Nagare

Gabriel Tan led Ariake's return to their creative flow with Nagare ("flow" in Japanese), a concept that encompassed both the movement of water and the progression of events. Set against the backdrop of Copenhagen's main river at DesignHouse CPH, this exhibition celebrated the resumption of Ariake's Design Workshop after a four-year pandemic hiatus, showcasing the fruits of their 2023 Saga workshop, where designers immersed themselves in the brand's craft heritage.

Nagare featured a bumper release of eight new products by Gabriel Tan, Anderssen&Voll, Keiji Ashizawa, Norm Architects, Monica Förster, Naoki Terada, and Christian Haas, including three furniture pieces crafted from the revered Hinoki cypress, and a cabinet incorporating traditional washi paper.

While Ariake offers many wood finishes, for Nagare, Gabriel's chose to juxtapose light woods such as white oak and hinoki against Ariake's unique Sumi finish, developed during their inaugural 2016 workshop using Japanese ink made from candle soot, creating the world's only "soft black" wood furniture finish.

The installation was enhanced by bonsai from artist Jan Leung and washi sculptures by Gen Taniguchi, whose 300-year-old family mill the designers visited to understand the sacred process of transforming Kaji trees into handmade paper, creating a meditative environment that honoured both tradition and innovation.

DesignHouse CPH, Copenhagen | 12-14 June 2024