
Design Anthology Awards 2021
Announcement of the finalists | 25th Oct. 2021
Kosuke has been selected for one of three finalists of Emerging Talents category of Design Anthology Awards 2021.

Pasta - vase photo by Kosuke Araki

Pasta - vase photo by Kosuke Araki
PINEY PASTA
Year / 2017
Piney Pasta is a material-experiment project. Especially focusing on the ones rooted in Japanese culture, Kosuke has been revisiting plant-based materials and the techniques of processing them in search for possibilities of using them as alternatives to synthetic plastics. For this collection, Pasta, he revisits an old composite used for setting hairstyle.
The vase is entirely created from plant-derived materials, mainly pine resin and vegetable wax, but feels like plastic — translucent, pliable and water-proof. The basic colour is yellow, which is derived from the raw material. To make other colours and patterns, something also processed from plants is used.
The material has shape-memory feature. By warming up, it becomes soft and the shape can be modified, then by cooling down, it remembers the shape. Each of the items is handcrafted, and the shape of the rim of the vase is freely formed by hand one by one. Therefore, each owns unique characteristic. In addition to the vases, some containers were also made as a forming exercise.
This work comprised of 'Plantist's Life' collection together with RRR, developed for Experimental Creations 2017 exhibition.
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Concept, Design, Research and Development, Production: Kosuke Araki
Photography: Kosuke Araki
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The vases were also on display at Leisure Center, a department store in Vancouver, Canada. The beautiful moving image below was captured by them for promotion. (Image courtesy of Leisure Center)


Size and colour examples photo by Kosuke Araki

Size and colour examples photo by Kosuke Araki

photo by Kosuke Araki

Formability test pieces photo by Kosuke Araki

photo by Kosuke Araki