Chawan - a wabi ideal from the kiln; Shigaraki, Ueda Naokata IV (1898 - 1975) Photo: nexd, Robin Hartschen
From 2023-2026, the Department of Interior Architecture will work closely with the Exhibition Design Institute of the Peter Behrens School of Art (PBSA) in Düsseldorf and with Masayo Ave, a Japanese designer based in Berlin. The focus of the collaboration will be an exhibition on Japanese aesthetics, material culture and philosophical approach to life entitled “Japanese Happiness. In search of happiness of inner contentment through aesthetic experience”, initiated by Philipp Teufel, Professor Emeritus of Exhibition Design at PBSA, and the Identity Foundation, a Düsseldorf-based institution supporting philosophy and culture.
From 15 to 22 October 2023, first-year students of the MA Interior Architecture at EKA were in the Ruhr area of Germany to participate in a joint workshop with students of the exhibition design of the Peter Behrens School of Art. Together they helped Masayo Ave and the Japanese masters to install the exhibition “The KOUBA principle: The fundamentals of Japanese design in the Tsubame-Sanjo region”. During these days, the students got to know in depth the objects on display, the traditional Japanese craftsmanship, as well as the Red Dot Design Museum collection and the Red Dot Product Design Awards exhibition.
The cooperation between the two universities continued on 13-17 October 2023 in Tallinn, where the students of the EAA and PBSA started working on an exhibition introducing Japanese material culture. The theme of the exhibition is aesthetics and happiness and its expressions in Japanese material culture. The exhibition consists of thirty historical and contemporary objects selected by dozens of Japanese and European artists who are at one with each other in Japanese design, spatial culture and philosophy. The exhibition is curated by Philipp Teufel, former director of the PBSA Institute of Exhibition Design. The exhibition design, including stands, showcases and exhibition architecture, was created in collaboration between Estonian and German students.
The exhibition was first shown in Cologne at the Japanese Cultural Institute from 24.05.2024 to 31.07.2024. In spring 2025 the exhibition will travel to Estonia, opening on 6 March in the ARS project space. The Tallinn exhibition will also be built by exhibition design students from EKA and PBSA. In October 2024, a workshop will be held under the guidance of Masayo Ave. In 2026, the exhibition will travel to Japan.