Japanese Design Today: Unique, Evolving, Borderless

Photo: FUTAGAMI Bottle Opener / Kamoi Kakoshi Co., Ltd.

The Japan Foundation, New York and The New School’s Parsons School of Design, Design Studies and Industrial Design programs present “Japanese Design Today: Unique, Evolving, Borderless – with Hiroshi Kashiwagi and Yoshifumi Nakamura.” Hiroshi Kashiwagi, professor at Musashino Art University, and architect/ furniture designer Yoshifumi Nakamura will each discuss the evolution, distinguishing characteristics, and current state of Japanese design today.

For communication between cultures to occur, words and language become essential tools. Japanese design, however, has been proven capable of transcending language barriers and fostering communication and understanding between cultures. Throughout its history, Japan has enthusiastically embraced elements of other cultures while developing and retaining its own unique sense of design aesthetic, which today is recognized and appreciated throughout the world. But as Japanese society has transformed socially, geopolitically, and economically, so has Japanese design transformed to accommodate these changes. As the world gets smaller and access to information wider, people seek a more personal connection with the world around them, which has given way to a new era of Japanese design. Both Kashiwagi and Nakamura will tour Los Angeles and New York to delve into these topics and more.

A Q&A session will follow the presentations, moderated by Jilly Traganou, Associate Professor and Director of the Design Studies MA program, School of Art and Design History and Theory, Parsons School of Design.

This event is free and open to public, but advanced online registration is required.

6:30pm – 8:30pm Tuesday, September 8, 2015

The Bob and Sheila Hoerle Lecture Hall/Hoerle Lecture Hall – UL105

University Center

The New School

63 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10003