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Page 1: Tangent Works 2020

SELECTED WORKS 2013 — 2020

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Tangent was founded in 2015 in London.

By 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.

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PRODUCTS

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INAHO

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

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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

Year released : 2018

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OVAL

OVAL is a coffee table containing an unconventional

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

Year released : 2018

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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.

Design : Hideki Yoshimoto

Engineering : Edward Slater + John Bertolaso

Year released : 2017

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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.

Design : Yoshinaka Ono + Hideki Yoshimoto

Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto

Year released : 2009

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COMMISSIONS

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HERMÈS (2019)

Tangent designed and produced an installation and

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

Lead Industrial Design : Massimo Marolda

Engineering : Edward Slater

Fabrication : Federica Annacondia

Production Partner : Asylum Models and Effects

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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.

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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.

Recalling this poem in which the moon brought about

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".

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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.

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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

Lead Industrial Design : Massimo Marolda

Production Partner : Andy Knight

HERMÈS (2017)

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Hermès’s Elegant Battle

Every year Hermès sets an annual creative theme

shared by Hermès shop displays all over the

world. In 2017 the theme was “Object Senses”.

The brief given to us was to design windows in

which “souls” of the brand’s products can be

seen.

Our concept portrays products of Hermès in an

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.

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BURJ KHALIFA (2016)

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

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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”.

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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.

Concept : Hideki Yoshimoto

Production : Wonderglass

WONDERGLASS (2017)

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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.

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Water and Humans

The second work “Drift” is produced by mixing three

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.

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Tangent was commissioned by Aisin, a large BtoB

automotive supplier in Japan, to create installation art

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.

Concept : Hideki Yoshimoto

Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto + Edward Slater

AISIN (2016)

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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.

Our proposal was “black cogs”. In representing a company

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.

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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.

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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.

Concept : Hideki Yoshimoto

Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto + Edward Slater

AISIN (2017)

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Car of Cocoon

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.

From an engineering perspective, current automotive

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.

Inside the cocoon was a large ellipsoid LED display,

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.

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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.

Concept : Hideki Yoshimoto

Design : Hideki Yoshimoto + Massimo Marolda

Engineering : Hideki Yoshimoto + Edward Slater

BALNI BARBI (2018)

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Approach to a Shrine

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.

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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CLIENTS

AWARDS

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Hideki Yoshimoto, PhD

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.