contents
Director
Words like "disaster" and "preparedness" may sound distant. But natural forces can suddenly turn into threats, with the infrastructure and systems we rely on ceasing to function. Disasters come unexpectedly. There is no warning when they will intrude into our peaceful everyday lives.
It is said that people are predisposed to avoid thinking about anything entailing loss and death. This may be our survival instinct, and our urge to protect life. It's not easy to imagine what a disaster will be like until it happens and we experience it directly. WOW is based in Sendai, where the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011 was felt. Each member had a different experience, but we have in common a deep feeling for these matters.
No one can tell on what scale a disaster will be, nor what form it will take. Frequency of occurrence is not predictable either. In this sense, disasters do not exist only in the moment. They are spatially and temporally omnipresent.
Some ideas about how to tackle disasters can be gained from experience and from research. But what to consider, and how to prepare, depends on who you are, and what situation you are in.
WOW is a visual design studio which investigates thought-provoking expressions. It focuses on encouraging responses and reactions as well as creating or presenting work. With disaster preparedness the themes of this exhibition, WOW is less interested in thinking about systems and technologies of readiness, than in pondering the awareness and attitudes of those who wrestle with disaster-related issues. Preparedness is not only an individual responsibility. We must incorporate the perspectives of multiple agents. We may ask how our family, friends, colleagues, or someone who just happens to be nearby is preparing. Referring to other people's ideas is fruitful to redefine our own thinking about disaster.
This Exhibition offers an extensive overview of how to confront natural disasters. Through simulations, product design, folklore, and people's personal wishes, we use a series of questions to also explore hope beyond disaster. The experience of processing diverse ideas, we are sure, will result in a quiet accumulation of preparation methods, and so make us better able to deal with the "critical moment," and to be flexible in the handling of difficult situations.
WOW
Profile
WOW
A visual design studio based in Tokyo, Sendai, and London. WOW creates diverse design work that transcends existing media and categories--from brand concept films that capture a company's unique worldview to installations for commercial spaces and urban environments, as well as application design and user interfaces developed in collaboration with manufacturers. They also actively produce original art and products and exhibit in museums and galleries worldwide. With each creator's individual sensibility as their foundation, they continually pursue the creation of visual expressions that illuminate new perspectives and stir people's hearts.