Tokyo Design Week 2015

Tokyo Design Week 2015

The arts extravaganza brings out the creatives

By

MMI (Musical Mechanical Instruments) Project by Kimura

Everyone loves great design. For the past three decades, Tokyo Design Week has been bringing together some of the world’s best work. More than 100,000 visitors partake in the festivities each year, and the organizers are expecting 115,000 for the 30th anniversary event at Meiji-Jingu Gaien from October 24 to November 3.

Musashino
Musashino
(Photo courtesy of Tokyo Design Week)

Merging architecture, interior design, product design, and graphic design, TDW always has an exciting lineup—and 2015 is no different. The theme for this year’s event is “interactive”, and the offerings will be divided into four main categories: design, art, fashion, and music.

Among the highlights tied into the theme are the Interactive Exhibition and the Interactive Workshop, which allows the next generation of visual artists to share their visions. Think they want you to be interactive? You’re right.

There are also a number of robot-related sessions on the calendar, including the Super Robot Exhibition, a display of the latest technologies in robotics and devices that help make our lives better; and the Robot Inspired Exhibition, which center on the genres of CG printing, graphics, and illustration, and highlights the work of graphic designers, fashion designers, and sound artists that are, as the name implies, inspired by our mechanical friends.

Young Creators Exhibition
Young Creators Exhibition
(Photo courtesy of Tokyo Design Week)

Don’t feel like being assimilated? There’s also the 100 Creators Exhibition, a place where aspiring amateurs can show off their skills, and Team Lab Island, where adults and children can explore the essence and fun of art together.

Those familiar with the wildly popular South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive music and film festival held each March in Austin, Texas, will be interested in the South by Southwest Japan Nite. This special event will take place as part of Tokyo Design Week on October 24 to 25, and November 1 to 2.

There are many, many more events on the slate, such as the Young Creators Exhibition that comes in four separate flavors: design, art, fashion, and music, plus lots of company exhibitions. The TDW website has all the details that just won’t fit into our pages. Check it out and get interactive!

Tokyo Design Week 2015. October 24-November 3 (event site closed October 29). Meiji-Jingu Gaien. Tickets at the door: adults ¥3,000, university students ¥2,000, high school students ¥1,500, junior high school students ¥1,000; online tickets ¥2,500. Nearest station: Shinanomachi, Gaiemmae, or Aoyama-itchome. http://tokyodesignweek.jp