Wa: The Spirit of Harmony and Japanese Design Today

Traditional Japanese arts and crafts coupled with leading edge technology – today Japanese design is an essential influence in the global market like never before. From 20 August to 20 September 2009 the red dot design museum, in co-operation with the Japan Foundation, will present the exhibition “Wa: The Spirit of Harmony and Japanese Design Today” and thus a selection of Japanese design classics, which have had great impact on contemporary product design until today and have become milestones of design history, as well as the latest designs by Japanese product designers. As the only stop in Germany, the red dot design museum will present this unique collection – from the classic Kikkoman bottle by Kenji Ekuan from 1961 to the Toyota Lexus to Naoto Fukasawa’s Infobar from 2003. The exhibition’s vernissage will take place on 19 August at 6 pm at the red dot design museum. Shin Maruo, Consul General from Düsseldorf, Kôji Ueda, Director of the Japan Foundation, and Shû Hagiwara, curator of the exhibition, are among the guests of honour at the exhibition opening. red dot online