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Join by BCXSY
Milan 2010: at Spazio Rosana Orlandi in Milan this week designers Boaz Cohen & Sayaka Yamamoto of BCXSY are exhibiting a series of folding wooden screens made in collaboration with a Japanese joinery craftsman.
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Called Join, the pieces each feature slatted panels that form a grid where they overlap.
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Join is the first in a series of projects called Origin, where the Eindhoven designers explore traditional crafts.
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For Join they worked with a craftsman called Mr. Tanaka, a master of Japanese Tategu wood joinery.
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See all our stories about Milan 2010 in our special category.
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The information below is from BCXSY:
Origin – Part I : Join
Origin – our explorations into traditional crafts from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.
Tategu – the traditional craft of Japanese wood joinery.
Mr. Tanaka – a master of Tategu.
Join – the results of our collaboration with Mr. Tanaka.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/04/dzn_Join-by-BCXSY-12.jpg)
Join consists of a series of three space-dividers. In each piece two lined frames, representing the humble integrity inherent to the craft, are visually merged to create a moment that deviates from the conventional Tategu aesthetic, and introduces angles and shapes that are not commonly used in the craft.
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Because the ‘merged’ element within each piece diverges from the traditional process and the conventional aesthetic, the screens become a natural division in the interior.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/04/dzn_Join-by-BCXSY-16.jpg)
Each piece is made from Hinoki Japanese Cypress), an elegant and pleasantly scented wood that is highly rot-resistance and does not require any additional oils or waxes.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/04/dzn_Join-by-BCXSY-17.jpg)
Hinoki is the most luxurious wood used in the craft of Tategu. The three screens in the Join series are available in a limited edition of 8 pieces each and are all handcrafted by Mr. Tanaka in his workshop in Tokyo.
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Mr. Tanaka’s work, and the other works we were exposed to, made a deep and lasting impression. We found the process, the extreme skill and accuracy required by the craft fascinating.
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We were also inspired by the personal touch each Tategu master applies to his work.
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Every piece requires a variety of different tools that are often custom made by the craftsman to address a specific task.
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There is a hidden dialog between the Tategu master and the work he creates – there is a reason for every step, a story behind every pattern.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/04/dzn_Join-by-BCXSY-22.jpg)
Our challenge manifested itself in developing a project that was innovative yet still honored the traditional aspects of the craft.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2010/04/dzn_Join-by-BCXSY-15.jpg)
See also:
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our special category |