Theme -The future passed through-
In design, this power to live is infused within parameters of time and space. To design is to depict the elements of time and space which incorporate our hopes, our desires, our expectations.
In the opening passage of his acclaimed novel Snow Country, Yasunari Kawabata describes his protagonist emerging from a long train tunnel and suddenly arriving in a snow-clad setting.
What Kawabata depicts is a tunnel, representing reality, through which the protagonist passes into another realm imbued with the man's hopes. The dark tunnel is the "here" through which he must pass to arrive "there" ; in the dazzling white snow country he has longed for, the utopia he has dreamed of, where his lover komako awaits him.
From this shore, we ponder what awaits us on the other. With anxiety and hope, we await a new century. Just as our tomorrows need to be filled with hope, so too our urban spaces, the spaces of each building, each object, need to in still us with hope for what lies ahead. Space is the force whereby we can depict What lies between -here" and "there" ; time is the force whereby we can depict what transpires between "now" and "tomorrow" .
Our wish is for you to depict the power of life encapsulated in space and time. We want you to express spaces, mechanisms and images in which "there" is a realm filled with possibilities and "tomorrow" is a realm filled with light. Design challenges individuals and the entire world to live. Our wish is for you to create designs with life-awakening impetus to guide us, with hope, to what lies ahead "the future passed through."
Overall Evaluation
The theme of the competition this year is "the future passed through". It can be interpreted in many ways. I did not feel the strong power and desire to "change the 21st century" among the entries, however, I was pleased to find some relaxing and relievable works.
Mr. Masayuki Kurokawa
I regard any competitions as interactive communications between the organizer, the judges and the applicants. The theme of this competition, "the future passed through", was a suggestion that we should cherish the desire and the hope that human kind naturally possesses. Over 1,000 worldwide designers responded to this suggestion and returned their opinions. We, as judges, proceeded with the selection of those opinions, listening carefully to something that triggers us. The result of this selection, in other words, the reason why these works were awarded, is our message to over 1,000 of all the original applicants. I am pleased to have been able to interchange very enjoyable conversations with the applicants.
Ms. Johanna Grawunder
When I first looked at the 29 works that were qualified for the final judgment, I was surprised at their diversity. Those works were mainly divided into two categories. One is a group of works that interpret the future as something "hard", shaped by computers and such. The other regards the future as natural and "soft", and the computer as of little importance. I am very satisfied with the result of the judgment, as all of the awarded works suggest positive solutions to the issues on future nature and environment, and thus the positive images of future that human kind will powerfully shape.
Mr. Mark Jensen
No one knows what the future will be like. Some may think the future will be full of hope, and some may think it will be full of anxiety. Among the opinions expressed during the selection at this competition, there were also both optimistic and pessimistic ones. What is common among the awarded works is the optimistic viewpoint. I am very satisfied with the result of our judgment.
Mr. Wang Xu
It is a very difficult task to make judgments on something outside your line of specialty. However, when I looked at the diverse groups of works at the judgment hall, I realized that the most important thing in making judgments is to follow your instinct, or in other words, how you feel about those works. It was good that each of the judges could examine his/her impression toward each work, by exchanging ideas on how each one felt about each work. I believe that all of the awarded works are excellent and received what they deserve.