Akari
Ancient lanterns, made from bamboo and mulberry bark paper, inspired Isamu Noguchi to design a whole range of 'light' sculptures. He called them Akari, a term meaning light as illumination, but also implying the idea of weightlessness.
They are still in production, following the traditional method that Noguchi learned in 1951 in Japan. Watch this short video to see how crafty it is done. The outcome is a resilient paper form, which can be collapsed and packed flat for shipping. The museum shop in New York has them in stock.
The basic round lantern is now copied all over the world, but Noguchi was the first modern promotor. Most of his designs ooze a 'fifties modernity' that is still alluring. "Like the beauty of falling leaves and the cherry blossom," Noguchi wrote, "Akari are poetic, ephemeral, and tentative. All that you require to start a home are a room, a tatami, and Akari.”
Akari
Ancient lanterns, made from bamboo and mulberry bark paper, inspired Isamu Noguchi to design a whole range of 'light' sculptures. He called them Akari, a term meaning light as illumination, but also implying the idea of weightlessness.
They are still in production, following the traditional method that Noguchi learned in 1951 in Japan. Watch this short video to see how crafty it is done. The outcome is a resilient paper form, which can be collapsed and packed flat for shipping. The museum shop in New York has them in stock.
The basic round lantern is now copied all over the world, but Noguchi was the first modern promotor. Most of his designs ooze a 'fifties modernity' that is still alluring. "Like the beauty of falling leaves and the cherry blossom," Noguchi wrote, "Akari are poetic, ephemeral, and tentative. All that you require to start a home are a room, a tatami, and Akari.”