Thanks to Japan Pulse, I’ve just learned about the new Paper Craft store, Kamigu. Showcasing a terrific collection of paper artistry this is inspiring much WANT on my part.
Particularly amazing? The Architecture Model Series by Naoki Terada.
There’s even a sticker option to dress up your models.
Kamigu has many other paper craft wonders. I love the Torinosu, or paper bird’s nest.
I also LOVE this LED Paper Flashlight.
“This is a square shaped flashlight, which is assembled from a piece of paper. It comes with a LED and a small battery. It lights up when you hold it and turns off when you release it. It’s very simple. The Lite Lite emits a square shaped and soft light through the paper. Enjoy the flashlight like a candle.”
Cool AND utilitarian. Perfect combo.
I am also intrigued by these Paper Glasses.
“These glasses look like something you might wear to a party, but they are actually a very serious paper tool. Because of the 1mm holes, it’s possible to focus your eyes without lenses. Paper goods, such as paper cups or paper plates are useful goods, when there is an emergency. These paper glasses are made to help you ride out a crisis when your glasses are broken in a disaster or accident.”
Don’t want to actually break my glasses, but really want to try these out. And who knows – with the hurricane bearing down on the East Coast of the U.S., many of us might need serious glasses replacement soon!
Posted in Awesomeness, Beauty, Craft, Design, This inspires me, art
Tagged Architecture Model Series, Japan Pulse, Kamigu, LED Paper Flashlight, Naoki Terada, Paper Glasses, Torinosu
I am loving this post over at Tokyo Telephone. A look at the Tokyo we don’t typically see. The gritty bits that make it more well-rounded and interesting.
Specifically, electricity meters.
Everyone always bangs on about how clean Japan is, and that is true to a certain extent. But aside from the shining metro stations and lack of litter, Tokyo is a city of more than thirteen million people in the metropolis. Where there’s people, there’s dirt. And I love it. Here’s a small selection of photos showing how much I like things a bit on the grubby side… (via)
I agree. No city feels real until you’ve seen past the tourist attractions and embraced the things that make it a living, breathing, peopled place. Thanks to Tokyo Telephone for showing us just a small part of that side of Tokyo!
(All images via Tokyo Telephone.)
And this one does the trick just perfectly.
I know it’s Spring now, at long last, but I love this image of the Asakusa Temple in Winter, from 1810.
Vintage Botanicals from Japan.I love the idea of a few of these framed on the wall of my living room. From one my favorite sites, Vintage Printable, which offers free downloadable images you can use for your own purposes. What better than free ephemera?
Beautiful, and eerie, these folded skeletons from Takayuki Hori are designed to “highlight the environmental threat of pollution to a number of species native to japan’s coastal waterways.” (via)
oritsunagumono’ (translated as ‘things folded and connected’) is a collection of origami works by artist takayuki hori…each translucent sheet is first printed with either the images of fragments of an animal’s skeleton, or, on some pages, human-made discarded objects that are often ingested by the animals in the wild.
using the ancient tradition of folded paper, hori assembles the pages into a three-dimensional model. once the paper is folded, the printed components are united as a whole, telling the visual story of the animal’s plight to survive in an increasingly polluted and hazardous ecosystem. (via)
Again, art that feels timely and poignant.
Thanks Designboom.
Strong women and water imagery. Two things I love. And the Kingyo series from artist Koyama Shin, gives both of these elements a twist. Stunning lithographs with exceptional detail I wish I could see up close. And now, something feels especially poignant about these water women.
What I’d really like to do is visit the studio and see the artist at work. Printmaking – another thing on the list of things I want to learn someday.
A friend in Japan posted a link to Ribbonesia and I I think I might have actually squealed when I saw it.
I think myself accomplished when I tie a pretty bow on a package. I guess I have some practicing to do.
Box and Needle, even the name grabs me. From the store of the same name, and available on the Envelope online shop, handcrafted boxes I see filled with treasures.
My husband stumbled upon this site, Yowayowacamera, and it’s grown increasingly compelling for both of us. One levitation, every day.
We’ve talked about why and one reason is that through such a simple act, this woman challenges notions of what it means to be a woman in Japan. The images are compelling on their own, but for me, it’s also about the way she is making herself seen, obvious, and making her simple art public. She doesn’t talk about her work in this way, at least on the English section of her blog, but as I look at it and remember my experiences with women in Japan, I find it striking.
Natsumi says “yowayowa is a Japanese term meaning ‘weak’ or ‘feeble.‘
Since I’m yowayowa, it’s really heavy to carry SLR cameras around.” (via)
In my estimation, she is anything but!
