HYATT CENTRIC GINZA TOKYO HERALBONY ART ROOM Changing society through the resonance of art and spatial design

Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo, which opened in January 2018, has completed HERALBONY ART ROOM *1, the hotel's first concept room, in collaboration with the welfare experimental unit HERALBONY, which creates a new culture with welfare as the starting point. I was. Tonori Uchiyama, general manager of Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo, Haruki Sasaki, director of Heralboni, and Minehito Yoshimura, designer of NOMURA Co., Ltd., Ltd., who cooperated in space design and construction, and Shino Suzuki of the company's public relations department are social good. We asked him about the possibilities of space design and art that lead to *2.

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*1: HERALBONY ART ROOM: Open for a limited time (May 2nd to July 31st, 2022)
*2: Social good: NOMURA Co., Ltd. promotes “social good activities” that create a positive impact through business activities in order to realize a sustainable society. Reference article: NOMURA GROUP 's thoughts on social good (Part 1 / Part 2)

Speakers

Left: Mr. Tadanori Uchiyama General Manager, Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
Since joining Grand Hyatt Fukuoka in 1998, he has been active in the food and beverage department, sales department, and accommodation department at Hyatt Group hotels in Japan and overseas. Based on his career experience in managing a number of Hyatt hotel brands, he was appointed General Manager of Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo, which opened in January 2018.

Center: Haruki Sasaki Director of Heralbony Co., Ltd.
While studying at Bunka Fashion College, worked as an assistant designer for TSUMORI CHISATO, a designer brand of the Issey Miyake Group. After graduating, he continued his career in the apparel industry, worked as a designer for the fashion brand FRAPBOIS for 15 years, and joined Heralbonie in 2018, serving as director and chief creative officer.

Right: Mineto Yoshimura NOMURA Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd. Designer
Joined in 2007, 2010-2019 AND. Assignment, 2020- Assignment to Design Division 1
He has worked on a wide range of residence designs, from general commercial businesses such as restaurants and retail stores to private residences for the wealthy. Engaged in design in a wide range of areas related to lifestyle, from casual to high-quality and luxurious expressions.

Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
Ginza, where old and new cultures intersect, serves as a base for new journeys, and is for active travelers who have excellent travel antennas, always pursue new discoveries while traveling, and enjoy sharing them with their friends. Supports no exploration.

Heral Bonnie
A welfare experimental unit whose mission is to "let it shine". By commercializing various works created by artists with intellectual disabilities and delivering them to society in various forms, we transcend the borders of prejudices and common sense that divide this world and create a new culture with welfare as the starting point. increase.

A concept room that communicates the talents and individuality of artists with disabilities to society

Suzuki
 I'm sure you've all been interviewed by the media so far, but today I would be happy if you could tell me some back stories that aren't told in regular interviews.
First of all, could you tell us how Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo (hereinafter referred to as HC Ginza) decided to work on a concept room and why you approached Heralbonnie?

Uchiyama
 It's been more than two years since the COVID-19 crisis, but since around last year, there have been several success stories of concept rooms at overseas Hyatt affiliated hotels. Competing hotels in Japan are working on various forms of collaboration rooms. We also wanted to work on a concept room since last summer. Around that time, I learned about Mr. Heralboni in the media. Hyatt has been focusing on DE&I *3 since before the pandemic hit, so if I were to create a concept room, I would like it to be something that would be more appealing to society, rather than a collaboration of animation characters. So I intuitively want to collaborate with Heral Bonnie! I thought it would be impossible, but I contacted them.

*3: DE&I is a collective term for social diversity, equity, and inclusion, or measures to enhance them. By emphasizing DE&I, we can realize a more sustainable society.

Suzuki
 Mr. Sasaki, how did you feel when Mr. Uchiyama contacted you?

Sasaki
We have a representative email in Slack, and when we saw it, our office said, "HC Ginza contacted us! We said, "This is a great opportunity. I told them that this was a great opportunity because we were just about to launch the Herald Bonnie Lifestyle category. So I responded and we had a discussion about it.
When we first met and talked at the hotel, I noticed that the chairs in the lobby were different from each other, the decorations were artistic, and they were very conscious of diversity, which I thought matched the worldview we wanted to embody.
We incorporate art created by people with disabilities into a variety of things, and we also offer products in the lifestyle category, such as chairs. I myself am a fashion designer and have created a variety of products, but when I saw this room, I thought it would be better to work with a space design professional to design this space, so I consulted with NOMURA Co., Ltd. and asked for their cooperation.

