TOKYO, JAPAN

WOOD: RED OAK

Kodai Iwamoto, born in Kagoshima, Japan, is a product designer and artist who began his study of product design at Kobe Design University in Japan. While working on his bachelor's degree there, he joined DESIGN SOIL, an educational design project run by teaching staff and students. Through the project, Iwamoto participated in several international design fairs such as Milan Design Week. Iwamoto then moved to Lausanne in Switzerland for 2 years to gain practical skills on a masters course at ECAL. Iwamoto has since moved his base to Tokyo and has been actively working with furniture brands both in Japan and abroad. His work raises questions about the current social structure that relies heavily on mass production, pursuing convenience and efficiency. He expresses the present situation, where the production can't be stopped even though the impact upon the environment is concerned in all aspects, by applying the technique and approach of product design.

Iwamoto’s inspiration for his Discovered piece came from his childhood. ‘I remember going to the forest near my house when I was a kid with my father. I peeled the skin off the cedar trees with my hands to make some toys. The trees grow thicker and taller by removing the old bark. I guess I felt the tree’s growing process is very similar to our current times in which the virus breaks old habits and leads to a new era.’