Download pdf - Tangent Works 2020

Tangent Works 2020By interweaving technology with design at the most sophisticated
level, we create unique work that moves people.
A tangent line touches a curve at one given point.
Respecting such gentleness and subtleness, as well as the power
of the point of contact, we carefully and delicately tell a narrative
which talks to people’s hearts.
We create a dialogue that bridges the gap between fantasy and
reality with our work, which we believe enriches the modern
society and culture.
INAHO is interior lighting inspired by golden ears of rice
swaying in the wind. Light is cast in dots, reminiscent of
paddy rice, through perforated tubes. Human-detection
sensors, embedded in the base of the installation,
cause the stems to sway as a person passes by. INAHO
is the Grand Prix winner of Lexus Design Award 2013.
Design : Hideki Yoshimoto + Yoshinaka Ono
Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto + Edward Slater
Year released : 2013
AMBER
AMBER is a pendant lamp in which an LED circuit board
is embedded in coloured resin. The light source,
reminiscent of a gentle flame, diffuses into surrounding
darkness creating a smooth gradation.
Design : Massimo Marolda
Engineering : Edward Slater
lighting effect of liquid and air. Air bubbles rise
rhythmically through a clear viscous liquid and break a
dark silicone oil surface. LEDs set beneath the liquid
illuminate the space through the bubbles.
Design : Massimo Marolda + Hideki Yoshimoto
Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto + Edward Slater
TIMELAPSE
Inspired by a school of fish, the motion of this kinetic
sculpture reflects the natural phenomenon where
creatures swim in a perfect order or scattered. The
upper layers rotate faster than those below, gradually
twisting the whole shape. As a result, the sculpture
repeats a transformation between being aligned and
scattered every 10 minutes.
FLUFF
FLUFF is a lighting system for events. It is composed of
helium-filled balloons and LED structures within. It
floats in the air, illuminating the space around. The
colour and rhythm of LED light can be synchronised
with various inputs such as live music, smartphones or
video projections. The shape of the LED structure can
be also customised.
Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto
window displays for the Hermès booth at SIHH (Salon
International de la Haute Horlogerie), one of the world’s
most prestigious trade fairs for watches, held in Geneva.
Concept : Hideki Yoshimoto
Engineering : Edward Slater
Fabrication : Federica Annacondia
Earth Made of Solar Cells
The "Earth", 3.5 metres in diameter and slowly rotates, is covered in
20,480 triangular tiles of solar cell. We discovered an older generation
stock of unusable photovoltaic cells and gave the components a second
life in the form of art. The cells are a very complex distribution of blue
shades - appropriate to express our planet. The wall behind Earth is
uniformly illuminated representing the Sun.
Double Moon and Dream
The brief given by Hermès in June 2018 at their office in
Switzerland specified two key criteria —"Double Moon"
which related to their new watch "Arceau L'heure de la lune”
and "Dream" selected as the annual theme of Hermès for
2019. We were asked to create the window displays and
main booth installation according to this brief and two
criteria.
The "Double Moon" in the "Arceau L'heure de la lune"
describes the two moon faces shown in the watch’s dial, but
does not literally mean two moons. It represents two faces
of one moon — seen from the northern and southern
hemispheres. On hearing this concept, we recalled a famous
ancient Japanese poem;
When I look up into the vast sky tonight,
is it the same moon that I saw rising from behind Mt. Mikasa
at Kasuga Shrine all those years ago?
The author Abe no Nakamaro, who lived about 1,300 years
ago, was sent to China by the Japanese government as an
ambassador. Returning to Japan after many years his ship
was shipwrecked and he remained in China for the rest of
his life.
nostalgia for the authors homeland, a thoughtful meaning
behind a "Double Moon" is to remember that past moment,
that place, that person, looking at the same moon we see
today but over the distance of time. Therefore the Earth, the
planet where every human in history has looked up at the
same moon, is the central piece of the installation. The work
is named "Here".
Dream of an Astronaut
The 16 displays around the booth describe space related scenes such
as crater impact, a luminous comet, the red planet, gas giants,
wormholes and the milky way. These were produced using various
different materials and methods of making. The displays represent
the journey of an astronaut travelling beyond our solar system into
the unknown of deeper space. However the journey nothing more
than the dream of an astronaut living in Geneva — the displayed
watches showing only Geneva time.
