Standing on the shoulders of Hasami’s rich artisanal traditions, a ceramic platform emerges inside the flagship store for ceramics brand Maruhiro in Nagasaki. Maruhiro is the leading producer of Hasami ceramics which including pottery and porcelain. Named for the region, this area has a history of ceramic tableware production and wholesale distribution dating back to the early 17th century.
Architect Yusuke Seki project is easily distinguishable for his calculated minimalism and unconventional design. Using 25,000 locally sourced white tableware to create new layers in the space. Each of the pottery pieces are imperfect and sourced from factories in the Hasami region. These pieces called “Shinikiji” in Japanese were found to be flawed after the initial bisque-firing by their respective local production facilities. As part of his re-valuative design process, Seki revived these pieces. He filled the discarded cups, plates, and bowls with concrete to strengthen their voids and then stacked them together like bricks to over a meter-high in Tetris-like precision.
With a sustainable approach, the proposed design is a way to alter store-goers experience and interpretation of the environment. Furthermore, the white platform creates a sense of reverence for this history, conveying the fragilely of each individual item, engineered together to inspire and cultivate respect for the legacy on the whole.
