ronan & erwan bouroullec craft tajimi custom tile sculptures in tokyo exhibition

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec – TAJIMI CUSTOM TILES TOKYO 2022

Two years after its 2020 debut, Tajimi Custom Tiles unveils a collaboration with Parisian designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec. The project, originally unveiled at Milan Design Week 2022, will now be shown for the first time in Japan, in an installation at LICHT gallery in Tokyo. Running from October 29 to November 6, the exhibition will feature new, never-before-seen works that showcase the spectacular possibilities of custom-made tiles. 

Tajimi Custom Tiles Tokyo 2022 will be on view from October 29 to November 6, at LICHT gallery in Tokyo

all images courtesy of Kenta Hasegawa

revealing the unlimited potential of tajami tiles

As part of the exhibition and collaboration, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (find more here) created ‘Sosei’, a series of vase-like objects whose parts are made using the special clay extrusion method, typical of Tajimi tile-making. Geometric elements are attached to a cylindrical body to create compositions of geometric shapes, colors, and glazes. The harmonizing deep colors of typical Japanese glazes are a tribute to the beauty of Japanese ceramics.

Although the exhibited objects were created as separate tiled pieces, they come together to form a complex installation in the gallery space. The exhibition focuses on tile-making techniques and the richness of glaze expression while offering a perspective beyond traditional thinking, revealing the beauty and unlimited potential of Tajimi tiles.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec’s ‘Sosei’ is a series of vase-like objects whose parts were made using the special clay extrusion method

‘Sosei’ by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec follows previous collaborations between the bespoke tile brand and designers Max Lamb and Kwangho Lee. In Lamb’s ‘Working Tile,’ the designer shows what makes Tajimi a unique production site and what TCT hopes to achieve. He designed a series of modular, three-dimensional tiles that can take on myriad forms, with the resulting objects functioning as vases, sofas, tables, benches, or partitions. He used typical clays with characteristic earthy qualities and special glazes with ambiguous colors, reminiscent of the classic Japanese tiles. His production method is die-casting, which allows high-precision three-dimensional shapes and patterns.

In Lee’s ‘Tide’, the designer was inspired by one of the typical production methods in Tajimi – clay extrusion. He created a module with a section in the form of a looped line, that can be extruded to different lengths in order to assume different functions. The modules can be stacked horizontally or vertically to form various basic objects, like walls or benches. When the modules are aligned, the repeated loop has an almost hand-drawn quality, creating patterns reminiscent of knitted fabric.

the exhibition focuses on tile-making techniques and the richness of glaze expression

although the exhibited objects were created as separate tiled pieces, they come together to form a complex installation in the gallery

the exhibition features new, never-before-seen works that showcase the spectacular possibilities of custom-made tiles

project info: 

name: Tajimi Custom Tiles Tokyo 2022
artist: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
in collaboration with: Tajimi Custom Tiles 
location: LICHT, 2F 3-18-10, Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

dates: 29 October – 6 November 2022