For the summer season of 2017, Tangent was
commissioned by Hermès to design and produce the
window displays for its three major London stores and
its Dublin store.
Concept : Edward Slater
Production Partner : Andy Knight
The brief given to us was to design windows in
which “souls” of the brand’s products can be
seen.
imminent danger. Their “foes” such as scissors
and needles are on the attack, targeting displayed
products. The arrangements suggest that Hermès
is fortunately never defeated. Silk scarves dodge
the enemies lightly while shoes elegantly repel
them. We imagined souls in these graceful heroes
of Hermès.
The world’s tallest tower, Burj Khalifa, has a façade
covered in LEDs from the bottom to the top and can
display moving images. Tangent was commissioned to
create an animation to be screened on what is
practically the world’s largest display during Dubai
Design Week 2016.
Animation : Yusuke Murakami
Sound : Hideki Yoshimoto
Connecting the Earth and Universe
Our concept was a 7 minute animation of a journey starting from the Earth’s core,
ascending through the layers of planet’s internal structure before taking off into deep
space. The first scene begins with red mantle, continues through layers of rock and
minerals, subterranean water and microorganisms, ocean, Dubai’s desert and
sandstorms, highways and skyscrapers, there’s blue sky and clouds, the Sun passes by,
the Earth’s atmosphere is now behind and the viewer is transported to the far depths of
the universe. The world’s tallest tower is arguably the most suitable canvas to show a
concept of connecting the Earth and Universe. The work was named “Ascension”.
Wonderglass is a glass lighting brand founded in 2013
by father and son, Maurizio Mussati and Christian
Mussati. This young brand has commissioned
internationally recognised designers from its outset
and was seeking another symbolic work representing of
their brand DNA.
Expression of Water in Venice
The family of the founders are from Venice, Italy. Wonderglass is proud to produce all of its
products in the city of glass. In affection for Venice, we proposed two ideas which express the
natural behaviour of water.
The first titled “Rise” captures the impression of air bubbles rising through water in a cuboid
composition of resin embedded blown glass globes. This unique representation sublimates a
common phenomenon into a beautiful artwork. While the surface of a canal in Venice is quiet and
static, bubbles appearing on the surface suggest there may be life below. Our intention is that the
simple theme of the work evokes a rich imagination in viewers.
Water and Humans
different blue pigments with transparent glass while
in a molten state. The result is a mesmerisingly
complex pattern of blue shades reminiscent of water
currents. In concept the work is the vertical cross-
section of a Venetian canal. During the night when
canals are calm, silt sinks to the bottom. In the day,
when a canal boat passes, water is given energy and
the silt stirs — the work captures this moment. It is,
therefore, not only representative of the behaviour of
water alone but also makes reference to its
interaction with human activity — symbolic of Venice
we believe.
to represent their company DNA for an exhibition at
Milan Design Week 2016. The work was selected as one
of five Milano Design Award winners out of a total 1,135
exhibitions shown during the fair.
AISIN (2016)
Cogs in Black
Even a very large BtoB company such as Aisin (part of Toyota
Group) is relatively unknown in the public domain. The
challenge was to inform an audience in Milan and the brief
given to us was a request to “represent Aisin” in a 50 metre
tunnel space.
which manufactures car parts, with particular emphasis on
transmission systems, a cog seemed a suitable choice. The
installation featured many cogs driven by motors precisely
meshing with each other on the ceiling. The cogs, heavily
perforated, allowed light to shine through creating a poetic
scene on the floor reminiscent of dappled sunlight in
woodlands.
The cogs in black represent Aisin itself in the hidden but
precise, functioning and dedicated performance of the
company and its products. The beautiful field of light, in
contrast, is a symbol of the far more consumer visible
affluence and pleasure provided by cars.
Throughout its history, Aisin has devoted itself to breathing
life into raw materials, fabricating products from metal to
give power to cars and contribute to society. We created this
artwork in celebration of this.
