Daijiro Mizuno

Writer; Editor; Educator / Japan /

www.daijirom.com

Daijiro Mizuno’s Notable Books of 2011

Christmas is coming soon. And I wonder, if I am to give a book as a Christmas present, what will people feel? What will be inside the glossy gift wrap? What impression will people have as they open it?

Books are to be read and are seen as a great source of information. But even before that, we recognize them as tangible objects through their presence and perceptual stimuli. I want the gift books inside the wrapping to be beautiful—in both the tactile and visual sense. I believe in the holistic experience of reading books as the sum of smell, weight, texture, and look. . . . View the complete text

Books are to be read and are seen as a great source of information. But even before that, we recognize them as tangible objects through their presence and perceptual stimuli. I want the gift books inside the wrapping to be beautiful—in both the tactile and visual sense. I believe in the holistic experience of reading books as the sum of smell, weight, texture, and look.

So I thought that heavy books would be nice (but not too heavy, like a dictionary). I selected three heavy books: on fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, on artist Tacita Dean, and on product designer Sam Hecht, all of whom I appreciate.

In addition, I decided to select OLIVE, a book edited by a young Japanese product designer called Nosigner. Based on the voluntary and virtual mass collaboration that occurred on Twitter immediately after the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, this book introduces many great designs created through bricolage and intended for survival under extreme conditions.

March 11 is a devastating day to remember for many Japanese. The earthquake, record-breaking tsunami, and nuclear power plant explosion seriously damaged the culture. I am currently working with Architecture for Humanity to support the reconstruction at Shizugawa, as tsunami-hit areas are still struggling. I wanted to select this book in memory of those who died in this triple disaster and of those in the many other disaster-stricken areas around the world.

冬休みがいよいよ迫ってきた。

私は、本を人にプレゼントするとき、もらった人はどう思うかを考える。包み紙の中に入っているのは、果たして何がいいのだろうか？包み紙を開けたとき、どのような感動があるだろうか？

本には「見られ、読まれる」情報である以前に、モノとしての現前性、知覚的刺激によって認識される。包み紙が破られて現れるモノが、視覚的にも触覚的にも読者にとって美しい体験であって欲しい。私は視触覚的な感動がもたらす総合的体験が「情報」と等価であることを信じている。

そこで、私は自身が実際に手にとったことのある３つの「重い」本をまず選定基準にした。フセイン・チャラヤン、タシタ・ディーン、サム・ヘクトと、ファッション、ファインアート、プロダクトとそれぞれ領域が異なるものをあえて選んだつもりである。

また、軽くて小さな本ではあるが、nosigner編のOLIVEを紹介することにした。2011年3月11日は、日本に住む人のみならず、世界中の人にとって津波、地震、原子力発電所の事故に見舞われた日本の東北地方は衝撃を与えた。筆者も11月からArchitecture for Humanityとのコラボレーションプロジェクトを志津川にて展開しているが、被災地は未だ十全に整備されていない。私は、災害のリマインダーとしてこの本を選び、この年に災害で亡くなった世界中の人に追悼の意を表すことにした次第である。

Shorten the text

Nonfiction, Textile Design

title a–z

0 books

No books meet the selected criteria

comments powered by Disqus

Announcements

Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell

Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy

By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020

Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.

Order the book.

Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison

Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn

By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: October 2020

An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.

Order the book.

Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes

Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes

By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019

A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.

Order the book.

Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman

Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context

By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020

An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.

Order the book.

David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor

David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian

By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020

A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.

Order the book.

Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller

Teaching Graphic Design History

By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019

An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.

Order the book.