Coinciding with London Design Festival 2019, Hara Kenya transformed the pedestrian crossing in front of Japan House London into a piece of public art. This is the first of a series of Creative Crossings set to adorn Kensington High Street. The Design Museum is the second Kensington cultural institution to have unveiled a Creative Crossing and more are set to follow as part of the Kensington Creative High Street initiative, a project in collaboration with the Kensington High Street Business Forum and supported by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Hara Kenya (b. 1958) emphasizes the design of both objects and experience. Hara is Professor at Tokyo's Musashino Art University, President of Nippon Design Center and Art Director of MUJI. His works have been exhibited across the globe and his design books, sold internationally, have been translated into numerous languages. He is also the founder of the guiding principles and visual identity of the global Japan House project. In July 2019, his website ‘HIGH RESOLUTION TOUR’ was launched: Hara's foray into the tourism field that introduces his vision of a 'high resolution' Japan.
Street Art Crossing
To celebrate London Design Festival 2019, Londoners are invited to immerse themselves further into the environs of Japan House through Hara’s ‘Creative Crossing,’ live from September 2019. The installation covers a pedestrian crossing on Kensington High Street and leads to the entrance of Japan House London. Drawing London and Japan into greater intimacy, the crossing enacts the cultural collaboration of the Japan House project by imprinting the symbol of Japan House - Hara's ideas of what constitutes the essence of Japanese design - directly onto London ground.