Suzuki
 Yoshimura-kun, when this offer came, it was OK with two replies, right?

Yoshimura
 My senior, Akane Yamaguchi, approached me. Yamaguchi was on stage at the social good week seminar last year. Yamaguchi asked me, "How about Minehito-kun?"
Actually, six years ago, I was participating in the design competition for the HC Ginza hotel as a member of AND. I lost that competition, but the customer I'm in charge of right now is very close to this hotel, and I was able to use the hotel's terrace for meetings. There was, so I felt a connection.
Also, although I have worked on a variety of private residences, I have never designed a hotel guest room, so I thought it would be great if I could use my skills in designing residences for this project.

Spatial design that sparks conversation

Suzuki
 You all met for the sake of meeting each other. Yoshimura-kun, where did the image come from when thinking about this space design?

Yoshimura
 First of all, from art. When I first talked to Mr. Heralbonnie, he seemed to enjoy telling the artist's backstory when he explained the art. Listening to it, I felt that each piece was very happy. I really felt the joy and power of the continuous multicolored shapes jumping out of the canvas. I would like everyone who stays to feel that. When I stay at a hotel, the most extraordinary feeling is not when I enter the room, but when I wake up the next morning. I feel the most extraordinary when I feel the morning sun from the window on a bed that is different from usual. I wanted you to feel the happiness of Heralbonnie's art at that moment, so I started sketching the bedroom.

Left: Bedroom sketch Right: Prototype of carpet. With the support of our partner companies, our ideas take shape.

Suzuki
 Mr. Sasaki, how did you feel when you first entered this room?

Sasaki
 Mr. Yoshimura enthusiastically talked about the current bed when we first had a meeting, and I could tell that he wanted to express this, so even if the budget was tight, this one was definitely realized. I wanted to let you. As we talked, I had a feeling that this project would go well. When things don't go well, I feel stressed when I talk to them, and sometimes I can't say it even if I really think things aren't going well. rice field. When I first entered this room, I felt really happy.

Suzuki
 It feels really good when we have a meeting and our sensibilities match. I think it's a fun moment in the project. I heard that Mr. Yoshimura imagined the conversation that would take place in this space when he designed it.

Yoshimura
 Not only for this job, but for all jobs, I want to do operations that create conversation. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it this time, but I wanted to put an art with numbers hidden in the picture on the window glass as well. The reason for this is that when you come to a hotel, you naturally look out at the scenery from the window. At that time, you can see art and the city overlap, and when you try to look at a building in the distance, you may think, "Ah, in this picture." Isn't there a number hidden inside??" However, there was a structural problem with attaching the sheet to the window glass, so the project was canceled the day before the construction date.
I wanted to leave the scene of the conversation that this art would create in the space, so I quickly prepared a place on the wall side, where I also decorated the art in a low position so that conversation with children could occur.

Ideas born out of mutual resonance

Yoshimura
 Also, there are graphics printed on the memo pads in each guest room at HC Ginza, and you can make a paper plane by folding them according to the guide. I felt playful there. Since we are collaborating with HC Ginza, we decorated the wall art with shadows like folding origami paper. I wondered if that would lead to another conversation, and when I talked to Mr. Sasaki about the mechanism, he said, "There is an artist who draws works called origami, so let's use that art." They made it in 3 days. What's more, when the paper airplane was folded, a message from the Matsuda brothers *4 of Heralbony appeared on it, which was a welcome gift for the guests. This is not the story that it was possible because it spent money.

*4: Mr. Takaya Matsuda and Mr. Fumito, representatives of the Matsuda Brothers Heralbony

Suzuki
 It's kind of like having a session.

Yoshimura
 Everyone at HC Ginza also cooperated without being bound by the rules up to now, and that is partly because everyone was drawn to Mr. Heralbonny's philosophy, and partly because of the appeal of the concept. I think it was.

Suzuki
 What is it? Something like a magnetic field.

Uchiyama
 I started the collaboration with Heralbonnie, but I think we were able to realize this concept room thanks to the hard work of all the staff and the solid drive of the team.

Suzuki
 Mr. Uchiyama, what was your impression when you first saw this room?

Uchiyama
Well, actually, I stayed in this room for the first time. It's called a trial stay, and it's necessary to actually stay and check various things before welcoming guests. As Mr. Yoshimura was talking about earlier, I really enjoyed the feeling when I woke up in the morning. When you wake up and see the carpet that extends from your bed to the bottom of your TV, where is that place? and. Even after waking up, I was stimulated in various situations, and I was able to welcome a very fresh and refreshing morning. Originally, the guest rooms at HC Ginza are not designed like a general lifestyle hotel, where the edgy artwork insists. The designs by Heral Bonnie and NOMURA Co., Ltd. matched well with our original guest room designs, and there was no sense of discomfort at all.

