELIER MUJI GINZA 2020
"Anonymous design" is generally spoken of in reference to the anonymity of everyday mass-produced items, the ignorance of their creators. In Japan, the term became widely known when product designer Sori Yanagi first spoke about it at the World Design Conference held in 1960. He later wrote:
"Soon after the word 'design' became widespread, everyone was talking about it, and designers were all the rage, the term 'anonymous design' emerged as a counter-argument to this, recognizing that there was also design that did not involve designers. (...)" *First published in 'MUJI Books', Libroport 1988
This term has thrown a wrench into a society saturated with 'design', and even today it occasionally reminds us to return to our roots.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1960 World Design Congress. ATELIER MUJI GINZA Gallery 1 will be holding an exhibition that reconsiders 'anonymous design'.
Gallery 1 has previously held three exhibitions using parts of the vast and valuable modern design collection of Fukuoka interior designer Keiji Nagai. Nagai has repeatedly spoken of his pride in his own collection: "I have never coveted an item because of the name of a designer or brand, or because of its historical significance." While the majority of the pieces in the "Nagai Collection" bear the designer's signature, what they all share is a simple, unassuming expression and form that refrains from making any loud statements. Perhaps this unique "Anonymous Design Collection" was forged solely through Nagai's own aesthetic sensibility, detached from the information surrounding the objects. We believe that exceptional "Anonymous" pieces are born precisely because of the involvement of outstanding designers.
This exhibition will feature approximately 100 high-quality pieces from the "Nagai Collection" from the 20th century, both famous and unknown, selected from this perspective. The exhibits are arranged side by side, without any indication of the date, artist, or manufacturer. How does our relationship with objects change when names disappear and we view their function and form with an unconscious eye? From here, why not once again consider the gap between "anonymous design" and "design"?
ATELIER MUJI GINZA
About the Nagai Keiji Collection
The exhibits in Gallery 1 are part of the vast collection of postwar modern design that interior designer Nagai Keiji has collected from all over the world over the past 50 years, using his own eyes, hands, and feet. Nagai was born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture in 1948. In 1982, he established his own studio, K&Design Associates.
[Related Events]
This year marks 60 years since the term "anonymous design" first came to be spoken of in Japan. How has our relationship with objects, design, and ourselves changed since then? During the exhibition, design talks will be held by contemporary creators.
Online DesignTalk
■What is "normal"?
Date and Time | Wednesday, November 4th, 19:00-20:00
Speaker | Naoto Fukasawa (Product Designer)
■Our Anonymous Design
Date and Time | Thursday, November 19th, 19:00-20:00
Speakers | Kumano Wataru (Product Designer), Yoshida Moritaka (Product Designer)
Interviewer | Tashiro Kaoru (Exhibition Curator)
*Details will be announced on the ATELIER MUJI GINZA official website and on social media as soon as they are decided.
*In the event that the event is cancelled or the content changes due to various circumstances, we will announce it on the official website and on social media.
[Basic information]
Rethinking Anonymous Design - When Names Disappear
Period | Friday, October 23, 2020 - Sunday, March 14, 2021
Time | 10:00 - 21:00 (Opening hours and closing times follow the store)
*Due to scheduled changes in the period and time, or due to events, there may be times when some of the exhibits are unavailable for viewing.
Venue | MUJI Ginza 6F ATELIER MUJI GINZA Gallery 1 Free admission
Organizer | MUJI
Cooperation | Nagai Keiji Space design | Kumano Wataru Graphic design | Higashikawa Yuko Construction | HIGURE 17-15 cas
Planning and management | Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., Lifestyle Goods Department, Planning and Design, MUJI Ginza ATELIER MUJI GINZA
ATELIER MUJI GINZA 6F MUJI Ginza 3-3-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Access | 3-minute walk from Exit B4 of Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Marunouchi Line, and Hibiya Line
3-minute walk from Exit 5 of Ginza-itchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line
5-minute walk from the Central Exit of Yurakucho Station on the JR Yamanote Line ATELIER MUJI GINZA Official Website | https://atelier.muji.com/jp/ Instagram | @ateliermuji_ginza Twitter | @ateliermuji
Click here for company press release details
©ATELIER MUJI GINZA 2020"Anonymous design" is generally spoken of in reference to the anonymity of everyday mass-produced items, the ignorance of their creators. In Japan, the term became widely known when product designer Sori Yanagi first spoke about it at the World Design Conference held in 1960. He later wrote:
"Soon after the word 'design' became widespread, everyone was talking about it, and designers were all the rage, the term 'anonymous design' emerged as a counter-argument to this, recognizing that there was also design that did not involve designers. (...)" *First published in 'MUJI Books', Libroport 1988
This term has thrown a wrench into a society saturated with 'design', and even today it occasionally reminds us to return to our roots.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1960 World Design Congress. ATELIER MUJI GINZA Gallery 1 will be holding an exhibition that reconsiders 'anonymous design'.
