At the event "Material Immaterial" organized by Interni magazine at the Fori Salone in Milan,
Toshiyuki Kita, "Bamboo Wood as a New Resource Project" will be exhibited, courtesy of Shukoh Co.
3-15,APRIL 2017 10:00-24:00
Università degli Studi di Milano (University of Milan)
FLAT BAMBU SHIMANE, a new flat bamboo material
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the installation at the Università degli Studi di Milano, an annual event of the Fori Salone Interni.
Presented "FLAT BAMBU," a piece of furniture made of flattened bamboo wood designed by Toshiyuki Kita, courtesy of Shukoh Co.
Bamboo is not only used as a material, but also as an edible sprout buried in the soil, which grows quickly once it comes out of the ground, becoming a growing bamboo in 3 to 4 years and said to be usable for 100 years. This project is to take the round bamboo and turn it into a flat plate, which will have a new value and be reborn as a new material for the future.
The new technology of Woodstyle, a Shimane Prefecture company, has made it possible to flatten the bamboo using a new technique, while retaining even the knots and fibers of the bamboo's characteristic epidermis.
Bamboo grown in Japan can currently be flattened into 2-meter-long sheets 70~100 mm wide.
The project is also environmentally conscious, as bamboo, with its strong life force, absorbs a large amount of carbon dioxide in the process of growing. The flattened bamboo is a collaboration of nature and technology, and the power of design has enabled this work to create new possibilities for this material.
Video message by Toshiyuki Kita on the official Facebook page of INTERNI:
Photograph by Tom Vack