TORAFU ARCHITECTS

We designed the space for an exhibition “Giving Warmth to the Building Skin-The World of Gio Ponti, Father of Modern Italian Design” at INAX MUSEUMS in the city of pottery, Tokoname, Aichi prefecture, Even though Ponti is a modernist, he explores architectural surfaces, integrating hand craft work into machine production in order to communicate “feeling of skin,” such as its texture and warmth. Four themes: “Interior wall,” “Window” “Floor” and “Exterior wall” were keys to the interpretation of the exhibition. By making excellence use of co-located Monozukuri Koubou laboratory crafting technique, we have attempted to duplicate Ponti’s tile work.

Dividing the space into several areas by loosely placing walls like a pleat and shifting their height up and down, each exhibition room can have continuous changing surroundings. When you notice, inside and outside space has been mixed, it gives a hint to the next themed room, providing visitors “discovery experience.” This spatial arrangement also gives advantage to the small interior to look wider and more spatial.
The shifted walls seem as if they are floating, and it gives the sense of ‘lightness’ aligning with Ponti’s style. Walls have been hollowed out, allowing to see through another space, making spatial divisions even more ambiguous.

We designed the space to introduce multitalented designer Gio Ponti’s art fragmentally, meanwhile where the visitors can also discover the connection with the masterpiece.