ART & CRAFT
THE WORK
革新
116
MOTHER OF ALL INVENTION
The Japanese Design Today 100 and The Discourses in Design: Philippine-Japanese
Cultural Linkages exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
words
I
ROME JORGE
nternationally renowned fashion
designer Issey Miyake’s “No.1
Dress,” designed in 2010, is an
elegant little back dress with
modernist flair made with recycled
fabrics—one of a series of prêt-àporter designs that pop out and
folds back into a neat perfectly flat
squares. Designer Nick Morita’s
Tatamet BCP emergency helmet is
stored as a flat, lightweight, package
that encourages users to bring them
anywhere, because earthquakes can
happen anytime, anywhere, when
least expected, and thoughtfully
comes with its own emergency
whistle to alert rescuers. Both
designs, for vastly different purposes,
take inspiration from their country
of origin’s art of paper folding—
origami—and are perfectly suited for
the island nation’s cramped urban
spaces, its cultural penchant for
tidiness, its ever-growing consumer
adobo magazine | July - August 2016
environmental awareness, and
its vulnerability earthquakes.
These are but two of the 100
inspirational and praiseworthy
designs at the Japanese Design
Today 100 exhibition, part of
global tour, showcases at the
Metropolitan Museum of Manila
from June 30 to August 19, 2016.
Equally inspiring and heartening
is a twin exhibition paired at the same
venue at the same time: Discourses in
Design: Philippine-Japanese Cultural
Linkages, which features the very best
Filipino designers such as Kenneth
Cobonpue, Budji Layug, Ann
Pamintuan, Jon and Tessy Pettyjohn,
Maricris Brias, Al Caronan, Christina
Gaston, Tony Gonzales, Anna India
De la Cruz-Legaspi, Luisa Robinson,
Vito Selma and CSM Philippines.
Kenneth Cobonpue’s iconic and
internationally-awarded “Yoda”
easy chairs made from indigenous
from durable yet flexible and
sustainably farmable rattan is
evocative of cogon (blade) grass
ubiquitous to the archipelago and
has had the honor of being the
chair for all the heads of state at
the recent Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit. Al Caronan
expertly fuses paper and capiz
(nacre) to create intricate coralline
ornamental vessels. These are but
a few of the works of pure genius
that stand as some of the world’s
best—all made by Philippine
designers that have have worked
with and traded with Japan.
Both the Japanese Design Today
100 and the Discourses in Design:
Philippine-Japanese Cultural
Linkages celebrate 60th anniversary
of Japanese-Filipino friendship.
For details, visit metmuseum.ph.