Help Zohar travel to Japan with RISD

Hi, this is Zohar!! I am a current student at the Rhode Island School of Design!

This summer, my school is offering an abroad course located in Japan, and I would really really love to experience in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and gain the knowledge, cultural awareness, and experience that comes with traveling, especially with the main purpose of education.

My parents raised me with the belief that travel and exposure to cultures other than my own, can be used a tool to unite people, find commonalities, and celebrate our differences rather than fearing them. This is a truly amazing course that will allow me to both receive school credit, and gain a new and broader perspective on the world around me, and any support would be appreciated :)

_________________________________

Course Description

In search of the contemporary global influence of Japanese art and design, we will trek across 7 Japanese cities: Tokyo—the capital city, Kanazawa, Kyoto—the cultural capital, Kobe, Awaji, Osaka, and Takamatsu.

We will visit the dedicated Art Islands of Naoshima—known for the Benesse Impressionist paintings of Claude Monet—and Teshima, where we will experience the ethereal concrete shell of the Teshima Art Museum. And while in Awaji, we’ll stay overnight in the Ando-designed Yumebutai Awaji Hotel and tour his Hompukuji Water Temple; a highlight of our experience of his architecture.

This is an exceptional opportunity to experience the best of Japanese design culture with our community of creatives.

Among other exposures, we will

Visit:

-The Tokyo Toilet Projects completed this year; 17 public toilets designed by leading Japanese designers

-Anime and Manga in the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, home of Otaku culture

-Harakujo Fashion in the Shibuya neighborhood of Tokyo

-SunnyHills; Kengo Kuma’s masterpiece

-The architecture of Austrian artist, Hundertwasser, le Corbusier, Renzo Piano, Herzog & de Meuron, Raphael -Vignoli, and Japanese Pritzker Prize winners Shigeru Ban, Toyo Ito, SANNA, and Tadao Ando, among others.

Tour the offices and discuss the professional practices of:

-NIKKEN, the largest and oldest architecture firm in Japan

-Gensler; the Tokyo office of the largest U.S.-based architecture firm in the world; we will have a conversation with the American-born principal in charge of that office about the cultural differences between project delivery methods of Japan and the United States

-Kokuyo Furniture Company, where we’ll meet with their commercial furniture designers

Explore the collections of:

-21st Century Museum of Contemporary by Ryue Nishizawa.

-Nezu Museum 21_21 Design by Tadao Ando and Issy Miyake

-National Art Center by Kisho Kurokawa

-National Museum of Western Art by LeCorbusier

-Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum

-Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

-Fashion designer, Koshino Hiroko’s House designed by Tadao Ando

-Toyama Glass Art Museum designed by Kengo Kuma and featuring the glass art of RISD alum and emeritus professor Dale Chihuly

Course Objectives

-Explore Japanese cultural influences on contemporary art and design

-Study responsive and resilient design strategies in natural and man-made environments, as well as cultural preservation, in Japan

-Identify and articulate Japanese design tenents, ancient and contemporary

-Analyze Japanese design details and fabrication techniques

Learning Outcomes

-Develop a personal library of design details and fabrication techniques

-Document the cultural progression of design forms and production technologies

-Identify Japanese cultural influences in global design and entertainment

-Document sustainable design strategies and material selection

THANK YOU!