
- text and edit by
- Yuki Shimokuni
With the theme of "Possibilities of space creation now and in the future",
A dialogue project that interviews various pioneers and challengers.
What do you think of when you hear the word “display”?
Show windows and store decorations that change with the seasons...just like "displays."
On the other hand, "styling" that creates a world view such as advertisements and images is also on the display...?
Furthermore, what we, NOMURA Co., Ltd., are working on is a display that creates an experience in space.
It's been a few years since I noticed that even if I say "display" in one word, it's subtly divided and the output is different.
While looking back on the fact that the two people who have been interviewed in the past are also people who are involved in "displays",
In the third installment, we will focus on the “styling” display.
Yuri Yamaguchi, an art designer who designs the world of glitter
In fact, this time, I was able to have a conversation with the art designer of a cosmetic brand that I have admired since I was in junior high school.
With a fairy tale-like romantic story and atmosphere, the keywords are “transformation, magic, and medicine.”
Cosmetic brand Majolica Majorca.
We interviewed Ms. Yuri Yamaguchi, who has been in charge of art design and styling for this brand for over 10 years.
: PHOTO by Hideki Sato
Yuri Yamaguchi: Interior stylist/art designer/sculptor
1996 Started art decoration related to video such as MV and CM.
1998 Studied under stylist Masato Okamura, mainly working in graphics
2001 Independence
Around 2013, he started making objects and dolls by himself.
2015 Studied under Simon Yotsuya and started making ball-jointed dolls
Currently working on interior styling, art design, and space production, mainly for advertisements, magazines, and exhibitions, while continuing to present objects, dolls, etc.
Related Links
◆ Yuri Yamaguchi Official Site https://yuriyamaguchi.com
◆ Official Twitter https://twitter.com/kirakirahappy55
◆ Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/yamaguchi.yuri_
Shimoguni
I am honored to know the name of the person who created the world view that I admired through SNS, and to meet him like this time!
Three current occupations were given: interior stylist, art designer, and artist.
Mr. Yamaguchi, please tell us about your career up to the present.
Yamaguchi
I didn't study art or design, but graduated from a regular university and got a job at a company.
I got a job, but it wasn't the job I really wanted to do, and I didn't think it was interesting, so I quit after about a year.
"What do I want to do?" I stopped.
I was originally interested in the fashion industry, so I attended a stylist vocational school while working part-time.
After graduating, I wrote a long letter to a fashion stylist I respected, and became his apprentice.
The so-called "props-san" is titled "decoration".
"Decoration" is just a job that expresses a part of "art (set design)".
I work under the direction of the set designer, so I rarely talk to the client or the director.
While working at a prop company for about 2 years, I gradually evolved my desire to create a world that I imagined more freely, rather than being part of a set set, and to create a work that creates a style.
That's how I started my career with the aim of becoming an interior stylist.
Yamaguchi's work tools. You can get a glimpse of the fact that you are making your own by making full use of various tools.
Shimoguni
Does it mean that the job changes just by changing the occupation name to "stylist"?
Yamaguchi
Not at all! Just as there is a profession called "stylist" in the world of fashion,
A position can be established just by demonstrating the ability to be a “person who creates style”.
Write a letter to an interior stylist who works on the front line of graphics (photography) with renewed determination,
I made you my disciple.
Working with first-class people and seeing good work up close is a shortcut to develop your eyes and senses.
Shimoguni
Is it the theory that if you apply to be a disciple, you send a letter to the analogue to convey your thoughts?
You also worked in the video industry before, so did you have any connections that you could find in the horizontal connections?
Yamaguchi
In my time, the only approach was to write a letter, but
I really wanted to be a stylist.
Since the industry is different, I didn't feel like I could find it through connections.
Working with first-class people and seeing good work up close is a shortcut to cultivating your eyes and senses.
I was determined to stick with someone who I thought was good, who I liked, and who was absolutely top-notch.
Interior stylists usually become independent after about three years of apprenticeship, but in my case, I transitioned from fashion to interior design, and also worked at a prop company. It took me over five years to become independent.
During that time, I got to know a lot of people, did a lot of work, and learned a lot.
However, I decided to become an interior stylist!
"You can do it alone, so get out! (Be independent!)"
And the retirement allowance was also held ... (lol)
I was worried about leaving my master, and worried about whether I could do it alone. I gradually became independent.
I wanted to work as a stylist, but I didn't know what genre I liked or what was unique to me.
My master was not only an interior designer, but also an art sculptor.
