At “TOKiON the STORE”, a collection of Evangelion merchandise products co-produced by the flower artist group AMKK has launched on March 8th. For this article, we interviewed AMKK founder Makoto Azuma about this collection’s production, its concept, color schemes, and much more.

Visually, the artworks comprise different Evangelion-inspired bouquets created by AMKK. The four types of bouquets based on the color schemes of EVA Unit 01, 00, 02, and 08 perfectly blend with Evangelion’s style.

AMKK is well-known for pursuing the beauty of flowers even after withering, following concepts concerning life and death, which, in contrast with the powerful Evangelion, successfully brings out the best of both sides of the collection. The flower-based visuals are printed on T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, hoodies, PVC tote bags, pouches, coin cases, and “SUBU” winter sandals. Famous quotes from each EVA pilot are present on the sleeves of all T-shirts.

How did AMKK create such high-impact visuals?
“In many cases, we combine colors following our intuition at that time, but when creating something based on a concept, we pay extra attention to the color schemes. Most fans of the series easily recognize the characteristic tones of each EVA Unit, so we emphasized that sort of brand’s presence while matching the colors with the right flowers.” – Makoto Azuma

AMKK seeks to reveal a newfound beauty for flowers through deep tones and extreme environments. “Flowers are most beautiful when they bloom in the field, so we pull their roots from the ground and add to that beauty with our craft, arranging them in ways that are impossible in nature, such as putting together flowers from both cold and tropical regions; in my opinion, arranging flowers is pointless unless it creates something impactful that no one has ever seen. In that sense, I often arrange flowers with strong presences and deep tones that clash with each other, and I always draw inspiration from the flowers when creating.” – Makoto Azuma

In addition, the concept of switching the EVAs’ weapons with plants is also impressive. “The Evangelion is defined as an ‘All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon,’ basically the opposite of nature, a clump of human-made artefacts. We purposely made them look like they’re fighting with huge bouquets in their hands to express both naturality and artificiality, two contradictory elements fused to convey warmth.” – Makoto Azuma
These visuals are present in the T-shirts and the “Alpha Industries” MA-1 bomber jacket.

“TOKiON the STORE” is currently holding an installation to express the significance of collaboration. We are exhibiting an AMKK-made flower cube that combines a large number of flowers matching the EVA Unit 01’s colossal figure. Concerning the production of this installation, Makoto added: “Evangelion often depicts battles taking place in a devastated world; for this installation, we dared to create an environment where you can feel the breath of living creatures, the exact opposite of raw battlefield. By positioning the gigantic figure in the middle of a flower field, we expressed not only beauty but also the intrinsic strength and the decaying fragility of flowers, emphasizing the mechanical parts of the Evangelion, and at the same time, creating a life-like atmosphere, as it could start moving at any moment.”
The exhibition is scheduled to end on March 28th.

Makoto Azuma
Born in 1976, Makoto Azuma moved to Tokyo in hopes of becoming a musician but he got into the floral industry after working at a flower shop as a part time worker. In 2002, he opened a custom-made flower shop, “JARDINS des FLEURS” in Ginza, Tokyo alongside Shunsuke Shiinoki, former highschool classmate and current-day photographer in charge of capturing their floral works. The shop is currently in Minami Aoyama. He began creating sculptures out of plants in 2005 while working on the flower shop. In 2009, he founded AMKK (“Azuma Makoto, Kaju Kenkyujo”). His work has been exhibited in museums, art galleries, and public spaces in New York, Milan, Paris, Shanghai, Brazil, and so forth.
https://azumamakoto.com

Translation Leandro Di Rosa

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The post Flower Artist Group AMKK’s Evangelion-Inspired Bouquets: Naturality And Artificiality Fused In One appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

At “TOKiON the STORE”, a collection of Evangelion merchandise products will be on sale from March 8, co-produced by the creative collective AMKK, led by flower artist Makoto Azuma and botanical photographer Shunsuke Shiinoki, who have collaborated with various luxury brands around the world. In addition to T-shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts and hoodies, the collection will include an MA-1 bomber jacket from “Alpha Industries” and winter sandals from “SUBU.”

