Credits

WOW
Producer：Hiroshi Takahashi
Creative Director：Takuma Nakazi
Art Director：Kosuke Oho
Director：Shingo Abe
Designers：Kohei Nakama, Shigeru Makino, Daisuke Moriwaki, Yoko Ishii, Saeko Shizuku
Music：Tomohiro Nagasaki
Project Manager：Yuki Tazaki

aikuchi designed by：Marc Newson (Marc Newson Ltd)
aikuchi Production Producer：Okisato Nagata (EXS inc.)
Venue design：Masafumi Tashiro (Masafumi Tashiro DESIGN ROOM)
Installation Music Composer：Masato Hatanaka
aikuchi Logo/Graphic Design：Arata Maruyama (&Form)

Sponsorship：The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry;
a recovery project for traditional crafts and local industries.

aikuchi

Marc Newson, Collaboration｜2014
The art of Japanese sword making, has a history dating back more than 1000 years, and is considered the height of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Not only the blade itself, but the entire piece including all the decorative sword fittings, is a work of art and is now drawing much attention from a legion of dedicated fans and art collectors the world over. But how could we add a more global perspective and bring a new look to an art piece that is the absolute pride of Japanese culture? With this goal in mind, we invited the world famous designer; Marc Newson to join the project. Working tirelessly together through much trial and error, we eventually were able to accomplish our mission and complete aikuchi to perfection at last. “Aikuchi” does not incorporate a “lower guard” into its design, and is therefore considered by some people to be more of a “lucky charm” than a weapon. The name aikuchi was chosen for this project to highlight the tight coupling between the sword, handle and scabbard, and also to draw attention to the fusion of two different cultures. aikuchi is the first product which WOW has produced completely and comprehensively from initial conceptual design to finished product.


▶aikuchi Concept Movie
▶aikuchi Making Movie
▶aikuchi official website

Credits

WOW
Producer：Hiroshi Takahashi
Creative Director：Takuma Nakazi
Art Director：Kosuke Oho
Director：Shingo Abe
Designers：Kohei Nakama, Shigeru Makino, Daisuke Moriwaki, Yoko Ishii, Saeko Shizuku
Music：Tomohiro Nagasaki
Project Manager：Yuki Tazaki

aikuchi designed by：Marc Newson (Marc Newson Ltd)
aikuchi Production Producer：Okisato Nagata (EXS inc.)
Venue design：Masafumi Tashiro (Masafumi Tashiro DESIGN ROOM)
Installation Music Composer：Masato Hatanaka
aikuchi Logo/Graphic Design：Arata Maruyama (&Form)

Sponsorship：The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry;
a recovery project for traditional crafts and local industries.

Related

Polymorphism of Information

“InForms” Project｜2024

Ichigo Sugawara’s photography book “Daylight | Blue”

Book｜2013

  • All
  • Installation
  • Motion Graphics
  • Architecture
  • Product
  • App
  • Exhibition

