If you are a regular reader of the blog you'll have read about our volunteer project, Project Japan, to assist the community of Ishinomaki through design workshops creating furniture and printed graphic templates. The volunteers are back and from all reports it was a very successful project with some very impressive material objectives achieved. The furniture team (below) designed and built 220 stools, 145 benches and 110 storage boxes. The design team (above) created many different greeting cards, posters, post cards and calenders, culminating in an art exhibition at the end of the project. Both teams taught the locals skills to aid them in their continuing recovery. But it was the experience shared between the Herman Miller teams and the locals that has made the biggest impact, as expressed so eloquently by Ben Matsuzaki, President of Herman Miller Japan;  

"During the 14 days in Ishinomaki working for the local communities, we were given by the locals more than we gave to them...
We made 450 pieces of furniture. We created 65 kinds of greeting cards, post cards, poster and calendar. We saw hundreds of smiles on the people's faces. We saw some teardrops on their faces and our faces as well. We worked with and for a number of local children, high school students, senior citizens, and business owners most of whom lost their homes, relatives, and jobs. And at the end of the trip, we all realized that we'd fallen in love with Ishinomaki and its people."

Here are some of the photos documenting the wonderful experience Project Japan enabled. We'll be featuring an interview with Kate Lochrin from the design team about her experiences in Ishinomaki in the coming week, so do check back.

(above) The design team, three of the pieces designed and made and the children's workshop

(above) A calender created with the design team and (below) the exhibition at the end of the project and a heartfelt letter to the design team from one of the teachers involved.

Herman Miller has had a presence in Japan for over 23 years and like many others were shocked by the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in March. Those of you who read the blog regularly will be aware of our 'Make a Difference' campaign and the various things we've done to support the relief effort. 'Project Japan' is a new way we're able to support the Japanese community. This November a team of twelve Herman Miller volunteers from around the world will travel to the city of Ishinomaki, which was severely impacted by the earthquake and tsunami - virtually all the local businesses and homes were destroyed.  

The project consists of two groups. The first group will be producing furniture for the temporary houses in Ishinomaki, in collaboration with Japanese architects and product designers such as Keiji Ashizawa, Jun Hashimoto, and Taiji Fujimori.  This team will be working in a furniture production workshop, helping the residents build small furniture items for the temporary houses in Ishinomaki. The second group will be led by Steve Frykholm, Herman Miller’s vice president and creative director. His team will set up a design workshop with the locals to develop templates to produce items such as holiday cards, calendars, and postcards. The goal of this particular project is to help the people of Ishinomaki develop new skills, so they can continue this work and potentially generate income after we leave.

We're really excited at the potential of this very special project and will be holding a series of events to report on progress - below are the dates and we'll also keep you posted here on the blog.

Nov. 25, Fri – 18:30 – 20:30 TRUNK in Sendai
Nov. 28, Mon – 18:30 – 20:30 Roppongi Midtown, Tokyo
Nov. 29, Tue – 19:00 – 21:00 Herman Miller Store Tokyo

Check out the spectacular installation at the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation in Sydney at the moment by Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka. Waterfall comprises of two exquisite tables made from optical glass and approximately 500,000 translucent drinking straws all of which draw on light to complete the installation. Yoshioka established his design studio in 2000 after a ten year working relationship with Issey Miyake. His client list includes names such as Kartell, Moroso and Swarovski. Waterfall runs until December 17th, 2011.

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Our third profile in the modernist Asian Pacific graphic design series is Japanese designer Ikko Tanaka. Catch up on our previous profiles if you missed them Yusaku Kamekura (Japan) and Frank Eidlitz (Australia).

Ikko Tanaka (b.1930 - d.2002)
Ikko Tanaka's profile runs parallel to that of Yusaku Kamekura, as together they co-founded the Nippon Design Centre in Tokyo in 1960. Tanaka was an influential contributor to modernist graphic design in Japan, his work has een widely awarded, exhiited and published worldwide. He is perhaps best known for his poster designs and as being one of the three founders of the wondreful Japanese retail brand Muji. The Museum of Modern Art describes him as "A master of typography, he was known for his crisp, abstract imagery, meticulous sense of colour and elimination of all inconsequential detail"... see for yourself.

(above) World Commercial Design Exhibition, 1959   

(above) Let's take away violence from our streets, 1960

(above right) Kanze Noh Play, 1961

(above) Tokyo Biennial poster, 1962
[images courtesy MoMA] For more image and later work, see the MoMA profile).

Here's a special post for our Japanese readers. To celebrate their 160th anniversary, luxury Swiss brand Bally has teamed up with Herman Miller and Japanese Magazine 'Openers' to create 16 customised Eames Shell Chairs for a special charity auction, with proceeds going to the Japanese 'more trees' organisation. The chairs look fantastic, embellished with the iconic red Bally trainspotting stripe and a brass plaque with the Bally logo shining on the back. The chairs are being auctioned exclusively to Japanese readers of Openers Magazine until September 6th. Visit the Openers website for more details.