{"id":113902,"date":"2016-04-04T16:32:39","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T16:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/for-the-pigment-store-in-tokyo-kengo-kuma-thought-like-an-artist\/"},"modified":"2022-11-14T12:10:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T17:10:53","slug":"for-the-pigment-store-in-tokyo-kengo-kuma-thought-like-an-artist","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/for-the-pigment-store-in-tokyo-kengo-kuma-thought-like-an-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Pigment Store in Tokyo, Kengo Kuma Thought Like An Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"

A gritty warehouse district with little to recommend it beyond the fresh breezes that blow in from the bay. That was Tokyo\u2019s Tennozu Isle a decade ago. Fast-forward to today, and a neighborhood that was once an afterthought is emerging as a waterfront destination, somewhere to eat, work, and live. Industrial buildings are being transformed into bakeries and brewpubs, walls covered in freshly painted murals.<\/p>\n

> See the project’s resources here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Driving much of this change is Warehouse Terrada<\/a>, which has been in Tennozu Isle since the 1950\u2019s. Already offering museum-caliber art storage, the company has moved into a new phase by opening Pigment, an art-supply shop like no other. With 4,200 pigments as well as 600 paintbrushes and 50 types of rare glue for sale, this is an artist\u2019s dream. Non-artists come, too, just to admire the interior by Kengo Kuma & Associates<\/a>\u2014recently in the news for participating in a much higher-profile project, the National Stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

Warehouse Terrada\u2019s forward-thinking CEO, Yoshihisa Nakano, and Kengo Kuma, old friends, were on a business trip to China when they saw ancient cave paintings and met with conservators who lamented that traditional Chinese pigment techniques have all but disappeared. To the two travelers\u2019 surprise, they learned that Japan, having originally acquired its pigment know-how from China, is today regarded as the repository of expertise as well as the best resource for everything from handmade washi paper to delicate ink brushes. \u201cIt was a revelation,\u201d Kuma says. \u201cThe richness of the techniques used in Japanese-style painting, nihonga<\/em>, isn\u2019t widely known at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without the small manufacturers all over Japan that still make these very specific products, there can be no continuation of the pigment tradition. Nakano was inspired to take action by bringing them together under one roof at Pigment. An art professor would consult on the merchandise. Kuma, naturally, would handle the interior.<\/p>\n

His starting point was a dynamic suspended canopy in bamboo. Artisans from historic Kyoto\u2014regular collaborators with the architect\u2014sourced, treated, and configured the lengths of bamboo, giving the canopy an undulating form that immediately warms up what had been a functional box, then extends outside to identify the shop to passersby. \u201cAfter that, we kept things simple and focused on texture rather than decoration,\u201d he says. \u201cThis shop is not a luxury boutique. It\u2019s about showcasing the tradition and techniques of the pigments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Narrow bamboo shelves hold the thousands of pigment jars. \u201cThis is a place for artists, and I thought it should have a workshop feel,\u201d he continues. \u201cThe display of the pigments and brushes is very practical. It\u2019s easy to see the goods.\u201d Though not the price tags\u2014there are none. However, the staff can talk knowledgeably about the stock, as the manager is a trained sculptor, and the salespeople are mostly art-school graduate students. An art installation composed of washi paper, one of the only hints of adornment, enlivens a partition at the entry. But it\u2019s the wall of pigments that\u2019s the real showstopper: cochineal reds made from dried insects, oxidized coppers with the most fractional color differences, other metallics rarely seen in such small quantities. \u201cPeople know that this many colors exist, but they are surprised to see them all in one place,\u201d manager Taichi Iitsuka says. \u201cWe\u2019re getting visitors not only from Japan but also from all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drawers pull out to reveal hundreds of brushes, one made with peacock feathers, others from goat\u2019s hair or squirrel fur. There are animal glues from the castle city of Himeji and wispy metal foils from Kanazawa, not to mention antique ink stones and dozens of ink sticks, both for Chinese sumi-e<\/em> ink-wash painting. For visitors who want to hone their technique, from beginners to professionals, Pigment holds classes in a minimally furnished open studio.<\/p>\n

The studio\u2019s long tabletop is bamboo, and slim chairs, Kuma\u2019s own design, are beech.\u201c With the bamboo of the table and canopy being very light, we couldn\u2019t bring in heavy pieces,\u201d he explains. Floorboards are a blond oak.<\/p>\n

While Pigment brings cultural depth to Tennozu Isle, its reinvention as a whole continues. \u201cThis place has a special location, between Haneda Airport and the city center, and beautiful waterways, yet people are only now discovering it,\u201d he says, adding that he is currently at work on a master plan. \u201cWe\u2019re activating the waterfront, redesigning the sidewalks, and bringing more of a \u2018lifestyle\u2019 atmosphere. Step by step, we are trying to change the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is already well on the way. On one of the surrounding canals, he has already built what he calls a \u201cfloating box,\u201d a wooden events space with a striking sail. And a museum for architectural models will open soon.<\/p>\n

Project Team:<\/strong> Makoto Shirahama; Masaru Shuku; Masahiro Minami<\/a>; Ayaka Ono: Kengo Kuma & Associates<\/a>. Lightmoment: Lighting Consultant, MEP. Ohno-Japan: Structural Engineer. Art Create Co.; Marukou Con\u00adstruction Co: General Contractors.<\/p>\n

> See the project’s resources here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

> See more from the March 2016 issue of Interior Design<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A gritty warehouse district with little to recommend it beyond the fresh breezes that blow in from the bay. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3624,"featured_media":103606,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"featured_image_focal_point":[],"legacy_django_id":11675},"tags":[],"id_tax_domain":[17],"id_tax_product":[],"id_tax_program":[],"id_issue":[],"internal_flag":[4220],"class_list":["post-113902","id_project","type-id_project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","id_tax_domain-retail"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFor the Pigment Store in Tokyo, Kengo Kuma Thought Like An Artist - Interior Design<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A gritty warehouse district with little to recommend it beyond the fresh breezes that blow in from the bay.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/for-the-pigment-store-in-tokyo-kengo-kuma-thought-like-an-artist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For the Pigment Store in Tokyo, Kengo Kuma Thought Like An Artist - 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