From raw to refined, a look inside Satoshi Yoshiizumi’s ‘Material, or ’ exhibition

The moment you hold a twig; your impulse is to snap it. When mud is in your hands, you can’t help but smear it on something. Similarly, when a stone is picked up, it invites you to use it for striking, resulting in a resounding thud. These intimate, tactile interactions with raw materials are essentially like conversations. In the quiet moments of these encounters, we converse with the Earth’s resources, shaping them into tangible objects. Japanese Designer and exhibition director, Satoshi Yoshiizumi, celebrated for his unique perspective and a penchant for innovative design, invites us to explore these material dialogues in the Material, or exhibition at the 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in Tokyo, Japan.

The Material, or exhibition offers a refreshing perspective on the very essence of design; a tribute to raw materials in a world often consumed by the whirlwind of contemporary life. This unassuming, yet transformative showcase is a humble exploration of our profound relationship with the very materials that shape our world. “Raw materials initially hold no specific meaning. They acquire it by our acts of creation; we turn them into what is meaningful by such interaction”, shares Yoshiizumi

The essence of the exhibition revolves around the idea that we encounter in our daily lives, from the chair we sit in to the device we hold, which was, at some point, a raw material devoid of any significance. It is a notion that invites us to rethink our relationship with the materials that surround us. The design exhibition delves into the concept that meaning should come from an open dialogue with these primordial components, effectively challenging the prevailing disconnect between people and the raw materials from which our world is crafted.

Yoshiizumi's words resonate, urging us to acknowledge the importance of understanding where everything begins. We may recognize a comfortable chair as made of wood, but how often do we pause to contemplate the origins of that wood in the form of a living tree? Such contemplation can lead to a profound reconnection with our environment, offering a path towards addressing the environmental crisis we face today.

“Such relationships with raw materials can be thought of as dialogues,” says the exhibition director. “Through them, we interact with the Earth’s resources and create objects. If we conceptualise design and centre it on this encounter, our dialogue itself was the design”.

This exhibition doesn’t just propose a nostalgic return to the past but invites us to engage in a fundamental debate about natural and social sustainability. It emphasises that the present-day focus on the designed and finished object, often to the detriment of raw materials, has led to the environmental crisis we face.

But Material, or doesn’t merely dwell on the problem; it offers solutions. Art anthropologist, Toshiaki Ishikura and biomimicry designer, Jun Kamei collaborated with Yoshiizumi to explore how humanity has manipulated nature throughout history. By combining cultural-anthropological perspectives and cutting-edge technology, they seek to revive our sensitivity towards raw materials, showcasing the potential for a harmonious relationship between design and nature.

The immersive exhibition takes a multi-faceted approach to its exploration of human connection with raw materials from three perspectives. It starts with an investigation into how raw materials are transformed into mediums and how this process assigns meaning. This evolution, as Yoshiizumi suggests, leads to the discovery of latent meanings within the materials themselves, as witnessed in the art, workmanship and designs of societies.

The second perspective emphasises on the interconnectedness of the world with raw materials, encompassing flora, fauna and even ourselves as integral components of this vast network. By redirecting our focus to these relationships, we may discover a path to restore our lost connection, presenting a potential avenue for healing and renewal.

The third showcases real-world case studies that demonstrate the renewal of human relationships with materials. In this section, visitors can find examples of exclusive and inclusive relationships, revealing that our perspective and attitude towards designing objects can be fundamentally transformed by acknowledging the materials’ significance.

This immersive exhibition’s displays span a wide range, from products created by designers to artefacts from research. The inclusion of ritual equipment, folk crafts and organic matter showcases the capacity of material to transcend human limitation. Material, or hopes to reignite visitors’ awareness on the pivotal role raw materials play in our daily lives.

As Yoshiizumi passionately shares, “Meaning can be imparted in an infinite number of ways. It is a sentiment that underscores the profound potential for design to harmonise with the environment and for us to blur the boundaries between “me” and “someone else”, embracing a self-conceptualization that intertwines with the world”.

In the Material, or exhibition, we are invited to perceive raw materials in new light and to consider the design possibilities that arise from our interactions with these non-human objects. It is a transformative journey that challenges our conventional understanding of design and emphasises on the vital role that raw materials play in shaping our world. Yoshiizumi’s vision has the potential to inspire a shift in perspective, rekindling a deeper connection with the materials that sustain us and our planet.

Material, or exhibition is on view at the 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT until November 5, 2023