RICCA Sakura in a bar by Ryohei Kanda

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

RK : A minor happening in everyday life is the root of inspiration.

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

RK : I want to make a scenery I have never seen before. To make it happy for clients and guest.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

RK : I would like to participate in more exciting projects.

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

RK : RICCA is a bar, located in a town called Kagurazaka.　 Even today, Japanese traditional atmosphere and alley still exists in this town. The designer created this to express the Japanese aesthetic sense. In Japan, there is a cultural event known as “Hanami”, which means “cherry blossom viewing”. This unique event happens once a year, only in couple of weeks of early spring. Inspired by this moment, this bar is designed with beauty, glamor, strength and fragility of “Hanami”.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

RK : I made a flower motif

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

RK : Yukio Hashimoto,

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

RK : A young man and woman

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

RK : There are many shops designed in line of trends happening in various parts of the world, but the concept of this design is themed towards the fundamental aesthetics. Therefore, regardless of changes in time, the design will not fade.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

RK : The object is made of hexagon. Together with six flowers in Japanese it will be RICCA.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

RK : The designer used several prototype models as a tool to experiment the actual lighting, types of light source, angles and density.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

RK : The expression of “Hanami” a culture from ancient times using contemporary materials and interpretation.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

RK : Lighting designer and manufacturers of art.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

RK : The technique to hide the lighting fixture that lights up the art works. Combination of hologram and resin sheet enabled a new expression.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

RK : There were no data, so the designer depended on research of precedent examples to proceed to the making of prototype for experiments.

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

RK : The biggest challenge was to adjust the relationship between the art panels and the lighting fixtures. To avoid spectators to be too bright, the positioning of the spotlight, height and distance was experimented several times.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

RK : To be seen by many people as possible.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

RK : The designer realized that the method of using hologram to express color with light has larger means and potential.

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

RK : It is enough.