why:
To securely connect Japan's present leading wood industry to the future.
日本有数の木工業の産地を、未来につなげるために。
Craftsmanship of shipwright technology that supported the "Awahan" naval forces of Tokushima Prefecture, has been handed down from the Edo period, which developed from the Meiji to the Showa period as a major production area for box furniture that mainly focused on chest drawers, mirrors, and altars. However, Japan's traditional industrial value of production has fallen to 1/5, during the past 40 years. Tokushima's wood industry has declined year by year due to changes in modern lifestyle, along with the rise of cheaper overseas products, where Japan's leading box-shaped furniture production was driven into prosperity. In such a situation where the wood industry was going out of business, we questioned what design could do to revive the industry and create new opportunities for those highly skilled carpenters in Tokushima.
江戸時代の阿波藩の水軍を支えた船大工の技術が伝承されている徳島県は、明治から昭和にかけて、タンスや鏡台、仏壇を中心とした箱物家具の一大産地として発展しました。しかし、この40年の間に生産額が1/5にまで減少している日本の伝統産業の例に漏れず、ライフスタイルの変化や廉価な海外製品の台頭とともに徳島の木工業は年々衰退し、日本有数の箱物家具の産地は窮地に追い込まれていました。廃業する木工業者が後を絶たない状況の中、高い技術力を持つ徳島の木工職人に新たな手仕事の機会をつくり、産業を復興させるために、デザインには何ができるのでしょうか。
Changes in production value of
traditional craft industry.
伝統的工芸品産業の生産額等の推移。
how:
Produced the first two-way drawer.
二方向に引き出せる、史上初の引き出しを発明。
We developed "CARTESIA," by turning over concepts of box furniture to make their advanced techniques held by carpenters in Tokushima known, by differentiating them from other production areas. As the brand name means an "orthogonal coordinate system," CARTESIA is a drawer that can be pulled both vertically and horizontally, in multiple ways at the same time. The first product, "CARTESIA DRAWER," in which the technology was developed together with the artisans, realized a mechanism that could not be achieved by a conventional drawer. Trapezoidal shapes were overlapped to be able to pull out the drawers smoothly.
徳島の木工職人が持つ高い技術力を発信し、他の産地と差別化を図ることをミッションに、これまでの箱物家具の概念を覆す「CARTESIA」を開発しました。「直交座標系」という意味を持つブランド名の通り、CARTESIAは縦横両方向に引き出すことができ、複数の段を同時に使用することができる引き出しです。職人とともに技術開発を行い、従来の引き出しでは不可能だった機構を実現させた第1弾プロダクト「CARTESIA DRAWER」は、台形を重ねた形にすることで引き出しやすさにも配慮しています。
Subsequently, "CARTESIA DESK" was developed. It was made to make more room to easily store items, with two hanging racks that are convenient for organizing stationery, one larger rack that can hold documents, and a space for storing cords.
また、続いて開発した「CARTESIA DESK」では、収納しやすい領域を拡張し、ステーショナリーの整理に便利なラックを２段と、書類などもしまえる大きめのラック１段を備え、コードを収納する空間も設けています。
will:
Although the design was highly appreciated, the original purpose still needs to be reached.
デザインは高く評価されたが、本来の目的はその先に。
As a completely new concept of box furniture, CARTESIA was recognized by Wallpaper * magazine as "the world's most beautiful drawer." It has received multiple design awards and exposed to various media platforms around the world, handled by numerous domestic and international shops. This project was able to harness the power of design and create a new point of contact between traditional technology and consumers. Although it has become a successful example of the production area, this was only a single product for a production area in crisis. We realized there and then, the barriers that design can hold.
Our original purpose is to create new markets, movements, and relationships through branding and communication strategies, to save as many artisans and production areas as possible. These designs were a part of a series of projects NOSIGNER and Eisuke Tachikawa worked on, as a traditional industrial producer in Tokushima prefecture from 2007 to 2009. This series brought about valuable experiences that would determine our future missions.
まったく新しい概念の箱物家具として、CARTESIAは、『Wallpaper*』誌に「世界一美しい引き出し」と称されたことをはじめ、世界中のデザイン賞やメディアから評価され、国内外のさまざまなショップでも取り扱われることになりました。デザインの力を活用し、伝統技術と消費者の間に新しい接点を生み出すことができたこのプロジェクトは、産地における成功事例となりましたが、同時に危機的な状況にある産地には、ひとつのプロダクトをデザインするだけでは到底太刀打ちできないほど強い逆風が吹いていることを改めて実感しました。
私たちの目的は、そのデザインが高く評価されることではなく、ブランディングやコミュニケーション戦略などを通じて新たな市場やムーブメント、関係性をつくり、少しでも多くの職人や産地を救うことです。NOSIGNER・太刀川が徳島県の伝統産業プロデューサーとして2007年から2009年までに手がけた一連のプロジェクトは、その後の私たちのミッションを決定づける重要な経験となりました。
what:
CARTESIA
who:
Product Design
NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa)
Manufacturer
Masaharu Hatta
where:
Tokushima, Japan
when:
2008
