TOWADA開発ストーリー
Swooder TOWADAは、水の波紋を表した特徴的なデザインになっています。
それは、単純な機械作業だけでできるものではなく、職人の手作業と感性によって仕上げられたもの。機械で荒彫りをした後、職人さんが1個1個、サンダー（やすり）などを使って、波紋のひとつひとつを滑らかにしてゆく、手間のかかる作業です。<上の画像では、ノミを使用していますが、主にサンダーを使用して仕上げが施されています>
表面にいくつもあるカーブを描いた溝を彫る際にも、溝の深さをひとつひとつ変え、波の高さも変え、波紋の中心から遠ざかるほどに、波が浅くなるような繊細な加工になっています。
当初、私がこのデザインを頭の中に描いて、職人さんに相談を持ちかけたところ、少し考えた後、「できます」という返事を頂くことができました。
職人さんが少し考え込んだのは、こんな加工は通常では行わないものだから。おそらく、他の木工会社に相談しても、こんな面倒な加工は「できない」、「採算が合わない」、「手間がかかりすぎる」と断られるのが普通だと思います。ただ、今Swooderの生産をお願いしている会社の若い社長は、ありがたいことにこちらの無理難題を引き受けてくれました。
現在、Swooderの国内生産をお願いしている会社は、某有名アパレル企業の大型店舗の、他ではなかなかできない加工を施した木製の棚を作製した高い技術を持つ会社。依頼者の無理難題でも相談に乗ってくれる会社さんで、全国各地から多くの人が相談に訪れるようです。この会社、社長がいなければ、Swooder TOWADAはこの世に生まれなかったかもしれません。
アーティストやデザイナーの頭の中にあるイメージを具現化する際には、加工業者の方々のご協力が必要です。協力をしてくれる会社がなければ、そもそもイメージの具現化はできませんが、さらに、高い技術と意欲を持っていなければ、イメージどおりに仕上がらない場合もあるものです。
そういった意味で、今回、Swooderをはじめとして、TOWADAの製作にご協力頂いている会社さんには、本当に感謝の一言です。
Lake Towada, surrounded by fresh green forests. The water, disturbed by a solitary pebble from the lake’s edge, blurs the mirror-like reflection of the blue sky overhead as the soft, undulating ripples stretch out across the surface of the water. This is the image that inspired Swooder TOWADA.
With this image in mind, I went and visited the woodworking company that produces the Swooder speakers. I talked with the president about trying to recreate the gentle ripples on the front surface of a Basic Speaker. After quietly thinking about it for a few minutes, he said they could do it. Because of the unique and delicate process of creating TOWADA, I think he was a little lost in thought, contemplating if they could realize my image and design.
The ripples created on TOWADA rely not only on simple machine work, but also utilize the expert hand craftsmanship and sense of the Japanese woodworker. Each speaker goes through a time consuming process to produce the beautiful and unique ripples.
After initial cuts and carvings are made by machine, the woodworker uses his tools of the trade – chisels, planers, sanders – to create the ripples on each speaker. As you can see in the image above, the woodworker is in the process of defining the ripples a bit more with a chisel. After this, the real work begins with the sanding process. His expert skills and understanding of the wood are reflected in each ripple by delicately sanding down the wood, varying the height and depth, creating the realistic effect of a ripple emanating out from the center of the cavity on the front of the speaker. A sense of movement is created that brings the speaker to life and makes each one slightly different – a one of a kind piece of art.
I think if I had gone to a different company or other carpenters, they would have said no to the difficult task, saying it wouldn’t be possible, it wouldn’t be profitable, and it would take too much time to produce. But thanks to the young and energetic president undertaking this difficult and time-consuming process, Swooder TOWADA is possible.
The Japanese company that manufactures the speakers is known throughout Japan. They are responsible for creating and manufacturing the in-store wooden shelf displays for a popular clothing chain. They are known for their quality of work along with a high level of technical skills. People from all over the country go to this company and ask for the impossible to be made possible.
The carpenters and woodworkers like this help artists and designers to realize the images they have in their minds. Without the support, craftsmanship, and willingness to accept a challenge, the image in my mind would not have come to fruition. I would like to express my deepest thanks and gratitude to the expert woodworkers for making Swooder and TOWADA possible.
JUSO, (樹霜) “a frost covered tree” in Japanese, uses brilliant Swarovski stones to reflect the beauty of this natural winter phenomenon with the Swooder speaker.JUSO, (樹霜) “a frost covered tree” in Japanese, uses brilliant Swarovski stones to reflect the beauty of this natural winter phenomenon with the Swooder speaker.