■Exhibition information
edition.nord is based in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata Prefecture, the hometown of designer Shin Akiyama. Its unique approach to handmade bookmaking is characterized by a communal living environment that is welcoming and open to everyone; materials procurement via the Internet; investigation of production techniques using such sources as YouTube; and use of office multifunction printers. edition.nord's activities have been highly acclaimed at art book fairs and exhibitions in Japan and abroad, and they have even been invited to give workshops and lectures overseas.

Through these experiences, their interest has gradually shifted from designing to mediating local communities and artists in book production. In recent years, they have been conducting new experiments in collaborative production with the help of students at Kobe Design University, where Akiyama lectures, and collaborators in the Kansai region.

The exhibition will focus on the production process. The exhibition space will be transformed into a factory, where visitors will see the actual production process along with the collaborators. The exhibition will also feature past collaborative productions as well as surplus materials. During the exhibition term, Akiyama himself plans to reconfigure the space several times. The title, "Factory dddd," is derived from the gallery name "ddd," with an additional "d" to evoke continuous production through a series of sounds.

■Shin Akiyama: Profile
Director, edition.nord; graphic designer/book maker

Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1963. Graduated from the Department of Architecture of Tohoku University's School of Engineering. Completed the major in architecture at Tokyo University of the Arts. Since the mid-1990s, he has been involved in numerous graphic design projects for art and architecture books and exhibitions. Akiyama is the director of edition.nord, a professor in Kobe Design University's Department of Visual Design, a visiting lecturer in woodblock printing at Tama Art University's Department of Painting, and a jury member of the Japan Book Design Awards. His recent design/bookmaking work includes "Tousandou Angel Kikou," a book of several thousand copies for general circulation, bound by hand with students, by Kou Machida + Takayuki Terakado (Sayusha 2021).


■Akiyama Buku: Profile

Since 2001, he has created works in the "Composition" series, improvising spatial compositions with existing equipment in galleries, stores, warehouses, community centers, outdoor parks, event spaces, libraries, etc. In 2016, he launched "Situations," reconstructing works multiple times over the course of an exhibition, either independently or with the help of collaborators. In 2012, he initiated "Placement," a series of works in which objects and their locations correspond on a one-to-one basis. In 2017, with "#table arrangement," he began improvising combinations of tabletop fixtures and serving utensils from restaurants and cafes, and posting photos of them on social media.
Venue
3F COCON KARASUMA, 620 Suiginya-cho, Karasuma-dori Shijo-sagaru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto City 600 8411, Japan
Tel: 075-585-5370 Fax: 075-585-5369


■Venue

Hours: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a national holiday or a substitute holiday), March 22(the day after a national holiday).

A short walk from the Shijo Karasuma City Bus stop, Shijo Station on the Subway Karasuma Line (exit 2), and Karasuma Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line (exits 23 and 25).
Free entrance. No parking.