In line with the collaboration, AMKK also produced four different artworks based on EVA Unit 01, 00, 02, and 08. AMKK’s creative concept is based around the themes of life and death in flowers, fully pursuing their beauty from their full bloom form to after they wither; this can also be found inside the work created in collaboration with Evangelion, which aims to display the flowers’ strength and vitality while respecting Evangelion’s original color schemes. The beauty of such tones is emphasized by the Evangelion comfortably blending into the bouquet’s colors.

Furthermore, AMKK also produced graphics of the “Decisive Battle Weapon” Evangelions holding a bouquet instead of their weapons. The company has been pursuing the diverse beauty of flowers since its beginnings; now, its collaboration with Evangelion, which story always reminds its viewers of the duality of life and death, lets us recognize their beauty in both forms.

An interview about this production with AMKK’s Makoto Azuma will be released soon.

Photography Shinpo Kimura
Translation Leandro Di Rosa

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The post Flower Artist Group AMKK and Evangelion’s Co-produced Merch On Sale at “TOKiON the STORE” from March 8 appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

AMKK (“Azuma Makoto, Kaju Kenkyujo”) is a flower creation group run by Makoto Azuma, flower artist, and Shunsuke Shiinoki, botanical photographer. Their work revolves around “JARDINS des FLEURS” a custom-made bouquet shop in Minami Aoyama, Tokyo. Further, they also create experimental art pieces and collaborate with fashion brands such as Hermes and Dries Van Noten. Among their wide range of work, they have a project called “Flower Shop KIBOU.” It’s hard to miss the flower shop because of their vividly colorful parasol. Their mission is simple; to go all around the world and give people free flowers on the street. The group researches native flowers before they go to their destination and supplies most of their flowers at the location.

Flower Shop KIBOU was founded in 2016. It was the year that rocked the world: Donald Trump won the election in America and the UK voted to leave the EU. Azuma says, “There was a sense of unrest in the air when I was working in different countries abroad. I felt like the political and economical landscape was going to change drastically. We thought about what we could do, and looked at the role of flower shops. We thought about what sort of feelings people pour into the flowers they send and realized that we wanted to make people happy by giving them flowers.”

There was an incident that made Azuma feel confident about Flower Shop KIBOU, which was created through a series of trial and error. He made a visit to former president of Uruguay, Jose Mujica, who Azuma looks up to. Mujica refused to live in the presidential residence during his presidency and donated over 90% of his earnings and lived a humble life. He’s been coined “the poorest president in the world.” He recalls the moment: “When I spoke to him about Flower Shop KIBOU, he told me that it was great. Even if the world changes, there are things that’ll continue to last, such as time and a loving heart. He said, ‘it’s the same with sending flowers that carry emotions that can’t be expressed with words’ and that made me realize that starting the project was the right answer. It gave me some motivation and momentum.”

Azuma has gone to places such as India, Jamaica, Brazil, Germany, and Algeria; he’s been to over 10 countries through Flower Shop KIBOU. He states that “the language of flowers is the shared language of the world.” “There are flower markets in the countryside of Africa and towns around the Amazon. Through my travels, I realized that flowers are an important part of everybody’s lives, regardless of race and nationality. For instance, red roses symbolize love and marigolds are religious offerings. It’s interesting how flowers have the same meaning in different parts of the world, even though no one decided on it.”

His encounters abroad showed him the power of flowers. Despite being a foreigner, the locals didn’t fear him and he was welcomed in dangerous places such as Brazil’s favelas (slums) too. In India, he saw a lot of children beggars but when they saw him handing out flowers, they didn’t ask for money. Rather, they were delighted when they received flowers. He says, “When you appeal to human greed, conflict is born but flowers appeal to emotions. I think that’s why the opposite effect is born from that. The culture of giving flowers hasn’t gone out of style, despite the world being filled with other products. Perhaps it’s something that we’re deeply attached to.”

Flowers Strengthen Human Connections and Spread Hope

What Flower Shop KIBOU does is quite simple, but it’s not just about Azuma giving flowers to others, as the human connections made from the project go beyond that act. When an individual receives flowers from Azuma, they in turn send them to someone else; it can be said that this chain reaction is at the heart of the project. “This project has grown more than I had expected. Some people give the flowers to their partner or parents, while others bring it to a loved one’s grave. I reckon they do these things because they want to share the joy of receiving flowers with someone. The act of handing out flowers may seem small, but that spreads to other people, just like a wind-pollinated flower.” It’s fair to say that people feel compelled to share the happiness they feel from receiving flowers. There’s no doubt that relationships become even more special thanks to the analogue form of communication born from the medium of flowers.

