kana nakanishi: koke a

‘koke-a’

tokyo-based kana nakanishi recently graduated from the masters course at the alto university school of art and design in finland. as her final project, she created ‘koke-a’, a piece of furniture that is designed to induce people’s senses.

‘koke-a’ provides a nice, mossy area in which to relax

the name of the project has a double meaning. in finnish, ‘kokea’ means ‘experience’ while ‘koke’ means ‘moss’ in japanese.

the seating area is made from a surface layer of carpet with two ‘hills’ which act as cushions or back rests. the ‘mossy’ exterior of the piece is made from a tufting method using wool yarn. there is a layer beneath the carpet which makes the overall feeling of sitting upon ‘koke-a’ softer, thicker and more comfortable, particularly when placed on the floor.

the cushions which create the ‘koke-a’ hills, are made from a foam with a cellulose derived from wood, with EPS (expanded polystyrene) beads used for stuffing.

two cushioned ‘hills’ provide back support or a place in which to lean