Shigeki Yamamoto combines 'Play Memory Structure' for a quirky furniture collection

Like a veritable Victor Frankenstein breathing new life into non-living matter, Shigeki Yamamoto takes found objects, flea market discoveries and scrap material to create the sculptural designs for Play Memory Structure. Combining pieces of old furniture designs from the Berlin-based designer's workshop with toys and other ephemera, the tables for the collection "serve as a projection surface for the associations and memories of other people," notes Yamamoto, coming alive again in this new form.

From a wooden duck to puppets to intricately painted plates to strings of crystals, the product designer alchemises scrap from older works into table designs, putting a new spin on an earlier project titled Play Anima. "My Play Anima sculptures originated from the idea of giving new 'life' to leftover pieces that, for me, already contained a meaning or memory," Yamamoto tells STIR. The designer's older projects were based on wooden modules into which things could easily be slotted, giving them an ease of flexibility and adaptability for different forms, and, indeed, different objects. This potential for the playfulness of modular design is explored effectively in the latest collection.

For Yamamoto, mining the nostalgic values attached to the objects used for the coffee tables is key to their morphology. Using various colourful toys and antiques that once held significant associations for someone drives how he creates each piece. As he tells STIR, "I'm particularly attracted to objects that look well used, are partly broken or look like they haven't been used for a long time. Basically, I choose objects that have a story to tell and I want to connect those objects to create a new story," he relays. These stories, imbued in the objects once held dear, are then arranged in a structure that frames them like a movie sequence.

The Japanese designer and artist envisions his product designs as more than just functional; instead, becoming part of their owners' memories and lives. This is explicitly showcased in these quirky artefacts. Small porcelain cats, wooden duck toys, and what appears to be scrap crystals from chandeliers, each time one looks at the furniture designs, there seems to be something new that catches the eye. In this way, they come alive.

While the idea of reuse was not a major consideration for Yamamoto, it is interesting to note how the conviction towards reuse and creative recycling of old material often translates into commodifying memories. "I delved more into memories of things and the souls that reside in things. The materials used in this series are miraculous pieces that came to me from various places, through various owners, from discarded objects, found on the street, collected at antique markets or given to me by someone," he explains.

"Basically, many of the items are no longer needed. Even such objects are very attractive to me and still beautiful, and such materials also have memories and souls from the past. I have respect for such things and I create a second or third life for them by connecting fragments and pieces. With this in mind, I put my soul into my work," he continues. In fact, memories become an important factor to consider for a collectible design that veers towards notions of such creative use. Animating and framing those moments that allow us to reminisce, the playful, whimsical and effervescent designs for Play Memory Structure give form to our dearest memories.