*so+ba (2026)

22/11/2024

NIPPON PERFORMANCE NIGHTS VOL. 10

if you happen to be in düsseldorf, make sure you check out the nippon performance nights at the fft from the 21st to the 24th of november.

the nippon performance nights programme series is celebrating its 10th anniversary! since 2013, the event series curated by akiko okamoto has offered a wide range of insights into current works by japanese artists. the productions from japan and from japanese artists living in germany and europe meet the special german-japanese context that characterises düsseldorf and are aimed at both german-speaking and japanese-speaking audiences.

over the past 10 years, the nippon performance nights have grown into a platform where japanese and german artists benefit from a cultural exchange through joint participation. the nippon performance nights are an integral part of the programme at fft düsseldorf and also a place where audiences and artists meet.
the anniversary edition invites you to develop a feeling for contemporary japan with a dense, four-day programme. in addition to audience discussions on all performances, moderated by franziska werner, curator akiko okamoto will also offer an exchange on the future of the nippon performance nights. the hospitable atmosphere will be supported with culinary delights on all four days by the artist and chef collective ‘cook mal’.

https://www.fft-duesseldorf.de/reihen-festivals/nippon-performance-nights

24/10/2024

design with wood

swiss innovation meets sustainability! – the consulate of switzerland, swissnex in japan presents design with wood, the first exhibition in the series, showcasing the innovative work of five emerging designers in switzerland: fabien roy, amandine gini, victor moynier, ramona hess, and salomon elsler. through their unique approaches to furniture design, these designers explore how wood―often discarded or overlooked―can be reimagined as a valuable .

supported by presence switzerland and state secretariat for education, research and innovation seri, design with wood invites visitors to discover new perspectives on sustainable design, where innovation meets awareness.

book your visit and come explore the exhibition! we look forward to welcoming you.
oct 25 - nov 22, 2024
monday - friday, closed on national holidays
10:00 - 17:00
consulate of switzerland, swissnex in japan
umeda shinmichi bldg. 1f, 1-1-5 dojima, kita-ku, osaka 530-0003
access https://lnkd.in/gupfts-b
free, registration required
https://lnkd.in/ethy-jie

join us for the opening event and don’t miss the chance to hear directly from the designers and meet them during the networking reception!

this event is held in partnership with the swiss chamber of commerce and industry in japan (sccij), and we're honored to welcome a vip delegation, including swiss pavilion commissioner general mr. manuel salchli, who will give an exclusive presentation on the swiss pavilion.

event details
friday, october 25, 2024, 18:00-19:00 (followed by a networking reception)
consulate of switzerland, swissnex in japan
umeda shinmichi bldg. 1f, 1-1-5 dojima, kita-ku, osaka 530-0003
access>> https://lnkd.in/gupfts-b
language: english
registration: https://lnkd.in/esseyyme
*registration required - limited capacity

26/09/2024

KEIRIN ART AWARD

for the first time in almost 22 years, the uniforms of keirin cyclists in japan will be renewed by the end of 2024.
to mark the occasion, the JKA Foundation has launched an art poster competition.

thank you for all the submissions for the upcycling competition, which ended on september 22, we are now looking forward to the poster submissions.
please take part!

https://keirin-art-award.com

art poster category:
deadline 23:59 monday 5 august - monday 28 october 2024

the branding and design of the keirin art award was created by so+ba design and alex sonderegger is one of the judges of the competition.

01/05/2024

open call: 7 seeds yokohama / japan

7 seeds yokohama is the first stage of a series of projects on critical sustainability around the globe. artists from different countries will engage with each other and with younger generations through artworks and designs. we seek critical reflections on how we can plant the future. the selected works will be printed and presented in an exhibition at zou no hana terrace in yokohama, japan. 7 seeds is a collaboration between hamburg-based artist and curator michael kress, zou no hana terrace and portjourneys, a global network of art spaces in port cities.

https://portjourneys.net/
https://zounohana.com/events/post-6750/

online call for entries
7 seeds yokohama - communication under the trees
new call for entries: 05 may 2024
opening reception: 10 may 2024, 6:00 pm
exhibition: 11 may - 09 june 2024

venue: zou-no-hana terrace
organiser: zou-no-hana terrace
in collaboration with: 8th yokohama triennale
and hyper cultural passengers, hamburg

15/12/2023

a big thank you to everyone who came to this year's "future scape project" art festival in yokohama. we were lucky that the weather was good and not too cold. here are some of the highlights, cloud chamber (fog box) visualisation of natural radiation from space, music made by the movement of jelifish, choreo drops droplets moving between electrodes known as electrowetting and more. also a big thank you to all the artists, universities and people who work for zou-no-hana terrace and the many volunteers who made this event possible.

