Kengo Kuma with Alberni by Kuma (model). Photo credit: Dennis Gocer, The Collective You
Japan Unlayered is now open at Fairmont Pacific Rim. On view until February 28, 2017, the exhibition is designed to be a sensory experience that invites one to experience Japanese culture through touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.
Japan Unlayered is curated by master Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, his firm Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) and the developers-owners of Fairmont Pacific Rim, Westbank and Peterson. The exhibition explores the in-depth collaboration between KKAA and Westbank, to present Japanese craftsmanship alongside contemporary design to illustrate that the defining principles of Japanese design remain the same despite the evolution of technology. The exhibition, open to hotel guests and the public free-of-charge, displayed over two levels of Fairmont Pacific Rim, pays particular tribute to the Japanese philosophy of layering, where overlapping elements define an overall experience, and which Kuma-san?s work embodies. A retrospective look at the architecture of Kengo Kuma, from its small beginnings to its current large-scale works, is among the displays. The contents of the exhibition extend beyond his work to include Japanese design from a wide range of fields and brands.

The Tea House reimagined by Kengo Kuma. Photo credit: Ema Peters
The experience begins at the Fairmont Pacific Rim?s main entrance. Just inside the front doors, the traditional Japanese teahous...