Oki Sato thinks design could loosen up a little

Throughout his career, Oki has often encountered challenges that have pushed him to rethink his beliefs. The Cabbage Chair, which took the world by storm in 2008, was no different. “Issey Miyake phoned me one day and told me that lots of paper used when creating his pleated fabrics goes to waste. He asked me if I could make a chair with it,” explains Oki. When he showed Miyakean initial prototype made of paper strengthened by resin, Oki reasoned, “It’s not a chair yet,” but Miyake said, “No, no, it is a chair.” Having studied to be an architect, Oki was used to developing ideas slowly, but Miyake taught him that a design can be completed at an apparently raw stage.

Japanese architecture is often categorised as minimalist and poetic. However, when you reduce something to the point of essentialism, you run the risk of the object losing its warmth. “That’s not how I want my designs to be,” claims Oki. “I like them to have humour and surprise – like how you add spices to your food.” For him, design is about making changes in the everyday through small yet noticeable differences. Glance at Nendo’s Instagram account and it will reveal the inner workings of his mind: a veritable smorgasbord of ideas translating into digestible forms, from simple line figures in a Pokémon-inspired collection (approved by Pikachu) to the engineering of the perfect fork for digging into Nissin Cup Noodles. A diagram always precedes his process. “This is why my sketches that express these ideas are often small, simple and depict scenes that we have all experienced in our daily lives.” Speaking about social media which acts as a gallery for Oki’s creations, it becomes imperative to understand where he stands on the divisive tool. “I do not feel that social media is a medium for expression, but rather an information tool for sharing the details of our daily activities in an easy-to-understand way, and for getting as many people as possible to empathise with us,” he says. He adds, “I try to keep my distance from these toolsand the way they are perceived, which can easily change over time, so I try not to let them get in the way of my own expression.”

To derive ideas from life, Oki relies on routine. Repetition makes you cognisant of imperceptible differences, stumbling upon triggers that act as starting points. “The design is created with suitable material, shape, function, structure and manufacturing method fitting together like a puzzle,” he avers, concluding, “Big surprises are not necessary, but rather small surprises that grow into big ideas.”

Oki Sato’s ingenious objects designed with a playful savoir faire

LIGHT AND SHADE

Light and shadow are two sides of a coin, and their relationship influences this Nendo collection. One chair serves as the mould for another, which then acts as a mould for the base of a table. This symbiotic relationship between the two redefines how we view the process of making — giving equal importance to both mould and the oft-hidden cast.

POND DIPPING

What appears akin to an optical illusion is a furnishing collection inspired by the traditional Japanese dying method of kasuri-ori. The alternating colours are a product of the dipping process, with differences arising from being dipped at an angle or in two portions, leading to new expressions like checkered patterns and gradation.

CLUSTERED CLOUD

Is it a volume or is it a haze? A cloud operates in this ambiguity. Oki interprets this as a cluster of translucency which has acted as the starting point for four shelves. Crafted out of stainless perforated metal, the design balances its material perception with strategic overlaps that create moiré patterns.

HANA-ARASHI

Hana-arashi transates to flower storm. With a riot of colours in 180 variations, Paola Lenti’s innovative polypropylene fabric meshes are layered and bonded together by Nendo, playing with its reaction to temperature to alter its formal qualities.

PASSING RAIN

Through this collection of five bowls, Nendo captures the fleeting passage of time, each representing a different stage of rain. Stainless steel rods, mirrors and precise construction express the rain’s changing forms and fleeting nature.

DEPTH OF SOIL

The collection explores time as depth through terrazzo tables and a chair, with each piece containing layers in stacks to create a sense of depth. Fossil-inspired motifs evocative of plants and fish and varying depths express the passage and aggregation of time.

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