Craft x Tech Tohoku Project

Craft x Tech is an initiative to bridge the gap between traditional Japanese craft and contemporary technology. Its goal is to create a novel and unique body of artworks that express both the history and future potential of these beautiful materials and techniques. The initiative welcomes Maria Cristina Didero as its curational director and is led by a design studio Tangent and the Craft x Tech Tohoku Association.

This initiative showcases the collaborative designs of the inaugural edition of Craft x Tech.The participating craftspeople are from the six prefectures of the Tohoku (north-east) region of Japan: Tsugaru-Nuri lacquerware (from Aomori prefecture), Kawatsura-Shikki lacquerware (from Akita prefecture), Nambu-Tekki ironware (from Iwate prefecture), Sendai-Tansu cabinet making (from Miyagi prefecture), Oitama-Tsumugi textile (from Yamagata prefecture) and Aizu-Hongo-Yaki pottery (from Fukushima prefecture). The designers who are collaborating with these master crafts producers are Sabine Marcelis, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves (Studio SWINE), Ini Archibong, Yoichi Ochiai, Hideki Yoshimoto, and Michael Young. The programme continues expanding to involve other Japanese districts and creatives from around the world.