The Jellyfish Floating in Your Room
| Item Number | tk006107 |
| Item Name | Kurage |
| Price | Kurage main piece: 150,000 yen |
| Limited | No |
| Size | v1: W600mm x D600mm x H800mm |
| Material | Kurage: Fiber optics |
| Payment Methods | PayPal |
| Shipping | Shipping costs will be emailed after order (all items ship from Japan) |
| Time to delivery | 1 month |
| Notes | Returns are not accepted. |
| Buyer | Sugiura |
The line shines.
I've often had the wild idea, what if a line radiated light? Particularly a thin line. Sorry to start talking suddenly about myself. Along those lines I've seen many a neon sign and fluorescent light, but that's about it.
Kurage's delicate lines - the lines themselves glow! (note from the translator: kurage means jellyfish in Japanese). Its parts consist of fiber optics and a light source. I'm sure many of you don't think of fiber optics as a new material. Yes, of course, other lighting fixtures have been made using fiber. However, Kurage's use of fiber is innovative.
I'll describe it to you. Creator Nagasaka uses the fiber to its fullest. He takes fiber which would illuminate evenly and bends it into circles to create a fading effect. Normally the cut end of fiber shines the brightest, but Mr. Nagasaka places this end in the illuminator to make the entire line shine. His use of this material's stiffness and ability to hold position is remarkable. The fiber is shaped into a truss which is put under tension and developed into a solid body.
It seems simple, but I've never anything like it. Without a flaw, Kurage is beautiful. An arrow through my heart.
Kurage v1, off, floating silently.
Kurage v2, on!
Kurage v3, spiral version.
Kurage v4, 12 levels of color. You can change between a warm incandescent white to a bluish fluorescent with the flick of a switch.
Jellyfish are multiplying
By the time Nagasaka began working on a rough sketch of Kurage he was already done. Kurage was born from the feel of the fiber and working out a natural shape with the material. Once he really started concentrating the four versions we are introducing here were born. The first time I saw Kurage there was only one, but the next time I visited there were four and I couldn't choose which I liked best! I can't take my eyes away, but if I did and looked back there might be another new version!
This light's creator, Mr. Nagasaka, is the director of Schema Architecture, and works mainly with architecture, but also interior and product design. As an architect you'd think he's always working with blueprints. The world of millimeter exactness. But Mr. Nagasaka also improvises? And Kurage is born. Mr. Nagasaka can probably be both people - exact and impromptu. Because he has such balance I thought once again, this is how such work comes about.
"Each one will be different, so I'm afraid this won't work out", the architect side of Mr. Nagasaka responds to my requests to put Kurage on Mitsubai. Don't worry, that's this pieces' strong point!
Kurage was the first product chosen by Aoyama | Meguro gallery curator Mr. Aoyama Hideki for "happa product". happa is a gallery, office and workspace for creators of various genres. The works of these artists are announced here, so please feel free to take look.
During the day it blends in.
As it darkens Kurage takes shape.
Kurage v2 from below, the view changes this much!
A rare and cutting-edge illuminator
The light source is also impressive.
Fiber doesn't light by itself, so you need a light source, which to date has mostly been done with halogen bulbs. The light source box has a cylinder at one end where you insert the fiber and place them flat against the lens. About two years ago I used a box type but it was so heavy I couldn't imagine hanging it from the ceiling.
Then "Compact Light Illuminator" was released. Let me introduce it with Kurage's development timeline.
2007 summer: Kurage test version + compact halogen
2008 winter: Kurage v1 + compact LED
2008 summer: 4 types of Kurage + brighter, improved LED
The light source itself changed as Kurage developed. I'd like to broadly go over a few vocabulary; if you're a pro please skip to the next section.
Halogen bulb: shines for the same reasons as an incandescent bulb. Emits heat so the fixture becomes hot. Very bright (sparkling). Bulbs are expensive.
LED: the diode shines. Emits very little heat. Able to change color, long life. Every year brighter LEDs are developed. Individual LEDs are cheap, but more expensive when they are bright.
Kurage was born from combining the newest technology and creation techniques.
The parts are rare as they are not being imported to Japan yet.
Mr. Okayasu Izumi of Izumi Design Office helped me technically and materially to make the set available to sale for you.
The color shade changing model (from an orangish incandescent light to a bluish fluorescent light) changes between 12 modes with a switch attached to the top of the illuminator. (* If you use a DMX controller you can program the light source and control it remotely)
The light source will fit on the palm of your hand.
Suspension diagram. The light source fits inside the adapter.
Hiring!
Mr. Nagasaka, Mr. Aoyama and I were talking and we became quite excited talking about craftsmen with technical skills. Mr. Nagasaka recently asked the same business, which has been around for 40 years, to spray a piece of furniture with a special color for him. He was amazed by the high quality of the results. "If only we could combine modern design and antiquated craftsmanship", wondered Mr. Nagasaka. I couldn't agree more.
Further down the conversation we came onto the topic of how Kurage is made by hand. What if a craftsman used their technique? How would the piece be transformed?
We are looking for a manufacturer or craftsman to make this piece for Mitsubai. If you interested and can keep making them, please contact us!
