Under the flood of information nowadays, it is hard to say “we don’t know”. We can search for whatever we like to know. Virtual comes closer to reality and we can “experience” a lot in virtual way, sometimes it is even more real than reality itself. But, we come back and say we still want to know and we still want to see things in real. We want to use our hands.

“DESIGN A” is a TV program from NHK education, which supplies high quality program toward kids, inviting various top artists, designers, scientists, photographers, musicians and actors to create wonderful short program. “DESIGN A” is one of these kids education program that help them to understand the meaning of design around us. Mr Taku Sato (graphic designer), Mr Keigo Oyamada (musician) and Mr Keigo Nakamura (interface designer) are responsible of this program.

In the program, they try  to see  design in different ways.

For example in “dissolve it!”  they break down one very simple thing into pieces.

Many people are fans of this wonderful program, from kids to adult. Since  7^th February, we can see and experience this TV program in a real space as an exhibition in 21_21 design site.

With the participation of designers and artists, this exhibition offers the chance to touch the meaning of design, it is real fun to see things in a different way even it is just the ordinary daily stuff. You can play with music and movie reacting together with your body movements, you can learn how to form a balloon with just single pieces of paper, you can sketch a penguin  with  others visitors  by drawing on  iPad and posting your “point of view”.

You realize how one thing can bee seen in different ways.

Since design is now a commercial “tool” use to better sell any kind of products from “design hotel” to” design apartment”, we started to feel suspicious about design. But here we can realize the real meaning of design. The simple pure joy to be creative, to see things differently and to find ourselves. That is Design!

Kaori Iyeasu

NHK design program

Exhibition at 21-21