Description
The Grid
The object draws inspiration from traditional Japanese architecture and craftsmanship, particularly from the Yoshijima house, an intricate wood beam grid structure built in 1907 in the historical city of Takayama, in the Japanese Alps.
The black grid tower is a 3-dimensional vertical framework materialized using pine wood and handmade ceramic tiles, fixed on a rough block of marble. As the tower rises from the ground up, it forms platforms of different proportions and spatial qualities, varying in the ways they can be used.
The design acknowledges the transience of its elements, wood, clay, and stone, each subject to the effects of time and natural aging. The wood is treated with the traditional Japanese wood-burning preservation technique (shou sugi ban), while the ceramic tiles are glazed in black handmade lava and manganese glazes to acquire a decaying surface that complements the weathered wood structure. Together, the materials interact to reflect a sense of erosion that feels natural as if the passage of time is embedded into the structure itself.
The grid is sited on a rock, giving the impression of wood posts “growing” out of the stone foundation in the Ishibatate style (pillar standing on stone). The aesthetic is one of quiet imperfection, an expression of wabi-sabi, where the surface cracked or faded as it might be, enhances the design, embracing the marks of artisanship serving to deepen the emotional and visual impact of the piece.
Materials: pine wood, ceramic, stone
