I was looking through the stacks of photos taken by Sebastian Mayer during Item Idem‘s “Display Sthetics” installation (and our Radio OK Fred sessions) during design week, and figured I’d share a few that include me. Up top, me trying to take some shots of my own. After the jump, me and Marxy (yes, he really is that tall, and yes, I really am that short) and then me and Jesper.
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As a follow-up to yesterday’s post on the MUJI Xmas knits, later in the day I went to the MUJI Yurakucho store, and was greeted by what you see above. Make the jump for two more photos.
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Shinjuku at night with illuminations, by Yuki. When I tell people that it’s really cold here during the winter, they always comment that it can’t be that bad since I’m Canadian. Well, to quote Yuki, “Tokyo winter is colder than London, because my room lacks good heating.” Despite the -20 to -30 we might have gotten back home (with the windchill factor), central heating in homes at least makes sure that once you get inside you’re nice and warm.

A new episode of Jason DeGroot’s POINTS series is up (02), featuring a talk with Dylan Cuthbert, president of Kyoto-based Q-Games.

Audrey Fondecave’s new exhibition, “Le nid de l’histoire,” will take place at La Galerie des Nakamura in Edogawabashi from November 30 until December 16. It includes works from her just-released book, DANS LA PEAU D’ANE, with Yayako Uchida, as well as a new installation. There will be an opening party, with Uchida on hand to read from the book, on December 2 from 14:00.

I included news of this year’s MUJI Xmas collection in my Tokyo post at MoCo Loco the other day. Just another bit of trivia to add — all the promotional imagery used for the campaign that uses knitted graphics were done by one of my friend’s wife’s knitting club (based in Japan). Seems like it was quite a demanding job as well, with requests for quite a few examples, which I guess are being used in stores (in Japan and abroad).

Paul de Jong of the group The Books is currently working on series of drawings called “HOTEL TERMINUS,” which are being done on stationery found at hotels. He’s on the lookout for more, so if you’ve been (or are in) a hotel in Japan (or anywhere in the world for that matter) and can help out, send along to the following address:

Paul de Jong
P.O. Box 191
New Lebanon, NY 12125
USA

Great series of matchboxes created by Yuka Yamaguchi for a group show, “Tinyshop,” at the Double Punch Gallery in San Francisco.

It’s not new, but you can watch the Groovisions-created music video for Halfby on YouTube. Via Core77.

Update
Even better than the original video are real life recreations of it done by 2channelers after the video became a hit on the popular message board. Here are links to one done in Satsuma, in Akihabara, and then Kyoto. Thanks, Patrick!

Dezeen has photos of the SANAA-designed New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture & Design have designed the interior for the Tokyo offices and showroom of the Nakagawa Chemical Design Center. Via Designboom, where you’ll find one more image.

Gallery Rocket has re-opened its doors, still in Aoyama, but now in the streets behind the Loveless store. The opening show, “Yoru no Shokubutsuen,” features the works of MUSUBI, and runs until December 9.

The Tokyo-based art and design unit Artless reveal a complete re-design of their website.

I have a piece in the current issue of the Asian edition of TIME (Vol. 170, No. 21), covering the dining bar 57 in Roppongi. You can read it online here.

PingMag talks with Toru Hachiga, founder of design magazine +81 and editor of the upcoming FROM MAGAZINES, “a collection of design-fashion-culture magazines all around the world.”