PROFILE

Description

Description

For Hiroshi Awatsuji, born in Nishijin, Kyoto, textiles were probably the most familiar object of creation. In the post-war period of the 1950s and 60s, Japan was experiencing a remarkable economic development, and a large amount of housing was supplied to the public and private sectors, and each household was equipped with a variety of products, including the three sacred treasures (washing machine, hoover and black and white television). However, people were less concerned about the quality of their living spaces, and textiles and fabrics such as curtains and noren, which occupied a large area of space, did not attract much attention.
In the midst of this situation, Awatsuji moved his base from Kansai to Tokyo. During a long trip to Europe and the United States, he experienced modern living and was inspired by modern design, which led him to build a world of textile design and interior textiles unique to Japan. His work and activities revolutionised the world of textile design, creating fabrics that the Japanese had never seen before and the modern, sophisticated living spaces they created.
Throughout his life, Awatsuji's best-known work was a series of products created in collaboration with fujie textile, particularly the "Heartart" brand that dominated the market. Unlike traditional textile design, these products were simple, modern and sharp. At the same time, through the widespread use of roll blinds and the development of fabric products such as curtains, upholstery, cushions and accessories using the same textiles that are commonplace in Europe and the US, textiles became an important element of spatial design. Awatsuji's wide range of friendships and popularity with graphic designers such as Yusaku Kamekura and Ikko Tanaka, architects such as Mayumi Miyawaki, Takamitsu Azuma and Kazuhiro Ishii, interior designers such as Shigeru Uchida, Ikuyo Mitsuhashi and Yasuo Kondo, and photographers such as Mitsumasa Fujitsuka, are testament to his personality. His wife, Sanae, is also a doll maker and cook.

Masterpiece

Masterpiece

Textiles

"AUGUST" (1973), "Light Bulb" (1980), "Bicycle" (1982), "Waves" (1986), "Night Lights" "HIBIKI" "SEKI" "KASANE" (1988), Tapestry in the reception hall of the Taisho Marine & Fire Insurance head office building (1984), Lobby tapestry at Hiroshima Terminal Hotel (1987), Products of DESIGN HOUSE AWA (1988-) etc.

Books

"THE TEXTILE DESIGN OF HIROSHI AWATSUJI" Kodansha (1990)

Interview

Interview

It is very difficult for the family to take care of the works and materials of the deceased.
I am very grateful to have them in the collection of a public museum.

Archive donated to the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

ー　I heard that Mr. Hiroshi Awatsuji's works and materials have been donated to the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.

Awatsuji　Yes, they were. Awatsuji passed away in 1995, and five years later, in 2000, a retrospective exhibition entitled "Textile environment of color : Hiroshi Awatsuji" was held at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. In preparation for this exhibition, I and my two daughters, who are now working as designers, sorted out the works and materials and donated them directly to the museum. It is very difficult for the family to manage the works and materials of the deceased. Even if my daughters and I could manage it while we were still alive, it would be a terrible thing to leave it to our grandchildren. In this sense, I am very grateful to have the collection of a public museum.

ー　Are there any works that have not been donated to the museum?

Awatsuji　There was a time when Awatsuji was immersed in oil painting shortly after moving to Tokyo in 1954. He also exhibited at the Nika Art Exhibition in 1955, 1956 and 1957, but some of these works, as well as original textile drawings, have not been donated. I have kept them at home.

ー　What exactly is Mr. Hiroshi Awatsuji's design archive?

Awatsuji　Firstly, his works. Then there are the original drawings of textile designs. There were also notes on the many art pieces he later exhibited in public spaces such as public buildings and hotels, documents about his exhibitions, magazines, photographs, and books on design and art.

ー　Also in the design archive are the original products produced by the DESIGN HOUSE AWA, which he set up in 1988 to display, produce and sell his own work.

Awatsuji　That's right. We still sell cushions and luncheon mats using Awatsuji's textiles, as well as cups and saucers and plates painted with designs from the textiles, in a small way.

ー　When I visit AWATSUJI design (the graphic design office run by his daughters Misa and Maki), I find the precious books inherited from his father still on the bookshelf and tea served in DESIGN HOUSE AWA cups and saucers. The cups are so beautiful that they are a waste of space for everyday use. Ms. Sanae is famous for being a good cook, do you use them yourself?

Awatsuji　To be honest, it is quite difficult to serve food on these plates. But there are some designs that I like, so I try to be creative and enjoy using them.

ー　Design is only as good as the people who use it, so it would be ideal for the design archive if the plates continue to be used in our daily lives in this way. This is the third time I have visited Ms. Awatsuji's home today, but whenever I come, I am always filled with the sense of good taste of Ms. Sanae and the atmosphere that you truly love this home. The house was designed by Mr. Takamitsu Azuma, known for his work on the "Tower House". Was this space also the source of Mr. Awatsuji's textile design ideas?

Awatsuji　We moved into this house in 1971, so it's been 45 years. Awatsuji had a few architects close to him, including Mr. Mayumi Miyawaki, who left many residential buildings, but in the end he asked Mr. Azuma, whom he had not met before, to design our house. Awatsuji was inspired by Mr. Azuma's masterpiece, the "Tower House", which is also his own residence, and through reading magazines and books, he came to like Mr. Azuma's ideas about architecture and housing. Besides, Mr. Azuma is from Osaka, so he and Awatsuji may have hit it off because they are both from the Kansai region. I had the privilege of visiting the Tower House, a house I had never seen before, with a staircase running through the middle of the building with small rooms attached to it, and I honestly remember thinking how difficult it must be for someone to build such a house.

