ヌベルニ庵 / Null-Beni-An / Nouvelle Néant │ CRAFT X TECH - An initiative to unify traditional Japanese craft and contemporary technology.

ヌベルニ庵 / Null-Beni-An / Nouvelle Néant

Oitama TsumugiYoichi Ochiai

A tea room made of benibana-dyed Oitama Tsumugi symbolises the resonance of null philosophy, digital nature, and traditional craftsmanship. This tea room has no pillars due to its tensegrity structure and is connected at the top and bottom by natural wood placed in the centre and safflower-dyed strings in the four corners. This mobile tea room centres on the principles of 'Somoku-to' and 'AII sentient beings possess Buddha-nature,' aiming to create a space that symboilses the spirit of the land, history, and DIY culture. It embodies the universal truth of classic Japanese philosophy that all life has Buddha-nature, making it a place that feels the breath of computational life.

Year: 2024
Material: Wood, Carbon fibre, Aluminium, Silk
Size: L180 x W180 x H200 cm

About Oitama Tsumugi

Oitama Tsumugi is a woven fabric made in the Oitama region in Yamagata prefecture. Oitama region had been shipping blue ramie in the beginning of Edo Era, and was developed as a production area of textiles later. Oitama Tsumugi has different techniques inherited in each of the three main areas, Yonezawa, Shirataka and Nagai, but all have the common feature for example dyeing the yarn first and weaving it with plain weave.

Artist

Yoichi Ochiai

Media artist. Born in 1987, he began his career as an artist around 2010. He explores themes of materialization, transformation, and an admiration for mass in the border areas. He holds the position of Associate Professor at the University of Tsukuba and Special Appointed Professor at Digital Hollywood University. In 2025, he serves as the Theme Project Producer for the Japan International Exposition (Osaka Kansai Expo). Recent exhibitions include "Childlike Heart to You" (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2020), "Kitakyushu Future Creation Art Festival ART for SDGs" (Kitakyushu, 2021), "Ars Electronica" (Austria, 2021), "Study: Osaka Kansai International Arts Festival" (Osaka, 2022), and "Ubiquitous Body, Intertwining Spacetime" (Kusakabe Mingei Museum, 2022), among many others. He is also involved in various collaborations across different fields, such as directing the "Yoichi Ochiai x Japan Phil Project."

Official Website

Artisan

Gentaro Nitta

Born in 1980 in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. In 2003, studied kimono and weaving at a long-established traditional "obi" manufacturer in Kyoto. Joined Nitta Co., Ltd. in 2005. Received awards such as the "Newcomer Award" at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, the "Association Award" from the Yonezawa City Arts and Culture Association, the "Newcomer Award" from the MOA Okada Shokichi Prize, and the "Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education Award" at the Japan Craft Dyeing Exhibition, among many others. Represented Yamagata in the LEXUS NEWTAKUMI PROJECT 2017. In 2017, appointed President (5th generation) of Nitta Co., Ltd. A regular member of the Japan Craft Association.

Official Website

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