'story of... memories of CARTIER creations' exhibition curated by tokujin yoshioka

© CARTIER

here is a sneak preview of the upcoming ‘story of… – memories of CARTIER creations’. the exhibition will be curated by japanese designer tokujin yoshioka. it will open on march 28 and run until may 31, 2009 to be held at the hyokeikan gallery of tokyo national museum (ueno park, tokyo). the exhibition has been organized to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the treaty of amity and commerce between france and japan and will have its worldwide premiere in japan.

tokujin yoshioka exhibition design © CARTIER

the CARTIER collection consists of over 1,360 pieces of jewels, timepieces and accessories, for the exhibition yoshioka selected over 250 pieces. he will highlight a new dimension of the ‘value of jewelry’ which is totally different from the usual criteria used to judge pieces such as material, shape and color; in other words he will be depicting the links between jewelry and ‘the people’, because behind each piece lies a story.

tokujin yoshioka wished to combine precious elements of cartier creations such as the passage of time and thought tied up with the cartier craftsmanship and style, with the memories from countless lives handed down throughout the generations. using the latest technology to contrast ‘future and memory space’ yoshioka has created a exhibition consisting of mirrors, projections, zoomed details and where the precious pieces magically float. this magical setting perfectly showcases the miracles of jewelry design by CARTIER, one of the world´s most renowned creators of jewelry, who have been making brilliantly crafted, luxurious designs since 1847.

http://www.tokujin.com http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/exhibition/regular/en_one_year.html http://www.cartier.com

read designboom’s interview with tokujin yoshioka

tokujin with a piece of the CARTIER collection © CARTIER

tokyo national museum

prior to tokujin yoshioka receiving this prestigious invitation to curate an exhibition for the CARTIER collection the honor was given to italian designer ettore sottsass.

left: ettore sottsass, right: ‘ CARTIER design viewed by ettore sottsass’ exhibition poster portrait © designboom

‘ CARTIER design viewed by ettore sottsass’ 2002 – 2004 one of sottsass’s main objectives was to spare viewers the swarming butterfly effect. most of the objects sat on their own, individually designed showcase, or ‘temple’. to further encourage intimate communion with the jewels, the gallery was painted black. since these jewels come to life through the light that shines on them and the light that they transmit, his idea was to create a general atmosphere of obscurity so as to ensure that only the object would give off light, and that it would appear like a vision.