Exhibition in Tokyo: Learning from Design Maestros
Six big names of the 20th century, six individual paths through art, design and teaching. Their works set standards, their concepts continue to have an impact today. In times of global upheaval and growing complexity, 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Tokyo encourages us to re-examine the concept of design with ‘Learning from Design Maestros’: What can design achieve? And what responsibility does it bear in a social context?
Thought spaces and design processes
The exhibition ‘Learning from Design Maestros’ links personal stories with creative work. On display are representative works, products and documentary film material that reveal the human dimensions of design – in the words of the designers themselves. A video installation by artist Seiichi Hishikawa brings their ideas to life, including a previously unreleased video of Max Bill and Otl Aicher. The show is complemented by contributions on institutional networks such as the Ulm School of Design and the Danese design brand, with which several of the maestros featured were associated.
Japan's relationship with these design personalities is also a theme: interviews with Naoto Fukasawa, Haruka Misawa and Masaaki Kanai show how strongly the legacy of Aicher, Bill and Co. continues to influence Japanese design practice today. Special tribute is paid to Shutaro Mukai, whose exchanges with Aicher and Bill influenced the development of an independent ‘science of design’ in Japan.