Gallery 1 has previously held three exhibitions using parts of the vast and valuable modern design collection of Fukuoka interior designer Keiji Nagai. Nagai has repeatedly spoken of his pride in his own collection: "I have never coveted an item because of the name of a designer or brand, or because of its historical significance." While the majority of the pieces in the "Nagai Collection" bear the designer's signature, what they all share is a simple, unassuming expression and form that refrains from making any loud statements. Perhaps this unique "Anonymous Design Collection" was forged solely through Nagai's own aesthetic sensibility, detached from the information surrounding the objects. We believe that exceptional "Anonymous" pieces are born precisely because of the involvement of outstanding designers.
This exhibition will feature approximately 100 high-quality pieces from the "Nagai Collection" from the 20th century, both famous and unknown, selected from this perspective. The exhibits are arranged side by side, without any indication of the date, artist, or manufacturer. How does our relationship with objects change when names disappear and we view their function and form with an unconscious eye? From here, why not once again consider the gap between "anonymous design" and "design"?
ATELIER MUJI GINZA
About the Nagai Keiji Collection
The exhibits in Gallery 1 are part of the vast collection of postwar modern design that interior designer Nagai Keiji has collected from all over the world over the past 50 years, using his own eyes, hands, and feet. Nagai was born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture in 1948. In 1982, he established his own studio, K&Design Associates.
[Related Events]
This year marks 60 years since the term "anonymous design" first came to be spoken of in Japan. How has our relationship with objects, design, and ourselves changed since then? During the exhibition, design talks will be held by contemporary creators.
Online DesignTalk
■What is "normal"?
Date and Time | Wednesday, November 4th, 19:00-20:00
Speaker | Naoto Fukasawa (Product Designer)
■Our Anonymous Design
Date and Time | Thursday, November 19th, 19:00-20:00
Speakers | Kumano Wataru (Product Designer), Yoshida Moritaka (Product Designer)
Interviewer | Tashiro Kaoru (Exhibition Curator)
*Details will be announced on the ATELIER MUJI GINZA official website and on social media as soon as they are decided.
*In the event that the event is cancelled or the content changes due to various circumstances, we will announce it on the official website and on social media.
[Basic information]
Rethinking Anonymous Design - When Names Disappear
Period | Friday, October 23, 2020 - Sunday, March 14, 2021
Time | 10:00 - 21:00 (Opening hours and closing times follow the store)
*Due to scheduled changes in the period and time, or due to events, there may be times when some of the exhibits are unavailable for viewing.
Venue | MUJI Ginza 6F ATELIER MUJI GINZA Gallery 1 Free admission
Organizer | MUJI
Cooperation | Nagai Keiji Space design | Kumano Wataru Graphic design | Higashikawa Yuko Construction | HIGURE 17-15 cas
Planning and management | Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., Lifestyle Goods Department, Planning and Design, MUJI Ginza ATELIER MUJI GINZA
ATELIER MUJI GINZA 6F MUJI Ginza 3-3-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
Access | 3-minute walk from Exit B4 of Ginza Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Marunouchi Line, and Hibiya Line
3-minute walk from Exit 5 of Ginza-itchome Station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line
5-minute walk from the Central Exit of Yurakucho Station on the JR Yamanote Line ATELIER MUJI GINZA Official Website | https://atelier.muji.com/jp/ Instagram | @ateliermuji_ginza Twitter | @ateliermuji
Click here for company press release details
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