Makami: relating to the Japanese philosophy of “Ma” and “kami” translating to paper in Japanese, is the name of the company created for my third year “Atelier” group project.
This year’s theme is paper: a humble, accessible material with a wide range of uses. Each group member wrote an article with Japanese foundations whether it was origami, kirigami or Shoji screens. Which has lead us to the project as it is today: Hanaki – a blend of paper and spirituality.
Created for use in the Maggie’s Centre Dundee, the properties of both shoji and byobu are married to embody the Japanese philosophy of “Ma” by celebrating a respectful pause in space. The timber frame is kept bare to emphasise the purity of the design. The collapsible and portable elements allow the centre to be flexible in their surroundings.
Mounted on the screen are abstracted kusudama lotus flowers, which open using a servo motor, to welcome visitors and are a metaphor for the flow of life. The flowers move in a ripple effect when triggered by a force sensitive resistor camouflaged by pebbles. The mechanism is inspired by an umbrella with a slider anchored into the middle of the blossom. The sliding dowel is attached to the motor wing by wire loops. The wing moves 45 degrees creating a smooth blossoming of the lotus. These mechanisms are then displayed on a laser cut panel to give the illusion that the buds are floating. The shoji-byobu hybrid merely a smoke screen for technology.
The paper used is handmade Thai Silk, a robust but cloth-like material we have reinforced with a PVA solution to prevent wear.
The screen’s relationship with the outdoors relates to “shakkei” (borrowed scenery) an important aspect of Japanese design. The purpose of the screen is to support and inspire the journey of Maggie’s Centre visitors, to persevere like a lotus in muddy waters.
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