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Mike Abelson “Tool Roots”
Ginza Maison Hermès
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Mike Abelson
How were the tools that we use day in day out created? This is something that product designer Mike Abelson has been researching for many years. In this window display exhibition, Abelson responds to the Hermès 2017 theme of “Object Sense” by reproducing the contents of his brilliant research, showing the relationships and changes that have occurred as the forms of some tools have influenced the shape of others.
According to Abelson, the tools that surround us are constructed from a combination of three basic forms - the stick, the rope, the bowl. In order to demonstrate his point and the diversity of how these shapes manifest, Abelson divides the basic forms across three colors - red, blue, yellow - and incorporates various Hermès items, such as a horse whip, riding tack, tableware, bags and belts, into the exhibition. By looking at the spectrum of exhibits on show, you will notice uniformity in the shape of the objects appearing in a particular category, as well as similarity in terms of function.
Abelson observes the everyday, his research starting when he picks up an object that features as part of daily life and thinks about why and how it came to be. Anthropological notes that dissect individual exhibits in this way are presented as part of the exhibition. What should be noted is that at the root of all three basic forms is the function of human hands: sticks access things that are out of reach, ropes hold things in place, bowls scoop things up. It can be assumed then that tools were created in order to carry out these hand movements over extended periods of time. Through the years the shape of tools created by humans has gradually evolved due to changes in materials, the environment, and the nature of daily activities, meaning that now tools can accomplish things that we alone can no longer achieve.
According to Abelson, the tools that surround us are constructed from a combination of three basic forms - the stick, the rope, the bowl. In order to demonstrate his point and the diversity of how these shapes manifest, Abelson divides the basic forms across three colors - red, blue, yellow - and incorporates various Hermès items, such as a horse whip, riding tack, tableware, bags and belts, into the exhibition. By looking at the spectrum of exhibits on show, you will notice uniformity in the shape of the objects appearing in a particular category, as well as similarity in terms of function.
Abelson observes the everyday, his research starting when he picks up an object that features as part of daily life and thinks about why and how it came to be. Anthropological notes that dissect individual exhibits in this way are presented as part of the exhibition. What should be noted is that at the root of all three basic forms is the function of human hands: sticks access things that are out of reach, ropes hold things in place, bowls scoop things up. It can be assumed then that tools were created in order to carry out these hand movements over extended periods of time. Through the years the shape of tools created by humans has gradually evolved due to changes in materials, the environment, and the nature of daily activities, meaning that now tools can accomplish things that we alone can no longer achieve.
Schedule | May 18 (Thu) 2017-Jul 11 (Tue) 2017 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Free | ||||
| Venue | Ginza Maison Hermès | ||||
| Location | 5-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061 | ||||
| Access | Direct walk from exit B7 at Ginza Station on the Ginza, Marunouchi and Hibiya lines. 7 minute walk from the Hibiya exit of Yurakucho Station on the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines. | ||||
| Phone | 03-3569-3611 | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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