Life after design

In a search for new approaches to design, international trend forecaster Li Edlkoort has brought together 71 of the world’s most exciting new designers to rethink our lives and reinvent the future. Called “Post Fossil”, the exhibition aims to go back to the beginning of human history, look at old materials in a new way and challenge our conventional ideas of design. Edlkoort says, “Time has come for extreme change. Society is ready to break away from last century for good. It’s time to break with a materialistic mentality, replacing it with the materialisation of modest, earth-bound and recomposed matter. In the aftermath of the worst financial crisis in decades, a period of glamorous and streamlined design for design’s sake comes to an end.”

Many of the designers have drawn on nature for inspiration, and some pieces look like Fred Flintstone’s caveman accessories. The result is a fascinating and sometimes confronting exhibition, where natural materials are used in completely new ways. While the designers are drawn from all over the world, the majority are graduates of Dutch design and art schools. The exhibition is on until June 27 at 21.21 Design Sight in the Tokyo Midtown Garden. The exhibition space was designed by Issey Miyake and it’s well worth a visit any time you’re in Tokyo. Midtown is also the venue for Tokyo Fashion Week (nearest station Roppongi or Nogizaka).

KM