PROGETTAZIONE: from Italy to Japan, Humble Creativity for Cultivating our Tomorrows

In exploring the design future, the exhibition focuses on PROGETTAZIONE, a design philosophy and methodology emerging in the postwar Italy, which Kosei Hirotani studied directly under Achille Castiglioni and Enzo Mari in Italy in the 1990s.

The first part introduces how Kosei Shirotani brought home “humble creativity” and faithfully promoted the philosophy through his collaboration with traditional craftsmen in Kyushu and daily activities in his hometown of Obama-cho, Unzen City.

The second part highlights “humble creativity” in action in four regions in Japan (Tokoname, Okunoto, Ikoma and Fukui), where designers without experience in Italy revitalize localities, to identify the philosophy’s relevance and significance today.