ー　But you are living in a house designed by such an architect, and you are doing it well.

Awatsuji　That's right. I think he designed a wonderful and exciting space with large glass windows, which were rare in those days, a stairwell, a mezzanine floor, and a dining table integrated with the kitchen. In reality, it's cold and it's hard to change the light bulbs. But we've made improvements where we've noticed them, and as our family and our lives have changed, we've gradually grown to love the house. A tool may not feel right at first, but as you use it, it becomes familiar to you and becomes your own tool...... My grandchildren, who come here from time to time, love this house.

ー　Did you decorate the house with his works or use them?

Awatsuji　It's strange, but I think he did surprisingly little of that. He also said that it was tiring to have his works near him. Rather than display his work, he used the large white plywood wall in the living room as a canvas, painting it in a variety of colours to entertain us.

Modern living and interior textiles

ー　In the 1950s and 60s, Japan was in the midst of a period of rapid economic growth and there was a huge supply of housing. At the same time, modern living arrangements such as 2DK (two private rooms plus a dining room and kitchen) were invented, but it took a little longer for people to become interested in furniture and interior design. It was during this period that Mr. Awatsuji was establishing himself as a textile designer, how did he get involved in interior textiles?

Awatsuji　Awatsuji was very good at drawing. When he was studying design at Kyoto Municipal College of Art, he also had a part-time job as a stage designer. After graduation, he joined the design department of Kanebo Boseki and worked in textile design, but I think he was interested in designing spaces as well as two-dimensional objects because he had done stage design. After that, he moved to Tokyo and started to work in textiles, but not in clothing but in interior textiles.

ー　Mr. Awatsuji first became involved in interior textile design when he met Mr. Ryoji Fujiie of fujie textile.

Awatsuji　Even before that, he had been showing his designs in solo exhibitions. However, the encounter with fujie textile was a leap forward in the possibilities of Awatsuji's work. In the 1960s, only a few people were actually aware of the term "modern living". The word "textiles" was also rare, and people were only aware of patterns on curtains and bedding. In such a situation, Awatsuji, who had little experience as a designer, became a partner of Mr. Fujie and developed a new field of interior textiles through a process of trial and error. At that time, in 1964, Awatsuji and I had the opportunity to travel from Europe to the United States for the first time over a period of more than four months, which allowed us to experience first-hand what interior design and textile design are and to seriously consider their possibilities.

ー　What exactly did you learn?

Awatsuji　In Europe and America, not only textiles, but everything I saw and felt was fascinating. The ideas were free and lively...... In fact, he was introduced to the joys of design, which changed his whole outlook on design. And most importantly, for him, there is no scope or restriction in design, you can do whatever you want! Since then, Awatsuji seems to have freed himself from the constraints that textile design must be like this, and expanded his activities from flat surfaces to space, and from textiles to interior textiles.

ー　After returning to Japan in 1965, he built a studio in Nanpeidai, Shibuya, while working for fujie textile.

Awatsuji　Yes. This is where he met Mr. Shigeru Uchida and Ms. Ikuyo Mitsuhashi. Awatsuji valued not only the work of fujie textile but also his own expression and activities as an designer. Perhaps this was partly due to his travels in Europe and America. On the one hand, it was important for him to work in partnership with companies to produce excellent designs and products as a designer, but on the other hand, it was equally important for him to explore the possibilities of personal expression and textiles, which were difficult to achieve there. In order to balance the two, he opened his own atelier, which he used as a showroom, held exhibitions, developed his own products and sent out his message as a designer and an expressionist, even though he had no money.

ー　So this led to DESIGN HOUSE AWA.

Awatsuji　In 1988 he converted the Awatsuji atelier in Harajuku into the base for the DESIGN HOUSE AWA. He asked Ms. Ikuyo Mitsuhashi to do the interior design. It is now the office of our daughters, AWATSUJI design.
By the way, this time I was asked to interview Awatsuji about his design archive and I picked up a copy of " THE TEXTILE DESIGN OF HIROSHI AWATSUJI" after a long time. Mr. Ikko Tanaka did the layout of this book and Mr. Mitsumasa Fujitsuka took the photographs. Mr. Yusaku Kamekura and Mr. Kazuhiro Ishii wrote the preface, and Mr. Jukan Kawatoko interviewed many people and compiled the articles. When I think about it, these collections of works are also a great design archive. It's been a long time since I read through them, and I remembered things I'd forgotten and got nostalgic.

ー　That's right. Many people say that their own collections of works and books are also important archives. Besides, I think that Mr. Awatsuji's two daughters, Ms. Misa and Ms. Maki, are carrying on their father's legacy as designers. I think that is the best thing about the design archive.

Awatsuji　Yes. However, rather than inheriting his legacy, I think that both of them have been naturally influenced by Awatsuji. Nowadays, the times have changed, and it seems that the way design is done and the way designers work have changed a lot. In our time, just after the end of the war, there was nothing really going on in the Japanese design world. However, the connections between people were strong, and we would get together every day to discuss things, and we had the energy to make our ideas come true even if we didn't have the money.

ー　Finally, much of Mr. Awatsuji's design archive is held at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto. What would you like to do with it in the future?

Awatsuji　I would like to make the archive useful for future generations. However, before that, I think it is important that the collection is organised and preserved as an archive. How the archive is used is more important than the feelings of the person or people involved, but it is important that there are people who want to learn from it and use it, and that the archive is open to everyone in a fair way.

ー　Thank you very much for your long time today.

Enquiry:

AWATSUJI design
http://www.awatsujidesign.com/

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
http://www.momak.go.jp/