(From the left, NOMURA Co., Ltd. planner Shimokuni, guest Yuri Yamaguchi, NOMURA Co., Ltd. designer Akika Yamada): PHOTO by Hideki Sato
This time, not only I, the planner, but also the designer, Yamada, was invited, and Mr. Yamaguchi taught me styling techniques that even designers are interested in.
Corporate advertisement series created by Mr. Yamaguchi: PHOTO by Hideki Sato
Shimoguni
Is there a difference between visual art (sculpture) and graphic art (sculpture)?
Yamaguchi
I have! The art of the video is part of the background that is reflected in the flow of the scene.
Atmosphere is more important than details.
An interior stylist's job is mainly graphics, but as images for magazines, posters, and websites, they are enlarged and stared at, so the creation is more severe.
Shimoguni
Does the stylist present variations to the requests of clients, directors and designers who supervise the overall design, saying, "This is what you're looking for?"
Or is the stylist's view of the world itself requested as an expression that the client wants?
If you sell your own world view, do you accept requests that do not fit your own world view?
Yamaguchi
I get a lot of requests for both. When I first started out on my own, on the contrary, I received no genre because there was no color.
I've done styling in various genres, so there aren't many styles that I haven't tried before. Now I often receive requests for my personality and worldview.
Even if it's my first job, if the project is interesting or the styling is needed, I try to accept it as much as possible.
We receive a variety of requests, from styling for corporate advertisements to styling for magazines and events.
Corporate advertising has a set message to convey, so how you express it is important.
It rarely shows individuality or color.
On the other hand, magazines and events have a relatively high degree of freedom, so we often receive requests like, "Can you do something new or interesting?"
Are stylists and space designers creators or artists?
Yamada
Hello, this is Yamada, a space designer.
My seniors told me that "designers are creators, but they are not artists."
I am also a designer belonging to an organization called NOMURA Co., Ltd., so I don't feel like I am creating my own work despite my individuality.
Yamaguchi
There was a time when I thought a lot about whether I was a creator or an artist, and I feel like I'm drawing a line.
For both stylists and designers, the work is completed only after receiving a request from the client.
My job is to make things that meet the client's wishes, so I started creating my own works as a writer.
leaving country
I see. Mr. Yamaguchi has different occupations such as “stylist”, “art designer” and “sculptor”.
It means that you use the creator and the artist separately.
Yamaguchi
I started out as a 'stylist', and now I've been working more and more as an 'artist' and 'writer'.
leaving country
The stylist's personality is to collect things that match the concept, choose a combination, and coordinate.
Coordinating to express the world view you envision,
Is the person who thinks about the space a stylist?
I think that Mr. Yamaguchi is a “creator” of his own genre that transcends the framework of being a stylist.
Yamaguchi
Maybe so (laughs) I think most stylists don't do the act of "designing".
I'm thinking about what to put in the existing box.
I think from the box and make it, so I think you can think that I am creating a worldview.
In order to express the world view that I envisioned without difference
leaving country
What I understand is the sketches and set design photos you brought today.
…Yamaguchi-san, you also do set design! I can do anything!
I was able to see Mr. Yamaguchi's handwritten sketches and record of the set design during the production stage!
Yamaguchi
Yes, we also do sets.
I don't do elevation drawings of fixtures or start up images in CG, but at this time I draw not only front sketches but also floor plans with dimensions.
Based on the picture, I had the props make the set, and I brought in all the props to display.
If I had someone else do the decoration work, it would be a little different from the image I wanted to create, so in order to express the world view I envisioned without any difference, I do it myself until the end.
Yamada
It seems that the process of passing the baton to the props is a little different from ours.
I can't say it all at once, but when it comes to our space design, first of all, we think about accurate dimensions that are appropriate for the space and concept in order to accurately convey information to the props.
Design drawings are necessary not only as information for making, but also to obtain approval from the client and to leave evidence that there are no mistakes in the specifications.
There is no such thing as an order based on a sketch.
It's accurate, but I can't express in words or numbers how to create an atmosphere and adjust the condition.
Sketches and image CG complement it, but it is not possible to dictate the finish that shows the nuances.
It's not just a space where everything is brand new and shiny, but it's also a theme park that makes you feel a story. I don't know what to do, so it's basic to ask a professional in the road.
Based on the image photo, we consult with the craftsmen to decide how to express it, and have them produce it.
Technology is needed to reproduce things that are “old but actually new”.
Like Mr. Yamaguchi, you can actually move your hands to age, or create delicate decorations...
In our case, we have a team of craftsmen do the work.
So, to be honest, I don't really feel that Mr. Yamaguchi is "expressing the world view I envisioned without difference."
Inevitably, it will pass through the hands and heads of many people, so it becomes difficult to say "no difference".
