Behind the Design: Kawasaki x Mojave [ In Symbiosis ]
Our next project is a second collaboration with LA-based music artist, Kawa$aki. I thought putting this project into web-words for all 3 readers would flesh out the meaning behind the design, so here it goes:
Back in March, our first collaborative release was in tandem with Kawasaki’s live performance at Adults Only. The shirt established his own visual-identity along with staying true to Mojave’s semi-established aesthetic. With this second collaborative release, we wanted to continue our experimentation with graphics, but also pull inspiration from Kawasaki’s Japanese background.
The front of the shirt features small rounded stars, which surround the Kawa$aki word mark. This continues his branding by using visual embellishment around the typography, yet switches it up by replacing the circles that were on the first shirt. We thought the stars’ color and form had a Japanese characteristic to them, and could even be seen on kawaii Japanese snack packaging.
The back of the shirt features graphic treatment of the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, Japan. Designed by Kisho Kurokawa in 1972, this mixed-use office/residential apartment building was the first of its kind: a structure composed of replaceable, pre-fabricated capsules. Kisho designed the capsules so that each could be replaced as needed throughout the building’s existence. Furthermore, the Capsule Tower serves as one of the last examples of the Metabolism Movement; which embraced ideas on organic adaptability and biological growth. Sadly, the tower is mostly uninhabited today and largely deteriorating. Perhaps a great idea, the building itself ended up not working as designed and reflects how Metabolism’s principles didn’t translate well into the real world. I believe modern times can allude to the Nakagin Capsule Tower. With so much reliance on social media and the business side that comes with it, it’s questionable if the idea of true organic growth is attainable now. Jeff and I had a convo on this idea, and I feel like it’s also one that often comes up in the creative community. So many of us want to be about our craft and let it grow naturally; however, there’s always opportunities to gain this thing called exposure and up your game on social media. With that being said, there is still something so beautiful about Kurokawa’s Capsule Tower; beauty that lives through its own flawed, but unique composure and the inspirational, future-forward thinking that went behind it.
Overlapped on the Nakagin Capsule Tower, is a graphic treatment of natural scenery in Yokohama, Japan along with the 323 LA area code. The juxtaposition of nature and city brings forward the essence of Kurokawa’s thinking in architecture. Also, Jeff’s grandma is from this city, so I thought it’d add a personal touch to the shirt.
The largest text reads, “La Brea Symbiosis.” Symbiosis is another important part of Kurokawa’s thinking. I won’t explain because I don’t want to this to sound like a college essay (but it already probably does). And to be honest, “La Brea Symbiosis” just sounded cool, considering Jeff lives off La Brea and some of us Mojave guams are from the westside. In small text, there is a quotation from Kisho Kurokawa’s The Philosophy of Symbiosis. I don’t feel the need to expand this one out, but I think it’ll be tight for people to read since its meaning holds heavy relevance especially nowadays for creative peoples.
The release is topped off with a trucker hat. The side features the Mojave cube logo embroidered in white. And the front design displays one of the rounded stars along with “Kawasaki: In symbiosis with Mojave Creative House” text. In this case, symbiosis is a different way to label this collab, and I think it also serves as an ode to Kisho Kurokawa… who, if you couldn’t tell by now, brought major inspiration fruits for the Mojave Design Lab juice on this one.
If you read all this, thank you. We couldn't keep doing these projects without interested guams like you.
– Nick Imbriale