we+ designed a window installation for ISSEY MIYAKE SPRING SUMMER 2018 displayed in Tokyo’s Matsuya Ginza department store, based on the collection’s inspiration source: the rich nature of Iceland. The installation featured seventy Steam Stretch* textile strips suspended in colors selected from a printed series of the Icelandic landscape. A timed motor controlled the fabric to vertically expand and contract, sometimes in unison, sometimes randomly, creating an organic motion akin to living creatures breathing in a forest. By utilizing Steam Stretch*, the installation highlights the flexible properties and organic movements of the multi-dimensional textile, created by a rigorous production process. By deliberately extracting fluctuations such as natural phenomena from materials that are inclined for mass production, we+ intends to expand the possibilities of those materials by exploring new ways to engage with the natural environment in today's human-centric modern society.   *Steam Stretch is a technique by which creases are woven into A Piece Of Cloth using heat reactive thread which shrinks when steam is applied to the garment.

イッセイ ミヤケのオリジナル素材、Steam Stretchの世界観を体現したウィンドウ・インスタレーションです。本来、均質性が求められる量産に適合した素材から、あえて自然現象のようなゆらぎを抽出することで、素材の可能性を広げ、新たなものづくりのあり方や表現方法を探求しています。立体的に縮んだSteam Stretchの生地は、帯状にして縦方向に伸ばすと、折り目の影からベース生地の鮮やかな色が溢れ出し、美しい視覚効果が現れます。ウィンドウ内に70本のテキスタイルを吊り、モーターで制御することで、ときに一斉に、ときにランダムに、従来の生地には見られない伸縮性をダイナミックに展開。まるで生き物が森の中で呼吸をしているような有機的な空間に仕上げました。