Q & A with Rentaro Nishimura
Location: West London
Discipline: Product Design (Accessories / Jewellery)
Biography:
I am a London-based multi-disciplinary designer. After my initial training as an interior designer in Tokyo, I moved to London to study Architecture at The AA. My passion for design, construction and form, led me to then complete an MA in Product Design.
My work draws on principles of origami, repeat modular forms, self-assembly and flat-pack designs. From lights to rings, chairs to wedding dresses, window installations to packaging, my aesthetic is minimal architectural and engineered.
As well as selling to shops globally, my products can be found at Southbank Centre, Barbican Centre, GoMA, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and National Museum of Scotland shops.
Please describe your creative process/practice:
I am passionate about bridging the gap between craft and
technology. I employ digital fabrication processes such as laser-cutting, 3D printing, and CNC routing in my creative practice, and believe that understanding materials, fabrication process, and structure of design objects through making series of models, is essential to my creative process.
Your influences and motivations:
I am interested in exploring geometries, particularly those that are flexible and created from a single surface. Nature provides good examples of structures with unique characteristics such as flexibility, elasticity, durability, and lightness.
What makes your work unique?
To create 3D printed wearable and flexible geometries using a single material, thermoplastic polyurethane, it is essential to understand the character of the material and the fabrication process. This involves gaining knowledge of the material’s properties, the process of FDM 3D printing, and the structure of the design objects. By understanding these factors, it is possible to create unique functional designs that meet the desire of the customers.
Rentaro Nishimura, MOTH, Sky Sapphire, 3D Printed, £70.
Rentaro Nishimura, LEAF, Sky Sapphire, 3D Printed, £40.