KAZUYO KOMODA ― TRANSCRIPT
This is a sugar bowl, in English, I designed for myself. At first, it was not my professional project, I didn't have a sugar bowl in my house. One day when I go to the glass artisans, I thought to ask to make a cover and usually many sugar bowls in production usually has a hole to put in the spoon. As a container, I prefer glass because it’s very hygienic and it’s clear to see.
Sono Kazuyo Komoda e sono un designer giapponese. Sono nato a Tokyo e più della metà della mia vita ho vivo e ho lavora in Milano. Alcune persone mi considerano un designer multidisciplinare perché sono molto curioso.
I am Kazuyo Komoda and I am a Japanese designer born in Tokyo and for more than half of my life, I lived and worked in Milan. Some people consider me as a multidisciplinary designer because I am very curious.
When I was a student, I loved Japanese traditions especially ceramic. And I started to study, to go to Musashino University to specialize in ceramics. I thought to use many materials. Because usually artisans who do craft specialize in just one material for many years. I thought it was not my way.
During university, I first saw Scandinavian Design, it’s very easy to understand for Japanese because there are some things that are similar. And then Italian design -- it was more difficult to understand. For this, it was more interesting.
And I think not just Castiglioni, Santachiara, it was 1980s. So in Italy, there was in the postmodern movement. In university, I had educated for modern design and the 1980 arrived to Italian postmodern movement, so I saw the designs of Andrea Branzi, Ettore Sottsass. The Italian design world was so new for me.
I like very much to think how to organize my time. So every year I made myself, my diaries. If I change my lifestyle, I change my diary. I’m a maniac of diaries. Japanese life is very busy, it's necessary to organize yourself much better. I consider this type of design not graphic design, but something like service design because it must very functional, thinking how to use, how to organize as person.
Usually diaries have pages and you have to turn the pages, but time is continuous. So it's easier to see in this way. This is a diary specific for every half hour. For example the position of the calendar, monthly calendar, if it is better here, or better here or better here, it's very important.
As Castiglioni, do you know? Castiglioni said, "objects must be companions." I think it must be three things: simple form, and functional, and the third point I think, it must be a little bit human.