Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka has shown his inventive work often at Milan Design Week. For Swarovski Crystal Palace, he designed a luminous orb entitled Stella, which resembled a fiery planet. Working with Moroso, Yoshioka previously showed his Memory Chair—a conceptual chair in recycled aluminum that emerged from a series of prototypes. This year, he is pairing with the Italian furniture manufacturer again to present an exhibition entitled Twilight, which includes a glossy, sleek, curvy chair by the name of Moon.

Moon Designed by Tokujin Yoshioka for Moroso.

Gleaming, White, and Shiny

One look at the watercolor drawings that inspired Moon will give you some idea of the creative mind at work here. Yoshioka seems to design in broad, nebulous sweeps—as beautiful as Japanese wash paintings and as simple as haiku. But, like the traditional Japanese poetry, Moon presents a paradoxical simplicity, hiding layers of complexity. The curve and material of the chair refract light; this results in a dance of shadows that creates an optical effect. You can get lost in Moon. Stare at its voluptuous base, glare at its concave seat, examine its lacquer-like luminosity. In white, Moon resembles its namesake, casting scintillating light. In black, Moon calls to mind a black hole or the dome of a night sky.

Yoshioka seems to be attracted to translucency and fluorescence. Much of his work uses material that allows the passage of light and plays with it: bars that look as if they’re covered in spilled mercury, chairs made from natural crystals, glass benches. Moon is in good company.

Via Notcot.