‘home furnishing item’ by paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative image © designboom

japan creative is an initiative which has been developed to promote and rediscover the distinguished aesthetics and tradition-oriented skills of the japanese in today’s modern world. the organization’s aim is to create and present ideas and products from a new perspective– more specifically to provide information to the public domestically and internationally by working across a wide variety of fields from lighting to furniture, ceramics to technology. during milan design week 2012, they presented ‘simple vision’, an exhibition held within museo minguzzi expressing japan’s craftsmanship and the wisdom of past generations in a contemporary context through collaborations they have made with international designers as a means of getting individuals to rethink and redefine the role of design in our lives.

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative full view image © designboom

one of the featured projects was that of british designer paul cocksedge in partnership with japanese company pioneer electronics whose organic-EL technology has made it possible for one panel to emit light in different colors. with access to this, cocksedge wanted to develop a product using his aesthetic sensibility, something which people could use on a daily basis, ‘… without being conscious to the sophisticated high technology behind it‘. the result is a poetic and graceful wall clock which embraces japan’s culture of abundant light. behind the thin organic electroluminescent lighting panel are the time teller’s hands which become invisible as the sheet gently blows forward and changes color every 15 minutes.

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative detail of the clock’s hands which become invisible as the lighting panel gently blows forward image © designboom

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative profile image © designboom

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative detail of the technology that is integrated into the device image © designboom

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative as the panel changes color, the minute and hour hands become invisible and washed out by the illuminating color image © designboom

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative blue coloration image © designboom

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative paul cocksedge working with members of the pioneer staff on the technology used for his ‘home furnishing device’ images courtesy of japan creative

paul cocksedge with pioneer electronics for japan creative designer paul cocksedge handling pioneer’s thin electroluminescent lighting panel images courtesy of japan creative