Tangling: Akihisa Hirata Lecture

Exhibiting architect Akihisa Hirata presented his work and thinking in person, in a special event at Bloomberg, upon the opening of his Architecture Foundation exhibition, and the occasion of the London Design Festival 2012.

The conversation was be chaired by Dr Sarah Teasley, Royal College of Art.

Akihisa Hirata (born 1971) is a highly regarded Tokyo-based architect working on projects both in Japan and abroad. Following studies at Kyoto University Graduate School, Hirata worked for architect Toyo Ito & Associates (1997-2005), before establishing Akihisa Hirata Architecture Office (2005). Realizing commercial buildings, housing, and individual homes in Japan, Hirata’s accolades include the SD Review Asakura Award (2004), Japan Institute of Architects New Face Award (2008) and ELLE DECO Young Japanese Design Talent (2009). His publications include, INAX Contemporary Architect Concept Series 8: Akihisa Hirata – Tangling (2011). In 2011 created the celebrated ‘Bloomberg Pavilion’ for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. Hirata has exhibited at Art Basel, Taka Ishii Gallery (Tokyo), Milano Salone and the Yokohama Triennale. Hirata's contribution, alongside Kumiko Inui, Sou Fujimoto and Naoya Hatakeyama, to the Japanese Pavilion at the 13th Venice Biennale, curated by Toyo Ito, was awarded the Golden Lion for best national pavilion. 

Dr. Sarah Teasley is a tutor at the Royal College of Art, where she works with students in the Schools of Design and Architecture and teaches on the joint RCA/V&A programme in History of Design. As a historian, she takes case studies in product design, furniture and architecture to consider larger questions around design, technology and people today. Her history of design in modern Japan is forthcoming from Reaktion Books; she's also co-editor of the recent book Global Design History (Routledge, 2011), and her essay on Tange Kenzo and design comes out in a book on Tange, published by Lars Muller and called Kenzo Tange: Architecture for the World, this week.