“Beyond our Horizons: From Tokyo to Paris,” Is a Dialogue Between Craft, Art, and Design
The Parisian edition of the two-city exhibition is on view at le19M through April 26
The sprawling le19M campus hosts eleven different workshops where highly specialized craftspeople practice a variety of métiers d’art, ranging from pleating to hat making, button making, and weaving. But also within the architecturally marvelous building in Aubervilliers, northeast of Paris, is a gallery displaying exhibitions that straddle the line between art and craft.
The latest, opening on January 29 and running through April 26, highlights the intersection of materials and cultures, and explores a dialogue between Tokyo, Japan, and Paris, France.
“Beyond our Horizons: From Tokyo to Paris” was conceived by an editorial committee of five Japanese creatives, and initially appeared in Tokyo, on the 52nd floor of the gleaming Mori Tower. Now being reimagined for a French installation, the exhibit incorporates work by 30 French and Japanese designers who collaborated to produce glorious works that are unexpected, surprising, and beautiful.
For the presentation, Shuji Nakagawa, a third generation oke worker, took his woodworking skills to new heights, literally. Traditionally, oke are domestic, flat bottomed wooden tubs, but for the show, he created hollow, tree-like structures standing over 13 feet high.
The 10th generation working in Kojima Shoten, a Kyoto workshop making lanterns with bamboo structures and washi paper, Ryo Kojima produced a series of 11 paper lanterns using the forms of various Maison Michel hats, each pendant painted with the name of one of the 19M studios.
One of the most poetic creations in the show is the fruit of a beautiful collaboration between Koh Kado and the feather studio Lemarié. Together, they created a delicate cascade of paper flowers—light, yet intricately detailed, and each one individually crafted.
“It was really important to expose the beautiful Japanese craftsmanship and the cooperation with the French houses,” says Kayu Tokuda, an art curator and one of the exhibit’s editorial committee members. “We are thrilled and this exhibition is refreshing for us to see how 19M is showing these works. We wanted to transmit the core values and assure all the cultural expressions were correct and respected in both cultures. I am curious to see how the next generation will see this exhibition and think about art, craft, and fashion moving forward.”
Further elevating the experience is an immersive soundtrack by another of the committee members, Momoko Ando, a film director. “Japanese artists are deeply connected with nature and, like Noh theater, also deeply connected to the environment,” says Ando, whose audio background incorporates the sound of water from various regions in Japan. “We wanted to include different frequencies, and some you cannot hear.”
Ando feels strongly that this exhibition is about experience and must be seen in person. “19M is almost a sacred space with energy; it is the heart of all of this creation,” she says. “I want people who come here to feel.” Clearly, this is all a beginning and a way forward for creative collaborations and cultural exchange.
“Beyond our Horizons: from Tokyo to Paris” is on view at 19M from January 29 through April 26.