Azuma continues: “When I started this shop, people often asked me, ‘do you wish for world peace?’ I do think flowers are one of the things that can help bring world peace but I initially wanted this project to become a fond memory for the people I met, especially children. People that receive the flowers send them to other people, and they talk about how they felt. I hope this could serve as the catalyst for hope to go around more.”

On Launching the Shop in Tokyo For the First Time

From July 28th to August 2nd, Flower Shop KIBOU is going to open in TOKION the STORE in Tokyo. He says, “Because of this situation we’re in, I can’t really tell people to come to the store. I also can’t predict how people will react. However, I do want to bring some joy to people by giving them flowers with the utmost caution.”

Further, their in-demand Flower Shop KIBOU staff shirts and other products will be sold too. The profits will go to the continuance of funding flowers for Flower Shop KIBOU. “I might have to give flowers to people from a distance. I’ll make sure to interact with people in a way that doesn’t create crowds. On top of the coronavirus pandemic, there’s also the American presidential election coming up in November. I think the world is going to change in a big way again. That’s why I want to keep on conveying the message we’ve been conveying until this point.”

Makoto Azuma
Born in 1976, Makoto Azuma moved to Tokyo in hopes of becoming a musician but he got into the floral industry after working at a flower shop as a part time worker. In 2002, he opened a custom-made flower shop, “JARDINS des FLEURS” in Ginza, Tokyo alongside Shunsuke Shiinoki, former highschool classmate and current-day photographer in charge of capturing their floral works. The shop is currently in Minami Aoyama. He began creating sculptures out of plants in 2005 while working on the flower shop. In 2009, he founded AMKK (“Azuma Makoto, Kaju Kenkyujo”). His work has been exhibited in museums, art galleries, and public spaces in New York, Milan, Paris, Shanghai, Brazil, and so forth.
https://azumamakoto.com/

Photography(Profile) Shin Hamada
Translation Lena-Grace Suda

The post The Launch of a Flower Shop that Gives Hope to the World: Human Connections Made Through Flowers appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

In a lot of different aspects, people use flowers as a means to express emotions such as joy and grief. Many people visited JARDINS des FLEURS after the Great East Japan Earthquake as well as the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Azuma explains, “People entrust their feelings in flowers when they can’t find the words to express them during difficult times. We portray that feeling in our work. The magic of flowers can be seen in how flowers speak for the person sending them.” AMKK creates artwork actively but their main focus is on creating custom-made bouquets for customers. “The way we make bouquets differ according to whether we decide to express the feelings of the sender or the recipient. Usually, I ask about the recipient’s occupation, personality, and preferences. Then, I begin to picture the bouquet in my head. It could be long or soft and round. It could also be strong and erotic.” After that, he has multiple meetings with the flower buyer about the types of flowers and shapes, with the season in mind as well. Because the bouquet shapes change depending on what sort of flowers arrive, there’s no right or wrong in regards to the completed product. It’s a repetition of figuring out what works. In order to meet the customer’s wants, there are times where they would pick wild flowers in the mountains instead of using flowers sold at marketplaces. Azuma says that he still has a lot to learn about flowers, regardless of the experiences he’s had. “The other day, Ryuichi Sakamoto told me that he didn’t like the combination of green and pink tones. It’s our job to listen carefully to the customer and get to know them well. We’re still students learning about the trade.”

Flowers as the Embodiment of Life

There are a number of pieces that explore the concept of death in AMKK’s roster. Take, for instance, works that use the contrast between vivid colors and dark backgrounds. “Flowers are the embodiment of life. Our challenge is to make the viewer feel ‘life’ from our work. In other words, how could we make them feel ‘death’ from our work? In human years, cut flowers age 10 years per day and it’s said that their life span is about a week. Today, due to the technology of agriculture, the life span has extended to about 10 days.” Usually, the flowers that are popular at regular flower shops are in their 20s to 30s, in human years. However, at AMKK, they explore the beauty that each flower has, regardless of its age. If it’s for a present, they prepare flowers that are at the height of their blooming beauty. For personal use, they prepare young flowers that’ll last long. The appearance and condition change according to what the flowers are going to be used for. It’s essential to control the way flowers bloom in order to illustrate the embodiment of life via flowers. This is part of the reason why they pay great attention to custom-made bouquets.

