Toys, tableware and telephones.
Cameras, cookers and cosmetic bottles.
Printers, puzzles and portable lights.
More than 100 objects of all kinds populate a new traveling exhibition devoted to contemporary Japanese design at Metropolitan State College’s Center for Visual Art in LoDo.
In 2002, the Denver Art Museum presented “US Design 1975-2000,” one of the first attempts by an American art museum to map the overlapping and pluralistic trends and developments in the field during the quarter-century.
This latest exhibition, which was organized by the Japan Foundation, does not attempt anything nearly so ambitious or groundbreaking.
Rather than try to delineate directions and spotlight the key talents in Japanese design since the 1990s, this exhibition merely showcases a group of top creations as selected by a committee of four in-country experts.
The accompanying guide contains 10 pages of introductions, which offer a loose overview of Japanese design but no fresh insights, and a listing for each object that provides basic facts but does not set it in any kind of critical context.
In the center’s slightly crowded display, which uses platforms and display cases provided by the Japan Foundation, the objects are loosely grouped by type, such as all the toys more or less in one section. But few other curatorial distinctions are made.
In the end, this exhibition is little more than a conglomeration of cool stuff.
That will probably dismay design cognoscenti. But the general public should find plenty to enjoy, especially the many recognizable, brand-name objects such as a PlayStation 2 and Sony’s robot dog, AIBO ERS-111, which got plenty of attention a few years ago.
Providing some historical context and giving the show a little more muscle are 13 classic designs from the second half of the 20th century. Some of the most important and compelling objects in the exhibition, they make the show a worthwhile visit on their own.
Highlights include the first portable transistor television from 1960, with its still contemporary-looking shape by Sou Shimada, a classic 1959 Nikon F camera designed by Yusaka Kamekura and a couple of sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s always popular paper lamps.
Offering another look back in time is a surprising display of 12 disposable cameras, showing the historical progression of designs from 1987 through 2003. It is hard to believe the now-ubiquitous little boxes have been around for nearly 20 years.
Other notable objects in the show:
For people who either don’t have or want a traditional flower vase, D-BROS has a imaginative alternative by Ryosuke Uehara and Yoshie Watanabe. They have a created a plastic bag that when filled with water sits upright and takes on the shape of a vase.
Innovative design has been a welcome facet of the digital revolution. A good example is Canon’s PIXUS 50i, a beautifully streamlined and wonderfully compact printer designed by Hiroyuki Fukushima for easy carrying.
For playfulness and color, little tops the Soft Iron NQ-SP10, a steam-and-dry iron from the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. With its orange handle, egg shape and curvy, yellow base, it looks as much like a toy as a tool for a less-than-exciting household task.
The sinuous forms of the blue, translucent Qiora cosmetic bottles and jars by Aoshi Kudo and Keiko Hirano are so graceful and sculptural that it is easy to imagine women putting them on their vanities just for decoration.
As might be expected, the show contains mostly smaller, household objects. But there are a few exceptions, including a moped, a 2003 Yamaha Passol by the ELM Design Co., and a bicycle, Bridgestone’s Transit T20SCF by Masumi Kawabata and Moriaki Gocho.
As long as visitors come with the right expectations and let themselves have fun, this show should be a hit.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
