KAZUNOBU NAKAMURA

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer KAZUNOBU NAKAMURA ("KN") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

KN : Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Architecture in 2000, at the top of this class. I started working in the architectural industry, but instead of focusing on architectural design, which focuses on facades and the connections between spaces, I wanted to focus on how to design a single interior space, so I switched to spatial design. At the same time, as an art activity, he began presenting installation works based on the theme of organic shapes that exist in the natural world, and has continued to do so up to the present.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

KN : The goal of my design is to manifest and realize the seeds of design that I have found, that is, the trivial elements that only I find attractive, into a form that everyone can understand.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

KN : Whenever I encountered life's choices, I picked and chose what I loved to do with my life and ended up in the profession of designer.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

KN : I am not a design legend, but I hope to become one someday. I don't know how to become one yet, so I continue to search for the answer to that question on a daily basis.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

KN : I think a great designer is able to create something fresh with unknown values. I think that what a great designer creates is a design made within the scope of existing values.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

KN : I would like to consider design study to create works that abstract and manifest beautiful things in nature, such as trees, clouds, flowing water, and mountain ridges. I would like to turn this study into reality through actual interior and installation design.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

KN : Unfortunately, I don't know yet. I'm still searching for that answer, too.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

KN : I am inspired by old Japanese painters who expressed majestic undulations and streams with a single brushstroke. Kano Eitoku, Hasegawa Tohaku, Maruyama Okyo, Katsushika Hokusai, and others.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

KN : The large tree that covers the screen and the undulating branches and leaves that surround it, as represented by Eitoku Kano's "Hinokizu Byobu(Cypress Trees Screen)". The rippling, raging river represented by "Hozugawa Folding Screen" by Okyo Maruyama. Hokusai Katsushika's "Fugaku Sanjurokkei/Kanagawa Okinamiura" is known overseas as "The Great Wave" because of its huge waves that seem to engulf the entire space. These motifs of organic forms of nature, with their irregular shapes and dynamic brushstrokes, create a flow in the space and beautiful depth and expanse.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

KN : I continue to work on designs every day, believing that my most outstanding works are those that have yet to be realized, but will be realized in the future.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

KN : I believe that the way to become a better designer is not to be satisfied with one's current situation, not to be satisfied with one's past work, and to continue striving to create better work.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

KN : I think he wanted to be a sculptor or a contemporary artist, etc. In that case, he would have wanted to be an artist who could create art that has eternity.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

KN : I want to create as many works of art as possible that will remain in people's hearts and be loved long after my life is over.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

KN : That may be Kikuchi City Central Library. Seven years have passed since the library opened, and the children who attended and studied at the library when it first opened are now adults. I was very happy to hear that they are proud of this library and that their life choices were influenced by their encounter with this library.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

KN : The design period for most jobs is one year or more from conception to the creation of the implementation design. Most projects, regardless of size, take several years to complete, counting from the initial planning stage.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

KN : When designing a space in an empty space, my mind is always empty at the beginning. I seek various stimuli in order to spark ideas in my mind that are suitable for this place. First, I gather information on the characteristics of the place, the functions required, and the ideal image sought, and turn this information into the seeds of a design. And I aim to create new value by crossing these with the design studies.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

KN : Technology is one of the ways I use to materialize the images in my mind. I think technology is a great tool for exploring concrete forms while examining real-world dimensions and structures.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

KN : I like materials that are less assertive as materials. Many space designers utilize the strong expression of the material itself, such as stone or solid wood, in their designs. However, I prefer plain, less assertive materials that purely express form and structure. I always want my materials to be like "water. Sometimes it forms the surface of water, sometimes it flows like a river, sometimes it breaks up into small pieces and becomes rain, and sometimes it drifts around in the space and becomes fog. Although they are made of the same material, their appearance is plain and changeable, without any sense of materiality. It leaves a strong impression of form rather than asserting itself as a material. I want the material to be like that.