THE CUP SAKE REVOLUTION
The bar was an important single element of design. It
had to be easily assembled to a 20 metre curved length
to a precise orientation in a few hours, yet robust
enough to last over a week. We decided on fabricating
it from a honeycomb paper- it could be a wondrous
object that would offer a softness and casual tactile
quality and yet be elegant and beautifully intricate as
it turned the various bends in the space and caught the
light. Having sourced a appropriate manufacturer to
work with in China we developed the best form and
specification to balance mass, size and strength. The
folds and openings needed to be rigid and fine enough
to read as both a single form yet reveal its texture close
up. After the event, the bar could be collapsed back
and easily stored.
The paper cell texture allowed us to directly ‘plant’
flowers into the surface as if it was a physical block of
soil. This gave the bar a playful quality that allowed us
to combine the refinement of individual flower stems
directly with the raw scale of the bar, eliminating any
intermediate vases, containers or objects and focusing all
the attention on the bar surface and the cup sake itself.
To continue the sense of playfulness we decided that
the bar-top flowers should also act as the main lighting
controls for the space. Creating a relationship between
scent and colour, each coloured rose was turned into
a sensitive switch through some the addition of some
invisible bespoke electronics and computer programmes
we developed. Guests could discover by chance midway
through their drink that by brushing the yellow or
red or pink flower they could alter the lighting of the
whole space, as the colours across the room changed
to match the colour of the flower last touched.
The powerful interactive element offered another
layer of movement and sensory delight which was
deliberately embedded into the architecture. It provided
a constantly evolving atmosphere of flavours driven by
the guests enjoying and discovering new sake varieties.
The paper cell texture of the bar allowed
us to directly ‘plant’ flowers into the
surface as if it was a physical block of soil.
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 15