Mirror, mirror, on the wall…
The mirror and the central role it plays in our lives goes far beyond the Grimm’s fairy tales and our bathrooms: Wall pieces such as Tokujin Yoshioka’s “Mirage” enhance the aesthetic appeal of living rooms, hallways and entryways across the world.
Yet the dimensions of this mirror are subject to no boundaries – well, aside from the size of the wall on which it hangs, of course.
Mirrors reflect light and optically expand rooms into sheer infinity, and Tokujin Yoshioka’s “Mirage” for Lema is no exception.
However, a simple mirror alone would not have been challenging enough for the Japanese master of the experimental and the magical.
Anyone who is able to fashion architecture from fibers, armchairs from crystals and windows from rainbow prisms, can of course turn his hand to mirrors too, and come up with something rather special.
“Mirage” comprises a series of different segments, each coated with a reflective surface.
But the object’s unique refinement comes in the form of its hanging system, which allows the user to align and arrange the individual elements in a seemingly infinite variety of ways.
Rotated a little to the right, or a little more to the left, the mirrors can be mounted alongside one another and as such capture far more light and create a wider range of spatial impressions than a simple, flush mirror ever could.
Thus, what we see in the mirror is more of a shimmering fata morgana or a glimpse into another realm.
Tokujin Yoshioka has provided “Mirage” with yet another dimension: Users aren’t restricted to hanging the mirror elements one after another in a single straight line.
The “coupling system” devised by the manufacturer means that they can even adjust the height of the individual components, when lining them up.
It is this finesse that renders “Mirage” far superior to the plain, mundane mirrors we all know so well, and transforms this wall piece into an objet d’art.
About Tokujin Yoshiokai
Tokujin Yoshioka
Born in Saga, Japan in 1967.
Worked under Shiro Kuramata in 1987
And Issey Miyakein 1988
In 2000 he established his own studio, Tokujin Yoshioka Design .
He has done many projects with Issey Miyake for nearly 20 years such as shop design and installation for A-POC and ISSEY MYAKE. Also, he has collaborated with various companies in and outside Japan such as HERMES, TOYOTA, BMW, KDDI, SWAROVSKI, and other noted brands.
Since the paper chair “Honey-pop” 2001 he has attracted a great deal of public attention, Tokujin produced Driade’s “Tokyo-pop’, Yamagiwa’s lighting “TOFU”, cell phone “MEDIA SKIN” for au design project, chandelier “STARDUST” for SWAROVSKI Crystal Palace, polyester chair “PANE Chair”, “Chair That Disappears in the Rain” made of special glass, installations for LEXUS, MOROSO and many others. They have been highly evaluated as art works simply more than design works.
Some of his most important works are displayed as a part of permanent collections in the world’s well-known museums such as Museum of Modern Art (MONA) in New York, Centre national d’ Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum and Vitra Design Museum.
His Awards include:
Mainichi Design Award, 2011
Cultural Affairs Section of Government of Japan, Encourage Prize, 2006
BVLGARI Brilliant Dreams Award, 2007
Good Design Award, 2007
Design Miami, Designer of the Year, 2007
Wallpaper Design Awards, 2006
Design for Asia Award (DFA Award), 2008
Elle Deco International Design Awards (EDIDA), Designer of the Year, 2009
