Nissan, Olympus etc

Naoki Sakai / Water Studio

15/03/90. (Sala 117)

Two cars, a camera, an ice cream, a watch, a motorcycle, are the products of this Japanese design studio led by Naoki Sakai, exhibited in La Sala.

From 15 March – 14 April 1990.

“My product is imagination, dreams, fantasies, desires,.. I design human desires“. These are the words of Naoki Sakai who has led this “factory of ideas” since 1973 called Water Studio, situated in Shibuya, Tokyo.

With the participation of 17 young collaborators, Naoki Sakai has developed a working system that allows the creation of design “concepts”. Following a study of what the consumer desires and of the product’s target market (Emotional Marketing), with a style that has references to the past and the future at the same time (future memory) and producing exclusive and very limited editions, Naoki Sakai has made some of the most desired items by the public and have gone on to become “cult designs”.

The first product to hit the market was the NISSAN Be-1 car, running out of the 10,000 unit edition in a short period of time. Then, in 1989 the PAO car came out for the same firm and sold out before release. Owners of this car, responding to a group feeling, always waved to each other when passing another PAO on the street or road.

The “Producto-O”, the Olympus photographic camera, he also added a limited edition as well as numbering. And later the “Asterisk” watch for Seiko.

At present, Water Studio is producing a Suzuki motorcycle, an ecological container for Suntory beer and an ice cream in the shape (and taste) of flowers.

All products designed so far by Water Studio have come from Japan and will be on display at La Sala Vinçon from March 15.

Barcelona, March 1990.