Artistomo

Aristomo combines the English word “artisan,” meaning traditional, skilled workers or products, with the Japanese word “tomo,” meaning together. Joining traditional arts and modern lifestyles. For those looking to live more sustainably and connect with their roots while taking advantage of government incentives to revitalize rural areas, Artistomo provides a harmonious community initiative to protect and prolong Japanese culture and natural heritage. It is a cooperative for those looking to live sustainably and connect with their roots through education and practice. Joining a community with set principles eases new interactions and brings inhabitants together through commonality and contribution.

School of Design | Graduate Interior Design
Student: Lesley Siegel
Faculty: Tetsu Ohara
A black and white image of rammed earth. Graphically an A is superimposed and filled with lush, green, tiered, Japanese farmland. A farmer can be seen from the back looking out over the land. The title of the project Aristomo is written in black to the left of the A. Below is a description of the meaning behind the title, which is explained in the caption.
Aristomo combines the English word “artisan,” meaning traditional, skilled workers or products, with the Japanese word “tomo,” meaning together. Joining traditional arts and modern lifestyles. The project provides a harmonious community initiative to protect and prolong Japanese culture and natural heritage. It is a cooperative for those looking to live sustainably and connect with their roots through education and practice. Joining a community with set principles eases new interactions and brings inhabitants together through commonality and contribution.
At the top is Issey Miyake's Pleats Please project image showing the pleating machine with two attendants and pleats please garments on four women. The bullet points are traditional practice, rigorous experimentation, materials and technology, global acclaim and accessibility, freedom of expression. Below is Toyo Ito's project Home-for-All with an image on the right where the architect is shown with him team on the structure. An image on the left shows the structure in use by the community. Bullet points include prioritized needs of others, return to traditional structure, built/maintained with help from all, created unity, hierarchy dissolved, nurtured communal activity.
Issey Miyake began with a traditional practice of folding and pleating and—through rigorous experimentation with fabric and technology—created his accessible product line, Pleats Please. Miyake’s modernized traditional method maintained form, won global recognition, and granted freedom of expression. Toyo Ito’s first “Home for All” in Sendai City prioritized the needs of displaced families after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Ito’s design was that of a traditional Japanese structure based on feedback from the suffering community; materials were donated for its construction, and volunteers came together to help build it and then celebrate it. Everyone maintained and supported the space; it became a hub that nurtured communal activities.
Design components taxonomy. A 4x3 grid sketches in 4 columns across the top being thermal/acoustic, transmit light, gather occupants, facilitate slowness. Along the left from top to bottom, floor/ground, walls/envelope, openings. Top row: performative materials, reflective surface, directionality, guided path. Middle row: thickness, daylight conscious, curiosity, moments of pause. Bottom row: skylight, open entryway, views.
Artistomo takes inspiration from these designers to ensure that the cooperative’s form, materials, comfort, and sequence strengthen its ability to promote tradition, health and well-being, quality education, and sustainable practices. Implementing design rules that facilitate relationships between interiors, people, and nature, a combination of conditions are met that create spaces to make people stay together while reducing their impact on the environment.
Live in Balance with nature, a sketch collage of a woman looking out through an open entryway to nature beyond.
Living in balance with nature feels warm and inviting. The boundary between inside and outside is blurred by an open entryway. The mind can find calmness with natural views.
A place to gather, usable by everybody. Multiple tables with place settings for tea ceremony, adults and children sit and occupy space together.
Places to gather that are usable by everybody allow for social activities. They accommodate those who want to kneel or stand. Many configurations present opportunities for spontaneity. The open layout allows sound to travel through the space, sparking curiosity and beckoning interaction.
Practice to preserve. A woman practices ikebana in a garden adjacent to an open entryway.
A large communal table creates space for demonstrations. Intentional pathways guide interest and introduce place. Open sightlines to nature reinforce the origins of the practice. Materials of wood and the sound of water reduces stress and promotes relaxation.
Impact on the world. The project aims to meet the United Nations sustainability goals of Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Responsible Consumption and Production.
Through prudence, accountability, and immersion Artistomo takes action toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. These attributes remain present within the space as inhabitants arrive, connect, grow, and sustain a commitment to the community and the world.
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