Kyo and Mana Kobayashi, who run the design office ima, are responsible for the spatial design of Marimekko stores around the world. His work with Marimekko began in 2005 when he designed the venue for an exhibition held at Aoyama Spiral, and the following year he worked on the space design for a store in Japan. This was highly praised by the company's headquarters, which led to him being assigned to design stores around the world. Working with Marimekko also led them to meet their favorite textile designer, Fujio Ishimoto. They talk with Ishimoto and write about what they felt and learned during their time together in chronological order.
Written by Kyo Kobayashi and Mana
July 2005
I was assigned to design the venue for the Marimekko exhibition to be held at Aoyama Spiral, as well as the store design starting in 2006, so I flew to Helsinki, Finland to get approval for the space design back home. When we showed the model, then-CEO Kirsti Pakanen jumped with joy and immediately approved the project. Afterwards, I met Mr. Ishimoto for the first time at a party on board the ship.
For the 2005 Marimekko exhibition (venue: Aoyama Spiral), for which he was responsible for the venue layout, he expressed forests and lakes through textiles.
``Nice to meet you! My name is Kobayashi from Imma.'' ``Nice to meet you! I'm Mana!'' ``...Hello.'' ``This time, I will be in charge of the venue layout for the exhibition and the design of the store that will be opened in Japan! "...Hmm." "I see." "Okay then." he said and left. The first conversation didn't go well at all.
April 2007
I visited Mr. Ishimoto's solo exhibition in Shirokane, Tokyo. This time, the reaction was exactly the same.
July 2010
Fortunately, the design of the Japanese store was highly praised, and I was given the responsibility of designing Marimekko's headquarters and stores around the world, so I went to Kansai International Airport for a meeting. There, I ran into Mr. Ishimoto again. When I arrived at Helsinki Airport, Mr. Ishimoto's responses were clearly different from the ones he used to deal with in the hustle and bustle of his life, asking questions such as ``Did you change money?'' ``How long will you stay?'' ``Do you want to come visit me?'' Mr. Ishimoto's room is clean and tidy, with beautiful light streaming in from the large windows, and there are sofas upholstered in fabrics by Oiva Toikka, Kai Franck, and Mr. Ishimoto, and furniture with striped legs designed by Mr. Ishimoto. was. Afterwards, we were treated to Finnish food prepared by Mr. Ishimoto, and we quickly became acquainted.
After that, we went to Helsinki on business almost every month, and each time we invited friends from Helsinki to go out for dinner. The image of him as a quiet, solitary artist, which he had envisioned until they ran into each other at the airport, changed completely, and now he became that of a kind, humorous, and curious city boy. Mr. Ishimoto had no shortage of topics to talk about, including stories about Marimekko founder Armi Ratia and designer Maiya Isola, why he came to Finland from New York, and stories about his childhood in his hometown of Tobe. We were excited to hear the story we had read in the book from the man himself.
A factory shop attached to Marimekko's headquarters in Helsinki, where he was in charge of the design.
Photography by Nacasa and Partners
July 2010
When Mr. Ishimoto called us internationally and said, ``The factory shop was great,'' he told us about his impressions after seeing the factory shop and cafe that he had recently designed, and we all pumped our fists in joy.
July 2012
I was in charge of the venue layout for the Spiral ``Fabric and Ceramics - Winter'' exhibition. This is our first collaboration with Mr. Ishimoto. How can we display the gentleness and strength of Ishimoto's works, as well as their beautiful textures, colors, and shapes, in order to more directly convey their appeal? The answer is that when Mr. Ishimoto always checks his completed works, he realizes that there is a way to lean the ceramics against the walls of his studio, and he realizes this by using custom-made fixtures made of black iron and oak wood. It was well received.
Fujio Ishimoto's ``Fabric and Ceramics - Winter'' exhibition was held in December 2012 at Aoyama Spiral, where he was in charge of the venue layout design.
Photography by Nacasa and Partners
When Ishimoto returns to Japan, he often goes on short trips using the Japan Rail Pass. At that time, the ``Finnish Life and Design'' exhibition was being held at the Aomori Museum of Art, so she decided to go with Ishimoto. Perhaps because he kneads and carries heavy soil, he is much more agile and powerful than people his age. He doesn't feel old at all.
Fujio Ishimoto's ``Fruit Shape'' exhibition was held in May 2018 at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, for which he was in charge of the venue layout design.
Photography by Kei Maeda
July 2018
Currently in charge of the venue configuration for the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine ``Real Shape'' exhibition. After a lot of trial and error, changing the location based on the drawings prepared for setting up the exhibition hall, in the end we ended up with a layout that was almost exactly as shown in the drawings. It took patience to fit each piece into its place, but I was able to enjoy the feeling of a puzzle coming together comfortably. After such hard work, I took a short trip to soothe my tired body.
A scene from the setup at the "Fruit Shape" exhibition held at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
July 2018
I went to see the exhibition ``From Marimekko Flowers to Ceramic Fruits'' at the Ehime Prefectural Museum of Art. Although I was not able to help organize the venue, I could see Mr. Ishimoto's face as he happily selected the museum's collection list, looking at the combination of his works and the museum's collection.
July 2019
We designed the flagship store for Finnish textile brand LAPUAN KANKURIT and invited Mr. Ishimoto to the opening. He participated wearing a jacket instead of his usual casual vest. For some reason, I felt both happy and embarrassed.
The Helsinki flagship shop of textile brand Lapuan Kankuli opened in May.
This year again at Marimekko, a reprint of Ishimoto's 1975 fabric (Onni/Happiness) is featured extensively and is decorating the window. I have no doubt that Mr. Ishimoto will continue to create new works and make people happy. We can't help but hope that we too can work hard every day to create a space that makes people happy.
Next is Chikako Harada (photographer).
(Titles omitted)
Profile
Kyo Kobayashi & Mana Kobayashi
Born in 1966 in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. After graduating from Tama Art University's Department of Interior Design in 1990, joined Casappo & Associates (Kyo Kobayashi). Born in Tokyo in 1966. After graduating from Musashino Art University's Craft Design Department in 1989, joined a display design company (Mana Kobayashi). After both left the company in 1997, he traveled to Europe for six months to study architecture, design, and art. After returning to Japan in 1998, he co-directed the design office ima.
At Ima, we work on a wide range of products, including store design for restaurants and retail stores, residential architecture, and exhibition venue configurations. Our design activities include creating concepts that take advantage of the location and brand, improving ease of use and functionality, and pursuing designs that incorporate a sense of balance and humor. The happy space design that skillfully incorporates colors and materials is demonstrated in products, homes, hotels, kindergartens, etc. His major works include ``Marimekko'', ``Il Bisonte'', ``Interior Lifestyle Exhibition'', and ``Inokashira House''.
http://www.ima-ima.com/
Lounge
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Artists surrounding Fujio Ishimoto
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