For a flower, to die is to wilt. Upon creating bouquets, Azuma thinks about how to make the flowers look pretty even after they die. He says, “I’m testing out how different flowers wilt. For example, tulips from Niigata wilt differently from say, Toyama or overseas. How much water is needed for certain flowers? How long does it take for them to die? Do the petals open up right before they wilt, or do they die without blooming? I record this and use this knowledge for my work.” A new kind of beauty is breathed into the flowers through this experimentation and recording. “By creating flower pieces with the understanding that they’re going to wilt eventually, we’re then able to express themes of life and death in a raw way. When we started the flower shop, a lot of the other shops only had pretty flowers lined up. But I felt like the way flowers decay had this ephemeral beauty to them.”

Pursuing the Diverse Beauty of Flowers Through Creating Art Projects with Other Industries

AMKK has always had ties with various fashion brands. Since the 2018-2019 Fall/Winter season, they’ve been creating head pieces made with live flowers and cacti for Noir Kei Ninomiya’s collections. In 2014, playing with the concept of a garden, they worked on the walls in the “flower” zone of the “Dries Van Noten: Inspirations” exhibition in Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France. They then became involved with using space as a part of their performance during Spring/Summer 2017 (Women’s). They displayed a bright piece of art on the runway called “ICED FLOWERS” where flowers were submerged in ice. A picture from that show was used as the cover of two volumes of “Dries Van Noten 51-100,” a compilation book of 100 Dries Van Noten Men’s and Women’s shows. “Fashion and flowers go well together, don’t they? It’s always exciting to see how designers interpret flowers. When flowers are used in fashion, they can be looked at in a new, different light.”

In their 2019 art project, “Flower & Man,” in accordance to the title, AMKK took photographs of pro wrestler Konosuke Takeshita doing a backdrop with a flower bouquet. There are also videos where a rickshaw is carrying flowers in the seat. The stark contrast between flowers and fast, robust movements create a sense of dynamism, as well as a feeling of vitality and mystique. Azuma says, “When people think of flowers, they usually picture a pretty, dainty rose on top of a piano. But I think there’s more to flowers than just that. When a pro wrestler uses a bouquet as their opponent and throws it to the ground, it reminds me that flowers placed on gravestones are beautiful too.”

With their experimental works, they express how flowers change when they grow and die; AMKK shines the brightest when they create works about mortality. Their portrayal of how both people and flowers don’t live forever may look cruel but it reminds us that everything is a part of nature. AMKK are bound to continue exploring beauty that transcends everything.

Subheading: A Collaborative Product From AMKK

Most recently, AMKK revamped the “Japonica study notebook,” which may be a nostalgic item for many Japanese people. On the inside, readers will be able to see a map of where the flower used on the cover came from. It’s similar to an illustrated encyclopedia for children. “I used a flower with a rich color instead of going with a simple, pretty one. I wanted to express strength and vitality. I want kids to know that flowers aren’t just these pretty things in flower beds.”

Japonica’s notebooks have been putting pictures of rare flowers on the cover, and this has continued to make children interested in plants. By having AMKK carry on this tradition, both adults and children are definitely going to see a new kind of beauty in flowers.

Makoto Azuma
Born in 1976, Makoto Azuma moved to Tokyo in hopes of becoming a musician but he got into the floral industry after working at a flower shop as a part time worker. In 2002, he opened a custom-made flower shop, “JARDINS des FLEURS” in Ginza, Tokyo alongside Shunsuke Shiinoki, former highschool classmate and current-day photographer in charge of capturing their floral works. The shop is currently in Minami Aoyama. He began creating sculptures out of plants in 2005 while working on the flower shop. In 2009, he founded AMKK (“Azuma Makoto, Kaju Kenkyujo”). His work has been exhibited in museums, art galleries, and public spaces in New York, Milan, Paris, Shanghai, Brazil, and so forth.
https://azumamakoto.com/

Translation Lena-Grace Suda

The post AMKK, Flower Artist Group: On Mortality Through Bouquets and the Beauty & Ephemerality of Flowers appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.