A Circle of The Wise – Hikalu Tanabe, Asao Tokolo, Izumi Okayasu | Interviews

Omotesando, Tokyo, is one of the most cutting-edge neighborhoods in the world, home to trendy brand-name stores designed by architects from around the world. Located just off the main street, ARAKAWA GRIP's headquarters combines a showroom and the increasingly popular TIERS Gallery, featuring creative talents. The building opened in November 2017 and captures the essence of expertise and creativity through a collaboration between architect Hikalu Tanabe, artist Asao Tokolo, and lighting designer Izumi Okayasu. It should be mentioned that while Tanabe's architectural works have received awards in countries such as the U.S., Germany, and Hong Kong, the details of the design and lighting are the result of ingenuity unique to Tokolo and Okayasu, and they enhance the functionality and fascination of the architecture. For this interview, these three creators were invited to talk about the features of the gallery and ARAKAWA GRIP.
The compound initially housed a clinic consisting of ARAKAWA GRIP's showroom. When the clinic was to be rebuilt, the ARAKAWA GRIP building was to be constructed on the site. The construction company held a competition to hire a young architect to design the new building, and Tanabe was chosen for the project. Upon winning the competition, Tanabe made weekly proposals and discussions with the client and came up with the theme for the building: to create an accessible architecture that could be explored freely by the people walking along Omotesando. After refining the plan for a three-story structure, including offices, a showroom, and a gallery, they settled on the current proposal. The main staircase would naturally guide people up the slope of Omotesando. Still, the stairs would close off the spaces above and below it, potentially separating them. When placing this dynamic grand staircase in front of the building, a question arose about how the building should be presented? Nearly at that time, a cylindrical form for the building structure was envisioned, and the use of ARAKAWA GRIP'products emerged. To create a smooth flow to the street, the entrance was slightly pushed back to create a terrace shaped like a culvert in front of the building.
Tanabe was familiar with ARAKAWA GRIP products for a long time and had experience adopting them in designing previous projects, such as wire handrails. She was drawn to their products by their functionality and high design standards. So she naturally wished to incorporate them into the façade of this building in some way. The idea was to create a semi-exterior space in the setback area by stringing wires that could serve as a buffer. Around that time, Tanabe had an occasion to speak with Tokolo, and asked him to contribute a piece to make the façade even more engaging.

Tokolo recalls that communication with Tanabe went very smoothly. He remembers from childhood that there was a sense of affection for small pieces of metal. Knowing ARAKAWA GRIP, he immediately gave his consent. It goes without saying that the company name "ARAKAWA GRIP" is so familiar to those involved in architecture and interior design. Besides, as someone who originally studied architecture, he felt this was a unique environment where such materials could be used iteratively on a large scale.
The proposal by Tokolo is titled "Ruled Surface," and a mesh of wires is strung with parallel and woven as the keywords to portray the phenomenon. Since the street in front of the property is not wide, the building is visible from all angles. Moreover, according to Tokolo, the view of the sun from the interior is also excellent here. The building's architectural features can be found in how the view and sunlight come and go. He went through substantial simulations to determine the extent to which artistic elements could be drawn into the gallery. He made models of paper and wood, which he used to study the wire mesh.
Finally, a full-scale model was made at the ARAKAWA GRIP factory in Tokorozawa, and a series of experiments were conducted with various effects, such as lighting. When they tried it, the result was so beautiful that they felt it did not require additional work. At that point, the client was interested in creating lighting fixtures using their devices. Accordingly, Okayasu was introduced as he is the only lighting designer who can create lighting from scratch.

According to Okayasu, wires have always been used in the field of lighting to hang the fixture and keep the detail minimal when the load is limited. Thus, his relationship with ARAKAWA GRIP started long ago, and he has used their products since he began working. When he started this project, he initially discussed not installing any lighting on the ceiling. It meant creating a gallery that could be successfully operated without exhibition lighting. Although spotlights are now installed, they were placed only as a supplement. They agreed at the beginning that the space could be created without lighting equipment.
Therefore, the lighting was planned from an early stage. And when Tokolo completed a model for the facade, he and Okayasu went through a series of explorations together.
Having visited the gallery after a long interval, Tokolo feels that the staircase and other features have come along well. Also, as an exhibitor, he has had the opportunity to hold two exhibitions here. The gallery's opening was the "CONNECT Exhibition" featuring several guests invited by Tokolo. He thought he was familiar with the space, but he finds appreciation and a fresh desire to showcase his work every time.
This gallery is not a simple or easy-to-use white cube. It is a great place to test yourself as an exhibitor and inspire yourself. There have been times when Tokolo came here every day and stayed the entire day. He emphasized the light and shadows that change from moment to moment and season to season in this gallery are very atmospheric.

The building also has a special landing in the mid-level, which gives it a unique appearance of a small village. An original 300-millimeter square box-shaped fixture designed by Okayasu for the gallery blends naturally with the interior. The lighting fixtures tend to reflect the image of the designer and manufacturer. Okayasu eliminated this as much as possible and created a lighting piece with high anonymity. Placing several of these fixtures in a gallery is sufficient to illuminate the atmosphere. The positioning of these fixtures also allows for the direction of flow and the division of areas. Tokolo raves about this fixture lighting, calling it "Okayasu-san." Tanabe speculates that there has never been a lighting fixture that also serves as an exhibition stand. Okayasu says that this lighting was conceived after considering how to illuminate the vicinity of exhibits in this gallery space.
What were their visions for ARAKAWA GRIP? Tokolo wants to upscale what he designed for the facade here by changing the angles and other modifications to make a permanent work of art. He incidentally created the building's logo and signage for the gallery. And the name "TIERS," which fits the structure perfectly, came from Tanabe. The gallery is now attracting a wide range of designers, artists, and students in and out of Japan. Exhibitors of this gallery will be inspired by its architecture, interior design, lighting, and ARAKAWA GRIP functions. Furthermore, they will deepen their understanding of exhibiting and the environment in which exhibits are hung. It will also provide a unique opportunity for them to experience the products of ARAKAWA GRIP directly. text by Masaaki Takahashi