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Sculptural Ceramic White Kawa Vase, Set of 5, Organic Leather Cast Porcelain
About the Item
A set of 5 tactile and organic porcelain vases with leather textured exterior surface and clear glazed interior. As a result of the production process each item is one-of-a-kind. Set includes 5 vases as shown in the image.
This set of vases requires the most technical, detail-oriented work of any object in the Kawa Series. Each vase requires a complex mold - some with over 30 pieces of leather. Once cast each leather panel is delicately removed resulting in this expressive and highly-unique set of limited edition vases.
Edition of 12 sets total + 1 A.P.
Signed, numbered, and dated on the bottom.
In stock, ready to ship. (1 set)
From tallest to shortest:
4.5" diameter. x 14.5"
5" diameter. x 11"
4" diameter. x 9.5"
3.5" diameter. x 7",
3.5" diameter. x 5"
Kawa Series by Luft Tanaka
The unusual and painstakingly honed technique used to create the Kawa Series is distinct to Luft Tanaka Studio. Each Kawa piece begins as a sketch on paper. With the assistance of 3-D modeling, we create patterns for a leather mold. After the mold is sewn and prepared for casting, liquid porcelain is poured inside, over time forming a thin wall along the leather surface. The mold is then carefully cut open at the seams and delicately peeled off the porcelain.
Kawa Series Background Info
The Kawa Series was initially conceived in early 2012, when Luft’s thesis project at the Parsons School of Design called for a varied collection of eye-catching objects. Guided as he often is by his wabi-sabi tendencies, Luft became obsessed with devising a new system of production where process dictated form—and where objects created in multiples could still be one-of-a-kind. He experimented with a number of mediums over the course of a few months, but his aha-moment came one afternoon when he stumbled upon a discarded leather couch on a Manhattan curb. (“Kawa” is Japanese for “leather” or “skin.”)
Luft had been studying the process of slip-casting, a traditional ceramic technique used to create nearly-identical objects—though typically using solid plaster molds. His technical understanding allowed him to see an opportunity in that curbside leather couch, so he did what any industrial design student would do: He took his utility knife out of his bag, stripped the couch of its leather, and brought his new materials back to the studio for immediate experimentation.
By testing many different types of leather, as well as different ways to fabricate the molds, Luft gradually evolved the process from a messy first batch, where many of the pieces didn't survive the kiln, to test pieces that bore the early marks of his signature: both weird and beautiful, hard and soft, expressive, and full of personality.
- Creator:Luft Tanaka (Designer, Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)Diameter: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 5
- Style:Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2023
- Production Type:New & Custom(One of a Kind)
- Estimated Production Time:5-6 weeks
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU6099227388662
Luft Tanaka Studio
Luft Tanaka is a Japanese artist and designer based in New York City. Utilizing his intuitive understanding of materials and processes, Luft creates distinct and covetable art objects, furniture and lighting. His most expansive body of work, the Kawa Series, is the product of a method unique to his practice: the casting of porcelain into leather molds, perfected over years of experimentation and refinement. Originally from Kasugai, Japan, Luft moved to New York City in 2008 and earned a degree in Product Design from Parsons School of Design. Since then, his work has been exhibited and sold at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Noguchi Museum, Tokyo Design Week, NYCxDESIGN, and Milan Design Week—and featured in publications like the New York Times, Wallpaper Magazine, Dwell Magazine, Metropolis, and Sight Unseen.
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