Ishinomaki Laboratory Energizing the Creative Community in Manila with DIY (Do-It-Yourself) + Design
The Japan Foundation, Manila and the Japan Foundation Asia Center is excited to bring Ishinomaki Laboratory to the Philippines once again to work with creative individuals reshaping Metro Manila neighbourhoods that were previously in decline. Ishinomaki Laboratory began as a community workshop for residents in the city of Ishinomaki to rebuild their lives following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011. Founded that same year by Tokyo-based architect Keiji Ashizawa, Ishinomaki Laboratory was at first simply a common utility area for locals to conduct their own repair work, with lumber and supplies provided by volunteers, and has now transformed into a locally-run furniture brand with its simple, utilitarian furniture being sold in Japan, Singapore, London, and New York.
Keeping with its social mission, Ishinomaki Laboratory continues to hold DIY furniture-making workshops in Japan and around the world, with the goal of giving everyday people the tools to change their surroundings–and in turn their communities–through the idea of DIY. Last year, the Japan Foundation, Manila invited Ishinomaki Lab to Bohol, Philippines for a series of workshops with carpenters affected by the Bohol Earthquake to explore how DIY and furniture-making could be adapted to the local context, contributing to building social resilience after a disaster. This year, we are inviting Ishinomaki Lab to Manila to share their experience with communities that are harnessing the DIY spirit, not for post-disaster recovery, but urban revitalization.
Featured recently in Monocle and Wallpaper*, Ishinomaki Lab will be conducting workshops with our partners (The Public School Manila, One/Zero Design Collective, Kalsada Coffee, Gen. Mdse., co.lab, Art Provenance, and Polygon.ph) at SoFA Design Institute from March 21 to 22. Under the theme of creating public and creative spaces through accessible, low-tech, DIY methods, they will design and build furniture for their respective projects and communities.
With Ishinomaki Lab and our local partners, the Japan Foundation, Manila hopes to continue promoting the Asia Center’s mission of 4Cs: Communicate, Connect & Share, Collaborate, and Create.
ABOUT ISHINOMAKI LABORATORY
Ishinomaki Laboratory began as a workshop for the local community in a coastal area of Ishinomaki, Miyagi, which was devastated by the tsunami triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011. At the beginning, Ishinomaki Laboratory was simply a common utility area for locals to conduct their own work, with lumber and repair materials provided by volunteers, mainly designers in Tokyo. Ishinomaki Laboratory has taken a positive step forward as the world’s first DIY label, with the belief that the potential of DIY and its associated spirit of independence can help broaden horizons. Born with a volunteering spirit, Ishinomaki Laboratory is confident that products made with creativity have the power to move people and change their mindset. The hope is that people around the world rediscover their own innate creativity, and enrich life and society for a more fulfilling future.
ABOUT KEIJI ASHIZAWA
Keiji Ashizawa (born in 1973) lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Yokohama National University in 1995, he spent the first ten years of his career working as both an architect and steel fabricator. The unique skills and experience gained throughout these early years, including a valued understanding of metals, continue to influence his approach to design. In 2011, Ashizawa was awarded a ‘Special Award’ by the Japan Institute of Design for his principal participation in the inception of Ishinomaki Laboratory – a DIY furniture workshop established in Ishinomaki, Japan, after it was devastated by the tsunami triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2015, the Ishinomaki stool from Ishinomaki laboratory entered the permanent collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