Aisin’s Connection with People
At the climax of the tunnel is a large “tree” which acts as
the core element of the installation. Every cog and its light
source is connected to the tree; when people touch the
trunk of the tree, light spreads from this point to all the
cogs as if energy was conveyed to the whole tunnel. This
engagement with the audience indicates that it is actually
people in society who keep Aisin driving forward.
Following the collaboration in 2016, Aisin
commissioned Tangent again to create another
installation for Milan Design Week 2017. This year the
client requested a focus on a vehicle itself, a car, to
show their concept of a future closer relationship
between car and user.
AISIN (2017)
What kind of a role will future vehicles play for
humans? Aisin’s answer is a partner — one that is
there to assist you, understand your feelings and is
willing to listen to your needs.
On entering the exhibition space, we wished to
immediately convey that Aisin’s future vision of a car
is organic, pure, gentle, light and perhaps even sacred.
Our proposal was to use a metaphor of silkworm
cocoon. We created a 1:1 car sculpture in pure white
and wrapped in thread. The imagery of a cocoon we
believed a suitable metaphor as silkworm’s cocoon is
soft but very strong and it protects the insect from the
outer environment while in its most delicate form. The
importance of protecting passengers will not change
no matter how cars evolve.
The concept of weaving a car with threads
synchronised with Aisin’s history as the company was
founded as a manufacturer of sewing machines. 2017
was the 50th anniversary of the company and we
wanted to celebrate its history as a sub-theme of the
creation.
industry trends are to form car parts with fibre
materials such as carbon. Our idea of the cocoon car
connoted multiple different elements of the client’s
business successfully.
fully designed and manufactured by ourselves. Using
the array of LEDs the display showed moving images
to communicate various scenarios of a future
interaction of car and humans.
A major Japanese restaurant management firm
Balni Barbi opened a new VIP secret lounge and
commissioned Tangent to fill the 80m long corridor
from the entrance to the lounge with its artwork.
BALNI BARBI (2018)
In the austere 80m corridor from the door to the
secret VIP lounge our client expressed a desire for
their guests to feel peaceful as if in a home
environment but at the same time an excitement and
expectation for the special dining experience.
We proposed to use a metaphor of an approach to a
Japanese shrine. The sacred and spiritual path from
the gate to the main precinct provides visitors with
various feelings such expectation, relief or tension.
We wished the role of the corridor to be similar to
that of those approaches and designed the space
with this concept in mind.
At the entrance is a sculpture inspired by a large tree,
which often is thought to be an embodiment of a
deity. The ceiling has lighting objects which look like
clouds and sunlight shining through. Our product
INAHO was placed at two points and the fluid-bubble
lamp KIHOU embedded in the floor as puddles. We
also created a chandelier version of INAHO for the
reception of the lounge at the end of the corridor.
Hideki Yoshimoto was appointed as the Design Engineering Director of the Globe-Trotter's latest suitcase project, AERO, in collaboration with a Japanese material company Toray.
Design : Hideki Yoshimoto Production : Globe-Trotter
GLOBE-TROTTER (2019)
Tangent was commissioned by British Land to create a one-of-a-kind Christmas tree for the amphitheatre of Paddington Central. We featured Stanley Electric's special spotlights to produce a tree which was "dyed with light".
Design : Hideki Yoshimoto Production : Asylum Models and Effects Sponsored by Stanley Electric
BRITISH LAND (2019)
Tangent made its solo exhibition at Paddington Central during the London Design Festival 2019. The exhibition was fully sponsored by Lexus and British Land.
Direction : Hideki Yoshimoto Sponsored by Lexus / British Land
TANGENT EXHIBITION (2019)
Hideki Yoshimoto designed a new trophy for the Lexus Design Award, which himself received in 2013. The one-of-a-kind trophy was made with Urushi, Japanese traditional natural lacquer.
Design : Hideki Yoshimoto Production : Sato Shoji Kawatsura Shiki
LEXUS (2020)
Founder / Director
Hideki leads the team's creative activities, as well as its management, utilising his inter-
disciplinary knowledge. He studied aero-astro engineering at the University of Tokyo,
with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction, and
carried out PhD research at the Royal College of Art, with an interest in motion as an
element of design. In 2020 He was appointed as project associate professor at Research
Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo.