Yusuke Oono is a renowned architect who participated in many sizable projects including the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Central Taiwan Innovation Campus and the redesign of Museum of National Taipei University of Education. But the project that actually brought wide recognition to Oono was his 360°BOOK — a 3D book series that was launched in 2012. His 3D books are not meant to be read page by page; they need to stand vertically on the desk first. By pulling two sides of the book towards each other and form a cylinder, a full picture of scene will be revealed, like a story told by a landscape picture. In Oono’s books, readers can find Snow White happily picking apples, the Evil Queen holding the poisoned apple and plotting her hideous act, or Mount Fuji surrounded by fog and mist.
360°BOOK was initially Yusuke Oono’s personal project before gaining attention of Seigensha Art Publishing which officially sent it for printing. The third book of the series is called Earth and the Moon. This handy book conceals a unsettling universe in which earth coexists with the moon. The capacity of printed book is not the only subject matter that 360°BOOK explores; it also experiments what the increasingly popular digital printing can do for designers and artists.
R: What was the inspiration behind your 360°BOOK project? O: My original idea was actually memo pads. I wanted to make a memo pad that can turn into a 3D picture. I didn’t plan to make a book back then, but when I was binding up pieces of paper, it actually became a book-like creation. That was why the project is designed as books.
R: Snow White was the theme of the first 360°BOOK. What gave you the idea? O: I am a designer, not an illustrator. What I design is not the content but the structure of 360°BOOK. I picked a well-known tale so as to attract more attention for my first creation.
R: What was the most difficult part in creating your first book? O: It was a challenge to have the 3D content shown clearly. It took me considerable efforts to execute the decision of extending page number and book size.
R: Compared to the first book, was it not as challenging to make your new 360°BOOK Earth and the Moon? O: Every new work comes with a new technical challenge. I have to examine every single question closely, so as to solve all problems and improve the quality of my work.
R: The original 360°BOOK was made with the method of digital cutting, but was switched to die cutting when mass production was started in 2015. Why? O: Mass-producing with digital cutting would incur high cost in both money and time. Besides, digital cutting leaves a burning mark on the rim, so I decided to switch to die cutting.
R: What inspired you to make Earth and the Moon?O: Mount Fuji and Snow White were the two themes for my previous works, this time I would like to try something with a distinctively different vibe. I believed the sci-fi quality that the universe possesses could be an ideal theme to manifest potential of 360°BOOK.
R: Mr Oono, which quality of digital cutting and 3D printing fascinates you the most? And what do you think they can influence our world?
O: Whether to mass produce products that are identical or different, the cost stays the same if digital technology is used. I found this fact most fascinating. If in the future, the technology of digital cutting can be further improved with cost lowered, then people can order their customized 360°BOOK online. I’m very looking forward to seeing this happen.
大野友資 1983年於德國出生,在東京大學建築學系畢業後,曾往葡萄牙師從建築大師João Luís Carrilho da Graça,回國後進入Noiz Architects,並任職東京藝術大學非常勤講師。現時除了建築及平面設計等工作外,亦致力研究數碼技術於設計及製作上的應用。
Yusuke Oono Oono was born in Germany in 1983. Upon his graduation from School of Architecture in the University of Tokyo, Oono went to Portugal and worked under the master of architecture João Luís Carrilho da Graça. After returning to Japan, Oono joined Noiz Architects and works as an adjunct Professor at Tokyo University of Fine Arts. Apart from practising architecture and graphic design for profession, Oono is devoted to researching the application of digital technology on design and production.