There are advantages and disadvantages of working in a team.
Yamaguchi
I think that the normal flow of work is as Mr. Yamada said.
I think it's an unusual way to proceed because there are few people like me!
: PHOTO by Hideki Sato
leaving country
How detailed do you plan when you draw up the world view you envision?
Rough world view construction + I want to put this kind of thing ~
How far from the left should this be placed?
Yamaguchi
There is also a lot of meticulous planning.
Recently, the "mé sa mé" in the entrance video of S/PARK in Yokohama has been placed there very precisely...
I calculated the settings.
The bookshelf is not something that is available, but is made according to the dimensions.
I had the modeling department make a few meters of colored pencils, and I gave them detailed instructions on how to mold them and what colors to use.
I prepared items to be placed inside the bookshelf that fit perfectly with the size and atmosphere of the bookshelf.
*Introduction of S/PARK 16K video "mé sa mé" is here
http://spark.shiseido.co.jp/topics/1242/
A large display system installed at the entrance of the Shiseido Global Innovation Center (S/PARK).
Uses ultra-high-definition video equipment measuring 19.3m wide x 5.4m high.
As one of the video contents, "mé sa mé", which Mr. Yamaguchi was in charge of set design and styling, is being screened. (As of December 2020)
Related Links
◆ Shiseido Global Innovation Center (S/PARK) Official Site https://spark.shiseido.co.jp/
* please note
・The address of the website posted in this notice is the one at the time of creation of this page.
・The website address may be abolished or changed. Please check yourself for the latest address.
The world created in three dimensions is beautiful even when photographed because it is created.
Shimoguni:
The design, styling, and decoration are done by yourself.
I saw the video of S/PARK and wanted to ask, what type of person was involved in the production?
How many people did you gather to make it?
Yamaguchi:
Dozens of Shiseido staff and production staff (directors, producers, cameramen, lighting, CG department, costumes, makeup, etc.).
In terms of the art alone, there were about 10 other people involved, including me, the props, the molding department, and assistants.
To tell you about the background of the work, this video was planned to be produced by Shiseido and NHK Enterprises as a tag to be screened at the entrance of the Shiseido Global Innovation Center (S/PARK).
I received a request from the video director of NHK Enterprise and decided to participate.
leaving country
The interesting thing about this video is that the point of view is the size of a dwarf or a fairy, so the furniture and furnishings are very large.
And by moving the camera smoothly while maintaining the horizontal angle, the story scene changes and is composed and produced!
Was there a plan for this screen production from the beginning?
Yamaguchi
From the beginning, there was a production where the core story and the scene moved in parallel.
I didn't have detailed settings for the set yet.
We had very detailed discussions with the director and on-site staff (cameraman, lighting staff, CG staff, etc.) about the taste, presentation, and size of the video.
But I wanted to do this kind of work, so it's a memorable job.
The hardest part was setting the size of the story from the perspective of a dwarf-sized girl.
At the entrance, the dwarf girl who appears on the screen with a width of 19.3m is about the same size as us, but the surrounding furniture and furnishings are huge.
It is a video in which the viewer himself becomes a dwarf and looks up at various things.
However, the shooting itself was done by decorating normal-sized furniture and furnishings, and the dwarf girl was processed and composited with CG.
Foreseeing that it will flow on a very large display monitor, calculate the angle of view of the bookshelf and how small items will be reflected...
It was very difficult.
In reality, something about 5cm looks like it's about 1m.
It's magnified considerably, so you can see the things you put there more clearly.
leaving country
After all, it was taken at the actual size!
It's more difficult to make a huge bookshelf according to the model.
But... Wow~~ It's hard.
It was very cute to see the bookshelves unfolding from the perspective of a dwarf.
The three-dimensional world is beautiful even when photographed because it is so well-crafted.
There is no gap even if you switch to 2D. That's horrible!
This video is shown at the entrance of S/PARK, so anyone can watch it freely.
I was looking at it for a while, thinking it was a luxury.
Yamaguchi
Like this time, the client says, "I want to leave it to this person."
A job that allows a certain amount of adventure in expression is rare and rewarding.
leaving country
By going out into the world with the work that we adventured together once, twice,
A new client who wants an adventure asks Mr. Yamaguchi again. Ideal.
Yamaguchi
I want a job like mine! I am sometimes asked by a young child,
This kind of work is not established.
While working as a designer and stylist, I feel like I'm here now by pursuing my own personality and what I want to do.
I'm a stylist, so when I'm designing a space, I can collect accessories that match the world view I'm aiming for.
: PHOTO by Hideki Sato
(Continued in Part 2)
Like this article?