This was the outcome of a year long research into Japanese design. I was deeply interested in how culture influences what and how we design, and this inquiry into Japanese culture was a way of connecting myself to my ancestors. The resulting product is an experience box, where one can get in touch with some ancient philosophical concepts of the Japanese culture and see how they relate to the objects that are part of the everyday life in Japan.
"Torao Tanaka, my grandfather, was born in Fukuoka, Japan, in the first half of the 20th century. He migrated to Brazil, just as my grandmother's family did. Our communication was limited to many glances, small gestures, and few words – they hardly spoke Portuguese and I spoke even less Japanese.
Since I was little, I've had great curiosity for their habits, objects, and the things they kept carefully "stored". During a year, while they were still alive, I read, heard, collected and registered countless things about Japan. It was an empirical work that resembles a little discovery collection.
I decided to edit and share these discoveries under the form of a small discovery box, so that each can explore these principles of the japanese culture and how they translate into daily objects."
