YAMAGIWA AT MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2023

Images courtesy of Yamagiwa

“The Harmony of Form and Function” –  Lighting Masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright

The Japanese lighting company YAMAGIWA comes back to Fuorisalone after twelve years with its own installation “The Harmony of Form and Function” to present to the international audience of Milano Design Week TALIESIN® series of light fixtures designed by legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Thanks to the high precision of wood manufacturing technologies and techniques, as well as to the abilities of its skilled artisans, YAMAGIWA is the only brand worldwide that receive permission from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to reissue these items. Thus, the company has collaborated with acclaimed Japanese architects and designers to reinterpret TALIESIN® designs, real examples of Japanese craftsmanship and artistry. YAMAGIWA will continue to create beautiful living spaces adding value for society through lighting artistry, under tagline “The Art of Lighting”.

Exhibition Concept
In this era of technological advancements, where artificial intelligence and virtual reality are rapidly gaining traction, we have chosen to showcase the human-centered design of Frank Lloyd Wright in our exhibition. Renowned for his philosophy of “Organic Architecture”, Wright advocated for a harmonious integration of architecture and nature, as a response to the dehumanizing impact of functionalist architecture of the time. The mesmerizing geometric forms and warm, indirect lighting of the TALIESIN series of light fixtures stirs our senses and evokes a sense of joy and happiness that is often lost in our contemporary world.

Presented by Som Santoso

Interior Concept from Shigeru Ban
To best accentuate the beauty of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Lamp, I thought it would be ideal to use the lamp in a space with shadow, a sense of texture and materiality, rather than in a museum-like white box. When Wright  designed the Taliesin Lamp, he must have envisioned its use in such a space.

The simple paper tube tunnel proposed here, runs through the exhibition space from the entrance to the end of the room. By using the same paper tube material from the bottom all the way up to the ceiling, the tunnel becomes an immersive space, allowing visitors to experience Taliesin’s soft quality of light and its texture of wood without being disturbed.

The paper tube tunnel is reminiscent of the glass tube corridor in the Johnson Wax Building, one of Wright’s masterpieces. A similar tunnel-like space can also be seen in the entrance area of the V. C. Morris Gift Shop, a late work of Wright’s that is also considered as a prototype for the Guggenheim Museum. Here, he used long, thin bricks, whose coloration resembles that of paper tubes.

By using recyclable materials such as paper tubes, I believe that Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy is effectively expressed for this temporary exhibition, without wasting building materials.

Statement from Yoshihiro Kokuno, Director of YAMAGIWA Corporation
YAMAGIWA is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The world has changed dramatically over the past 100 years, but we have remained committed to the timeless beauty of lighting and have continued to provide lighting that is a part of people’s lives. As we reach a new milestone, we will continue to provide high-quality lighting based on the craftsmanship we have cultivated in Japan for the world to see. Our participation in the Milan Design Week is the first step for YAMAGIWA toward the next 100 years. As a leading company in the field of Japanese design lighting, we hope to deliver lighting that resonates with customers around the world.

TALIESIN®
This series of light fixtures represent original Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces. Manufactured in collaboration with Japanese craftsmen, YAMAGIWA is the only authorized brand in the world to receive permission from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to reissue these light fixtures. Inspired by the natural effects of light in nature, he believed the sun and moonlight that filters through leaves and branches to be beautiful; this has now been captured in the TALIESIN series. They are composed of a series of illuminated rectangular, solid wood boxes that act like branches and leaves to provide an organic sculptural composition to this floor lamp. The boxes provide soft, patterned, indirect illumination while concealing the light sources and reducing glare. These fixtures function as complimentary interior decor both during the day and at night.