01/12/2023

next weekend, 8-10 december, the 3rd installment of the "future scape project" will take place in yokohama.

the future scape project is a social experiment organised by zou-no-hana terrace that proposes new ways of using public space through artistic creativity.
this year's theme is "night out, lights on: art in action!". drawing on the experience of the "smart illumination" project, which was triggered by the great east japan earthquake to create a new nightscape of yokohama by fusing energy-saving technology and art, the project will also collaborate with "yokohama of light appearing at night "yorunoyo 2023" to create an art exhibition on the theme of enjoying yokohama's nightlife.
in addition to an art programme by kota takahashi, who has been presenting artworks continuously since smart illumination, universities, artists and musicians will participate and suggest ways to enjoy the night in yokohama.

future scape project 2023
friday 8 – 10 december 2023
at zou-no-hana terrace
admission: free (no pre-registration, just turn up on the day)

https://fsp.zounohana.jp/2023/

participating universities:
jiu media design team (josai international university), wakita laboratory keio sfc materialisation pj (keio university), x-music lab fujii shinya laboratory (keio university), kanagawa university faculty of architecture ueno masaya laboratory (kanagawa university), sola team (maebashi institute of technology x yomiuri institute of science and technology), yasuaki kakehi laboratory (tokyo university), pharmacist eggs (yokohama college of pharmacy), shinji suzuki laboratory (yokohama city university).

so+ba design has been responsible for the design and visual branding of this project since its beginning.

29/11/2023

we had the wonderful task of event planning and visual branding for the opening event of freitag's second store in japan, shibuya, 10 years ago. the invitation, tenugui and signage design were inspired by the official japanese road signs "turn on the light when entering a tunnel" and the new store concept, which was designed to look like the swiss gotthard tunnel, with a stereo entrance and exit between cat street and meiji street.
we organised a k-truck (featured on the invitation graphic) with a tarpaulin cover, and the artist, ken kagami and hiima painted the tarpaulin live during the party, accompanied by a dj playing road-inspired songs such as autoban, and the tarpaulin was later cut up and made into never-before-seen f-gimmicks.

congratulations on FREITAG's 30th anniversary and 10 years in shibuya!
30 years ago in 1993, graphic designers markus and daniel FREITAG were looking for a functional, water-repellent and robust bag to carry their creative work in. inspired by the hustle and bustle of the busy zurich transit intersection in front of their apartment, they developed a messenger bag made from used truck tarpaulins, discarded bicycle inner tubes and car seat belts. the first FREITAG bags were created in the living room of their flat - each one recycled, each one unique.

for three decades, the FREITAG bag has stood not only for design and functionality, but also for resource-saving use of materials and durability. from the first f13 top cat messenger bag, which was included in the design collection of the museum of modern art in new york (moma) in 2003, a wide range of bags and accessories has been created. today, some models combine used truck tarpaulins with recycled pet textiles, b-stock airbags or even a circular smartphone case made from worn-out ski boots. always true to the company philosophy: "we think and act in cycles".

architects: spillmann echsle architekten ag (ch) and torafu architects (jp)
event photos by sebastian mayer

27/11/2023

tomorrow, dancer ando yoko's zagaku study for aruku will take place at the zou no hana terrace in yokohama as the 6th of 7 installments. artists and researchers at the forefront of their fields are invited to share their professionally honed sensibilities, aesthetics, and ways of thinking in a dialogue format with ando yoko.
the design visualises the japanese word zagaku (座学 (ざがく), conversation and dialogue with typography.

the invited guests are: tsutomu okada, rakufu hayakawa, yasuaki kakehi, tsuyoshi tane, emi tamaki, yukiko kaga, yoshiyuki miyamae

https://zounohana.com/events/post-1740/

ando yoko embarked on a career as a dancer, after meeting kuniko kisanuki in 1989, appearing in numerous dance performances choreographed by akira kasai and kota yamazaki, among others. while choreographing and performing her own solo pieces since 1997, ando has also performed in hideki noda's pieces with noda.map, an opera with robert lepage and conductor seiji ozawa, and ryuichi sakamoto's opera "life". in 2001 she was discovered by william forsythe and joined the frankfurt ballet. having performed 36 different works with the forsythe company, ando now enjoys a worldwide reputation as a leading dancer and central member of the forsythe company. in japan, she continues to work on her own projects and collaborates with other dance companies as a guest performer or choreographer.

we have worked with yoko ando for many years, designing invitations and posters for her dance performances.

23/11/2023

many things happening at the same time.
brand creative direction and invitation design for the pop-up store of edwina hörl's collection "mamaoooooooooh" at democra tv studio 23-26 nov 2023 nakameguro/tokyo

www.edwinahoerl.com

we have been working with edwina hörl since 2004, directing and designing the brand image, creating art projects and installations around complex conceptual collections, with themes drawn from discussions about different cultures and societies as well as socio-political discourses. combined with edwina hörl's design process, this approach offers a powerful message about what fashion can discuss, provoke and disrupt.
each collection is accompanied by short essays from a variety of writers to encourage deeper reflection on the theme. all collections are presented in publications that include our photography and essays and are designed to match the theme of the collection in terms of format, material and design.

22/11/2023

if you happen to be in the city of düsseldorf, we recommend you come and see the lecture/installation/performance a tactile, audible urban landscape scene 'train train 1/3' by conceptual artist miu.

audio description (german/japanese/french) is part of the piece as a separate artistic means and enables people with visual impairments to access the performances. the flyer we designed includes braille and a qr code that links to an audio version of the flyer.

https://lnkd.in/gQrs6HYw

26/10/2023

we are happy to announce that today a new book we designed will be presented by the author barbara basting at never stop reading in zurich

"storrers erbmasse" book presentation
thursday, 26 october. 7:00 pm

barbara basting talks about her new book on the subject of "the challenge of art inheritance".

*so+ba

22/11/2024

24/10/2024

26/09/2024

01/05/2024

15/12/2023

01/12/2023

29/11/2023

27/11/2023

23/11/2023

22/11/2023

26/10/2023

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