The identity of "space" -What are we creating? -<130th Anniversary>

the word "space"

“This is a nice space, isn’t it?” “It’s an empty space.”
I think that we usually use the word “space” quite naturally.
However, if you were asked to explain the "space" itself, wouldn't it be unexpectedly difficult or difficult to put into words?

NOMURA Co., Ltd. will celebrate its 130th anniversary this year by continuing to create and revitalize such “spaces”.
Our employees also use the word “space” on a daily basis, conveying it as if it were a matter of course, and sharing images with each other.

What is "space"? what definition? what kind of concept?
This time, I would like to consider the true nature of this "space" based on my own experience and perspective as a planner at NOMURA Co., Ltd., who faces "space".

Exploring the definition of "space"

I looked it up in the dictionary

As far as considering words, the first thing to do is a dictionary.
The word "space" has various meanings in various fields, but as a general term,

There was.

Roughly speaking, it means "where there is nothing".
If you think about it, the phrase "empty space" at the beginning was actually the same wordy expression as "my headache hurts".

Create a place where there is nothing

↑ NOMURA Co., Ltd. office "RE/SP2 (Reset Space 2)"

Indeed, it can be said that the part called "space" itself has "nothing".

Looking back, what we are actually constructing is the so-called "interior" or "interior" such as floors, walls, ceilings, furniture, fixtures, etc., which have mass and shape. It can be said that "space" is created by "indirect composition" using such things.

In other words, you are "creating a space", but you are not "constructing a space".

Familiar "where there is nothing"

Let's step away from the architectural interior realm for a moment.

When I thought about this "place where there is nothing", I suddenly remembered the beginning of the book "Reading the Body" by Takeshi Yoro, who was introduced as a senior at my alma mater when I was in junior high and high school.

By the way, anatomy uses the term "lips" instead of "mouth".
This is very similar to the relationship between "space" and "interior".

It is true that there is something there, but in reality there is nothing there.
This seems to be close to the concept of "space".

“Space” case study

Now that I have vaguely reviewed the definition of “space,” I would like to delve a little deeper into the concept of “space” through some examples and verifications.

Getting hints about "space" from other fields

In the world, there are things like "Kanazuchi" and "Tonkachi" that refer to the same or similar things but are called differently in different places.

I think one of the reasons for this is that even if the same thing is used, the situations and people who use it are different. When comparing these two different viewpoints, there is something that can be seen.

One example of this in “space” is the concept of “probability” in the field of ceramic art.

Image provided by: Yukiko Mori (ceramic artist) https://www.instagram.com/yukiko_mori.ceramic_works/
↑ A friend who told me about this "prospect". She is a wonderful writer who I also love.

"Position" is a word that refers to the inner part of a vessel, where food and drink are placed.
It can be said that it is a place that becomes the “use itself” of the vessel.

What is interesting is that even though it is the same wall part of the vessel, the outer part is called "torso" and "waist", which are completely different names.
In the world of pottery, it seems that the inside and outside are clearly distinguished by the vessel.

There seems to be a theory about the origin of the word "prospect", but in the digital daijisen it is written that "when you look at the tea bowl at a tea ceremony, you first look into the inside".
In other words, in this case, "human behavior" rather than the state of things is the origin of the name.

From where to where is "space"?

Now, let's move away from definitions and words a little and think about the extent to which we actually recognize "this is space."

Q: How far do you think "space" is?

How far does “space” mean to you?
It's pretty difficult when you look at it like that. It probably becomes suspicious from around ③ to ④, and opinions may be divided among people.

By the way, personally, I thought, "This might be all 'space'."
The reason for this is that the “real nature of 'space'” that I came up with in the story so far made me think so.

The identity of "space" that I think

“Space” should be there, not

Looking at the concept of "space" from various angles this time, various ways of thinking have emerged.
There were various viewpoints, but when I looked back, I realized that it is an indispensable existence in capturing "space".

It is the existence of "people".

It can be said that these are all born from "human observation".
It is because of human observation that the label "space" is affixed, and that something that "does not exist" is "recognised" as "existing".

In that case, the concept of "space" is not a physical definition, but a concept based on "people".
In other words, it would be more correct to say that ``space'' was created by human perception, rather than ``space'' being observed by humans.

“Space” refers to any place where “people” are involved, created by “people” for “people”.

This is the identity of the “space” derived from this study. That's one hypothesis.

Conclusion: The identity of “space” is “all places recognized by humans”​

Looking back on the work of NOMURA Co., Ltd.

As I introduced a little at the beginning, NOMURA Co., Ltd. 's core business is "creation and revitalization" of "space".
Many of them create "space" in the physical world such as architecture, interior decoration, exhibition, etc., but that's not all.

For example, images and contents on the monitor, production, facility names and concepts, events and management, communication...
In addition, we have created many other "things that are not real or invisible" to "revitalize" the place.
In this way, we output a wide variety of values, but I think that the true nature of what we create is "everything related to people."

When I was thinking about such things, I suddenly remembered the management philosophy of NOMURA Co., Ltd.

This word was derived by our predecessors through their enormous activities and challenges.
If you read it again, this may be the "true identity of 'space'" for us.