Art expands through spatial design, creating a moment of joy

Suzuki
 Even though each piece of art is unique, it feels natural to blend in with the room. At the private viewing the other day, the word "the joy of seeing a rainbow" became a hot topic.

Yoshimura
 We tend to think that a hotel is something out of the ordinary, but after talking with the staff about what kind of joy people all over the world can share, which is more like an extension of everyday life, we came to the conclusion that it might be a rainbow. When I see a rainbow, I want to share it with someone, and it matches the colors of Heralbonny's art. I thought it would be nice if a rainbow appeared in this room, so I put the works printed on transparent film on the glass shelf so that the light passing through the art looks like a rainbow.
Heralboni stores the artist's works as high-resolution data. It is designed so that even if the artist stops painting, they will still be able to make a profit from the works that remain in the archives. I was able to make it happen.

Sasaki
 I see. It feels beautiful the moment you see it, and Heralbonny's work has been further expanded and has an impact on the surroundings.

Uchiyama
 I really like the connection between the joy of everyday life and the image of a rainbow.

Suzuki
 I think that the ephemeral feeling of the rainbow is also highly compatible with staying at a hotel where you have limited time to spend. It is said that he feels joy during his short stay.

Uchiyama
 Our hotel is more about the extension of everyday life. Treat customers in casual clothes, and have customers come in their casual clothes. Under such circumstances, the rainbow episode is very fitting. I will use it from now on (laughs)

Through art and design, everyone can change society

Suzuki
 Being in this room makes me feel really happy and gives me confidence that I can change the world. do you want to do

Uchiyama
 At Hyatt, the spirit of care has always been our number one priority, and diversity, inclusion and equity have always been and will always be important to us. I don't think there were many foreign employees in Japan until now, but I think that the hotel industry can no longer survive without hiring foreigners. In addition, at our hotel, we started working on an event called Mimosa College to support women's success on March 8th of this year, International Women's Day. Based on this initiative, I hope that the members of the team will once again feel the importance of diversity.

Sasaki
 If calling out the rights of people with disabilities and the rights of women is hard power, what Heralboni is doing is soft power. I think that from there, recognition will grow and change will be born. The reason why we launched the Lifestyle category this time is because we thought that by expanding it to cushions and sofas in the house, we could further spread such awareness and change society.
There was a trend of creating a lifestyle category with the aim of changing society, so it was a great pleasure to be able to collaborate with HC Ginza. It would be great if we could create opportunities for awareness of diversity and inclusiveness to become commonplace.

Suzuki
 I think that Mr. Heral Bonnie made a good entrance. I think there are quite a few people who want to do something themselves but can't find the entrance to it. It becomes one entrance at that time.

Sasaki
 I think it's okay to have beautiful products, buy them because they're beautiful, and follow the story behind them. Art created by artists with disabilities tends to come to the fore, but we think it's important for products to naturally enter into our lives and be incorporated into our lives.

Suzuki
 Mr. Yoshimura, what did you think after experiencing this project?

Yoshimura
 What I strongly felt this time is that it is very important to meet attractive people. Of course, you can improve your design skills, but you will also be able to connect with various people. Become a person who can attract a variety of people. I thought that was the most important issue for me.
Also, this time, my main job was coordinating the space, but I learned that art changes the power of the place and creates something new.

Suzuki
 I think it's great that Heralbonny's business scheme incorporates co-creation. Activities that cannot be done by one company will be connected by Heral Bonnie as a hub and become a big activity!

Sasaki
 We also think of ourselves as a hub for artists, and we also think of ourselves as agents. We call ourselves a creative group that communicates to society while acting as a hub with companies, and I think it is our strength to transmit such creatives as well. It is important not only to do something voluntarily, but also to communicate to society while holding sessions with various companies.

Suzuki
 When communicating about diversity, Heralboni must first embrace diversity and get other companies involved. That's what we ourselves need to have in mind, "what we think we can do but haven't been able to do". Diversity and inclusiveness are one of the important themes of how companies should be in the future. As an individual, it's important to open yourself up and connect with as many people as possible.
I felt that this was a case of social good through art and spatial design. Thank you very much for joining us today.

The interview was conducted after taking appropriate infection prevention measures.
Text: Sho Iwasaki/Photo: Yui Yasuda