Ishinomaki Laboratory’s new prototypes will be exhibited at an old restaurant in Akasaka, Tokyo
Pop-up cafe by ignis will also be held for a limited time

Ishinomaki Laboratory will participate in DESIGNART TOKYO 2022 at an old ryotei (traditional Japanese restaurant) site in Akasaka, Tokyo, where 7 designers will present their new prototypes. 11 years have passed since Ishinomaki Laboratory was established and the ISHINOMAKI BENCH for the open-air movie theater was created. While the brand is located in Ishinomaki, the concept and products of the Ishinomaki Laboratory have spread around the world through Made in Local projects in 10 countries, including collaborations with well-known furniture brands such as Karimoku in Japan and MENU in Denmark. Returning to the origins of workshop-based design that began 11 years ago, the designers were invited to Ishinomaki to work closely together on the design process. Through communication among designers and craftspeople, 11 different designs were created through a process of trial and error to create engaging and easy-to-use products. The collection envisions the products to be placed at Ishinomaki Home Base, a guest house located near Ishinomaki Laboratory. We stayed at the guest house and went to the workshop to design and develop the product while imagining their realistic usage scenarios. In addition to the exhibition, a pop-up café using furniture from Ishinomaki Laboratory will be opened by Sendagi’s specialty coffee shop “ignis” at the same venue for 5 days only. We welcome you to enjoy both aspects of the event.

Exhibition title: 2 days at Ishinomaki Laboratory
Dates: October 21 (Fri.) – 30 (Sun.), 10 days
Opening hours: 11:00-19:00
Venue: KAISU 6-13-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Opening party: October 23 (Sun) 18:00-21:00
ignis Pop-up Cafe: October 21, 22, 23, 29, 30 (5 days)

2 days DIY by designers

7 designers stayed in Ishinomaki for 2 days on September 25 and 26 with sketches and drawings of their ideas in advance. They carefully cut the wood using a woodworking machines while assessing the materials, such as smoke-dried cedar from Kurikoma, Miyagi Prefecture and laminated wood. The result created are simple yet functional products, aligning with the brand’s identity rooted in the processes of designing that appears simple at first glance, but requires a sense of balance. Over the course of 2 days of focused work, where details including length and curvature were checked and fine-tuned in collaboration with the craftspeople at Ishinomaki Laboratory, and a total of 11 prototypes were completed.

Keiji Ashizawa
Kenji Ito （MUTE）
Wataru Kumano
Naoki Terada
TORAFU ARCHITECTS
NORM ARCHITECTS
Shigeki Fujishiro

DESIGNART TOKYO began in 2017 as a design and art festival based on the theme “INTO THE EMOTIONS.” Tokyo, being one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities, has been the hub for creative from all around the world to participate in various exhibitions across the city and in various genres, including interior design, art, fashion, technology, and food.