Art

Polymorphism of Information

“InForms” Project｜2024

Viewpoints —Light bulb—

Installation, Arts Maebashi｜2023-2024

Render

Installation, BONDED GALLERY｜2023

WOW25 “UNLEAN BEER” from Unlearning the Visuals

WOW25 Unlearning the Visuals｜2022

InfoTexture - Minor Metals Situation

“InForms” Project

InfoSculpture - World Population Transition

“InForms” Project

WOW25 “Rotation” from Unlearning the Visuals

WOW25 “Refraction” from Unlearning the Visuals

Viewpoints

WOW25 Unlearning the Visuals｜2022

Festival Cornucopia

WOW 25th Anniversary Installation｜2022

Motion Modality / Passage with wind traces

WOW 25th Anniversary Installation｜2022

sonus-oleum

WOW 25th Anniversary Live Installation｜2022

WOW25 Logo Movie by Tatsuki Kondo

Motion Graphics｜2022

WOW25 Logo Movie by Hiroshi Takagishi

Motion Graphics｜2022

WOW25 Logo Movie by Shingo Abe

Motion Graphics｜2022

forgive

Reborn-Art Festival 2021-2022

The Shape of Prayer

Research Project｜2021

POEM

Motion Graphics｜2021

Contour

Motion Graphics｜2021

WOW AR App

iPhone Application｜2020

BAKERU: Transforming Spirits

JAPAN HOUSE LOS ANGELES｜2019

Emerge

Installation, Reborn-Art-Festival｜2019

motion texture 02

Motion Graphics｜2018

WOW animates the world

Exhibition, Spiral｜2018

RENDER

Installation, Spiral｜2018

Reflective Echo

WOW × Pokémon｜2018

POPPO

Interactive 3D printing Installation, Manabia Terrace｜2017

Beyond Cassini

Installation, hpgrp gallery NYC｜2017

floating anima_01

Installation, Reborn-Art Festival｜2017

Pokémon loves Fashion

Pokémon, PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO｜2017

WOW Showcase -The Necessity of Daily Un-necessities-

Installation, EYE OF GYRE｜2017

INORI - PRAYER -

Realtime Face-mapping｜2017

BAKERU

Interactive Installation, Sendai Mediatheque｜2017

Hare to Ke Exhibition

Sendai Mediatheque｜2017

FATALITY

Short Film｜2016

Tokyo Light Odyssey

Installation, 360-Video｜2016

wind form_02

SHISEIDO｜2016

KOHTEI

Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens in the mountains | 2016

Enceladus

Earth Life Science Institute｜2016

W20W

WOW 20th Anniversary Movie Logo｜2016

UNITY of MOTION

Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul | 2015

Light of Birth

3d laser mist hologram｜2016

Connected Colors

Intel｜2016

MOTION

Short Film｜2014

Ichigo Sugawara’s photography book “Daylight | Blue”

Book｜2013

New CI Movie

WOW｜2013

addLib U

iPhone Application｜2013

VISUAMUSIO

iPad Application｜2012

WOW Visual Design iPad APP

iPad Application｜2012

Ophelia has a Dream

Installation, Louvre Museum｜2011

Roofscape

Roppongi Art Night at Tokyo Midtown |2010

Snow Drops

Installation, Sendai Mediatheque｜2010

INORI

Radioactive Visualizer｜2017

Factory and Fantasy

Installation｜2009

Lights and Shadows

Milan Salone｜2008

The View From There

Japan Car at Design Platform Japan | 2008

Light Rain

The Miyagi Museum of Art | 2007

Tengible

Installation, Tent London | 2007

motion texture

installation｜2006

The Poetry of Suburbs

Short Film｜2005

141%

Short Film｜2003

Captain Cooking

Short Film｜2001

ICBM

Short Film｜2000

Elvis is not Dead

Short Film｜2000

Passage

Short Film｜1999

Biography

WOW is a visual Design Studio founded in 1997 based in Tokyo, Sendai, London and San Francisco.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019

Tokyo Light Odyssey｜JAPAN HOUSE London, UK

POPPO (YADORU, ROKURO, POPPO’s Forest)｜JAPAN HOUSE London, UK

BAKERU: Transforming Spirits｜JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, USA

2018

WOW Visual Design Studio ー WOW animates the world｜Spiral, Japan

2017

POPPO Exhibition｜Manabia Terrace, Japan

Beyond Cassini｜hpgrp GALLERY NEW YORK, USA

Hare to Ke Exhibition｜Sendai Mediatheque, Japan

2015

UNITY of MOTION｜Hyundai Motorstudio Seoul, Korea

2013

Factory and Fantasy｜21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan

2012

Factory and Fantasy｜Sapporo Underground Space Station Road, Japan

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019

motion texture 02｜Art+Tech Summit at Christie’s: The A.I. Revolution, New York, USA

Emerge｜Reborn-Art-Festival, Japan

motion texture 02｜Roppongi Art Night, Japan

wind form_02, UNITY of MOTION｜BAY ART, China

YADORU｜Media Ambition Tokyo, Japan

2017

floating anima_01｜Reborn-Art Festival, Japan

2016

Tokyo Light Odyssey｜New Style New Artist, Intercommunication Center, Japan

2010

Snow Drops｜Sendai Mediatheque, Japan

Factory and Fantasy｜Design Act 2010, Russia

Factory and Fantasy｜Kawasaki Dreaming Highway, Japan

Tengible｜MIGZ, Russia

Tengible｜VINCON Gallery, Spain

Light Rain｜Decode: Digital Design Sensations, CAFA Art Museum , Beijing, China

2009

Factory and Fantasy｜Miyagi Art Museum, Japan

Lights and Shadows｜Tent Digital, UK

Light Rain｜Decode: Digital Design Sensations, Victoria and Alvert Museum, UK

2008

Lights and Shadows｜Wonder Exhibition Milano Salone, Italy

2007

Tengible｜DesignTide, Miyagi Art Museum, Japan

Tengible｜Tent London, UK

2006

motion texture｜Miraikan, Japan

motion texture｜Sendai Mediatheque, Japan

PROJECTS

2019

aikuchi｜Marc Newson at Gagosian West 21st Street, NY, USA

2016

KOHTEI｜Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens, Japan

2014

Ophelia has a Dream｜Media Ambition Tokyo, Japan