MUJI AWARD 03. We would like to thank everyone from around the world who sent in so many entries. The theme was "Found"… from nature; knowledge from those that came before us; from one's own unique culture; or from people's consciousness of the unconscious. We live today in an age where we seek to be the very best in the game of life, while still holding on to consideration and discretion on a variety of levels. A straw the way nature made it, a garbage bag the same shape of that nostalgic milk container, bed mats and detergent made of plant matter, granddad's nail hooks - I was very happy to see that this way of thinking was evident in a great many of the works entered into the competition. I would once again like to express my appreciation to all those who participated in the competition.
"That's it - it's exactly what it is?!" was my honest impression of this entry. But my fellow judges all cast their votes, and this entry is what carted off the grand prize. First of all, I would like to extend my congratulations to you. While looking at all of these judges who have design as their trade casting vote after vote for this entry, I reminisced that this was the antithesis of a time where things abound, and yet still competition intensifies, and where there's no stopping items deviating from being items; but I felt like I could hear the footsteps of a transformation of society that is attempting to fashion a new set of values. A "straw" was not originally something one bought - it was probably more along the lines of something that you went and cut for your own use. Nowadays, when it comes to thinking about commercializing things, it's a time when doing so is both incredibly arduous and expensive.
- Masaaki Kanai
- Jasper Morrison