OMA designs neon facade as "interface between the exhibition and the city" for Crafted World

Dutch studio OMA has covered a building in Tokyo's Harajuku district with colourful neon illustrations for the latest edition of fashion brand Loewe's Crafted World exhibition.

Following its debut in Shanghai, OMA redesigned the travelling Crafted World exhibition for the Tokyo location, drawing on its recognisable neon cityscape.

"The facade in Shanghai was more to signal an entrance; here we had a free-standing building, so we had to consider the whole building," OMA architect Giulio Margheri told Dezeen at the exhibition opening.

"So the facade becomes an occasion to think about how it can be the interface between the exhibition itself and the city on the outside – almost like it was a room towards the city," he added. "We played with this idea of neon, bringing in some of the elements that are very present in the city, because of Tokyo, its lights and brightness."

The neon designs on the building's exterior were repeated inside the exhibition in the form of stickers that visitors could use to decorate an otherwise bare staircase.

"That way we can trace the activities and the passage of time from the beginning, when it was pretty much a white surface, to then seeing how it evolved, what kind of pattern you generate, and how people deal with this possibility of interaction," Margheri explained.

The 1,300-square-metre exhibition showcases Loewe's history through some of its best-known designs, with one room focusing on pieces by former director JW Anderson, who stepped down earlier this month.

It also delves into the materials and crafts processes used by the Spanish brand, which began as a leather-making collective in 1846.

Also on display were winning projects from Loewe's annual Craft Prize exhibition, including chairs designed as "sculptural objects" and lamps that had previously been shown at Milan design week.

Divided into seven different sections, the Crafted World exhibition also lets visitors explore the fashion house's many collaborations, including its multi-year partnership with Japanese animation firm Studio Ghibli.

One room is a recreation of the New Mexico studio of potter Ken Price, with whom Loewe has released a capsule collection.

Spatial limitations also influenced the design of the space, with OMA aiming to open the enclosed box up to give passers-by a glance at the exhibition inside.

"The exhibition is very introverted, so once you're inside it, you lose a bit of how you're moving through the space, where you're actually going and where you actually are," Margheri said.

"But there are moments where there are larger openings towards the outside, which was a way to connect you while you're visiting inside to the city outside, [to feel] that you are in a specific geography, in a specific location," he added.

"And the opposite, for the people that walk by to enter to have a sneak peek or a feeling of what's happening inside."

The photography is courtesy of Loewe.

Crafted World Tokyo is on show from 29 March to 11 May at 6-35-6 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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