​“The aspects of the Japanese aesthetic that I have tried on this occasion to focus on are the spiritual qualities, the sensibility and the attentiveness that are present within me as a Japanese individual, as well as the sense of identity that emerges through the way in which these attributes are actually revealed.
We sense the Japanese aesthetic in the way in which consideration and attentiveness are present to an astonishing degree while, on the surface, an expression of utter simplicity is maintained.
In contrast to the simplicity and profundity of appearance, there is at the same time an extraordinary degree of robustness and attentiveness to the needs of others. My aim in creating this chair was to realize a degree of comfort that could never be imagined from a mere glance at the simple external shape and a sense of happy surprise generated by actually touching the chair.
On the surface this chair is extremely thin. It looks very hard, as if it were made of plastic laminated molded plywood. But soft cushions are placed on the seat and in the back area, thus making the seat very comfortable and ensuring that it remains comfortable for extended periods of sitting. The spirit of attentiveness to people’s needs is not manifest solely in visual terms: I have aimed at a design that achieves completion through the actual experience of the physical object.
My intention has been to concentrate in the form of a chair the surprise and joy to be obtained from experiencing the gap between visual impression and functional comfort.”
窶尿ZUMI/Shin Azumi&Tomoko Azumi