ColoRing

Jo Nagasaka’s fresh approach to traditional Japanese craft is renowned for its novel and contemporary expression. Thus, the Tokyo-based architect and designer was a natural partner for Artek’s FIN/JPN Friendship Collection. Nagasaka set out to apply his research on surface treatments to Artek’s beloved classics. Experimenting with the age-old practices of Udukuri and Tsugaru-nuri, Nagasaka merges them into his own original process, resulting in what he calls ColoRing. For ColoRing, soft-grained pinewood is used as surface veneer. Nagasaka creates an uneven wood surface by removing softer parts with a hard-haired brush, accentuating the natural grain of the wood (Udukuri). Two layers of colored lacquer are then added, only to be subsequently sanded away to partially unveil the layers beneath (Tsugaru-nuri). The results are surprising colour combinations and irregular patterns that evoke topographical maps. With the wooden structure remaining partly visible, natural beauty is retained while creating intriguing juxtapositions. To produce the ColoRing series Artek translated these traditionally fully-manual techniques into a semi-industrial process, allowing the collection to be brought to a wider audience. Made in Finland, the Stool 60, Bench 153B and Tea Trolley 901 treated with the ColoRing technique are available worldwide.