JUDGES

I try to catch and reproduce the moments in my life when I feel “good.”
I think of that as my own personal design.
I think the theme “primitive” is very close to that.
When you think about things that are “primitive”, it's possible to redefine many things.
It may also be useful to think about why you are submitting your work from a broader perspective. I want you to believe in your own senses and truly enjoy making things.
I am looking forward to seeing works that shine with the individuality of their creators, brought forth from a perspective rooted in the world of design.

One of the thoughts that we put into the idea of, “primitive” is not the convenience and functionality we find in our daily lives, but how we fundamentally live from here on out. In our modern urban society, the number of things that can be considered, “primitive” are rapidly decreasing. It’s getting to the point that it’s becoming almost impossible to actually experience anything like that. While industrialization and digitalization rapidly progress, I want people to think about the instinctive way in which humans live, and I want them to think about what is really necessary in this world and give those thoughts shape. The key to the idea of what is “primitive” is whether or not a person can feel the “heat” of the creator’s thoughts and ideas, and whether a person can feel that heat within the product and its design. The world is in a period of great change and transition, and I want designers and creators who work to create the future to think about the future ahead of us with their eyes looking forward.

We are in an age where the internet and social media are overflowing with information, but by removing the surface-level information and going back to basics, we can see the core and the origins of manufacturing, the role it plays, the materials it uses, and the processes it uses to get there. The theme of “primitive” is that ideas born from such fundamental notions can lead us into a new future.
Also, because we live in an era where information is readily at our fingertips, I want you to revel in the satisfaction that comes from working with your hands, experiencing and discovering the world for yourself without relying solely on that easily obtainable information. We’re looking forward to seeing the works you made during this exciting process.

When you hear the word, “primitive,” you might think of it in terms of the use of pure source materials or of rudimentary shapes. But in this theme, we want you to think of “primitive” in a more conceptual sense. I feel that the idea of something “primitive” is that of the natural flow and background of a story that is created and used over a long period of time. Rivers form a natural shape along with the topography, but if we compare design to the flow of a river, if the work flows unnaturally or causes environmental destruction, the end result will also feel unnatural. I am hopeful that this award will give birth to products that feel natural and do not seem as though they stick out in that particular place or shape. And I hope that this award will give birth to products that can be used move others emotionally.

I think that you will discover a “primitive” shine only after you deepen your thoughts and your own perspective without being swayed by external requirements or conditions.
However, it will not shine through based on your own beliefs alone. The moment in which it becomes something that everyone can relate to, and not just something that you can see only from your own point of view...
This is the principle behind the discovery of primitiveness, and I think the idea will shine through.
In our approach to such discoveries, please try to work with your hands a lot.
The results that emerge from making things are full of things that cannot be seen simply through normal thinking and organization.
To create is to think. I am very much looking forward to seeing the “primitive” discoveries and wonders you all come up with by working using your head and your hands.