Yuri Suzuki (designer)

Yuri Suzuki
Suzuki in 2011
Born	1980 Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Education	Royal College of Art
Occupation(s)	Artist, Designer, Musician
Employer	Pentagram
Website	yurisuzuki.com

Yuri Suzuki (スズキ ユウリ, Suzuki Yūri) (born 1980) is a Japanese artist, designer, and musician. Primarily known for the design of sound-based objects, Suzuki is a partner of the London office of Pentagram.

Early life and education

Yuri Suzuki was born in 1980 in Tokyo, Japan and grew up in Shibuya ward.^[1][2] While at Wako Gakuen High School, he became a fan of the product design artist collective Maywa Denki and started making replicas of their music instruments. Maywa Denki soon noticed Suzuki's activity and in 1999 made him an assistant.^[1][2][3] He continued working and performing as a part of the collective throughout his BA Product Design studies at Nihon University. In 2005, Suzuki moved to London and to study in the MA Design Products program at the Royal College of Art.^[4]

Career

After completing his graduate education, Suzuki started to work on his sound installations and experimental product designs as well as participating in artist-in-residence programmes in Japan, UK and India.

Alongside his activities as an artist and designer, Suzuki also worked for Teenage Engineering^[5] in Stockholm and Research Department of Disney^[6][7] in California, and fully relocated back to London in 2012. In 2013, Suzuki launched Ototo, a circuit board that turns any conductive materials into a music instrument.^[8]

As media coverage on Suzuki's work grew, collaborations with musicians have begun as well. Suzuki designed and produced musical instruments for will.i.am^[9][10] and Jeff Mills,^[11][12] and organized a workshop-based music video brief with Damian Kulash from OK Go.^[13]

Suzuki taught at the Royal College of Art and School of Architecture Interactive Architecture Lab, University College London as a visiting tutor, gave lectures and held workshops at numerous art colleges in Europe. In November 2018, Suzuki joined the London office of Pentagram as a partner.^[14]

September 2020 saw Suzuki launch the experimental music label MSG with the inaugural release Scott’s Dream – Music From A Reimagined Digital Electronium paying tribute to the work of Raymond Scott.^[15]

Exhibitions

• 2014: solo exhibition at Pola Museum Annex, Tokyo.^[16]
• 2019: retrospective exhibition titled Sound in Mind: Yuri Suzuki at London's Design Museum^[17][18][19]

Collections

• Museum of Modern Art, New York^[20]
• Art Institute of Chicago^[21]

Recognition and awards

• Designer of the Future Award Design Miami /Swarovski (2016)
• Honorary mention (Sound Art) Prix Ars Electronica (2016)^[22]
• Honorary mention (Interactive Art) Prix Ars Electronica (2016)^[22]
• Designers in Residence Design Museum, London (2012)
• Honorary mention (Interactive Art) Prix Ars Electronica (2009)

References

1. Cyberarts (in German). Springer. 2009.
2. Nunez, Irma (13 May 2017). "Designer Yuri Suzuki chases his dreams through sound". The Japan Times.
3. "音をデザインするアーティスト、スズキユウリ。日本人初のペンタグラムパートナーになった理由（前編） | Webマガジン「AXIS」 | デザインのWebメディア". Webマガジン「AXIS」 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-04-03.
4. "Live interview with Yuri Suzuki as part of Virtual Design Festival". Dezeen. 12 June 2020.
5. "海外でフリーランス・アーティストとして生きるには。スズキユウリさんの仕事論。 | AdverTimes（アドタイ） by 宣伝会議". AdverTimes（アドタイ）宣伝会議が運営する、広告界のニュース＆情報プラットフォーム (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-04-04.
6. "Yuri Suzuki, Lab Associate, Disney Research". Disney Research. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
7. "Disney project turns the human body into a stealthy speaker (video)". Engadget. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
8. Souppouris, Aaron (31 January 2014). "This $75 synthesizer will turn anything into an instrument". The Verge.
9. Brown, Mark; correspondent, Arts (2014-07-02). "Singing will.i.am animation in Egyptian headdress at Barbican digital exhibition". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-03. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
10. "Will.i.am's new musical machines". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
11. "Check out Jeff Mills' UFO-inspired drum machine". FACT Magazine. 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
12. "Yuri Suzuki on Will.i.am, Robert Moog and Jeff Mills | Art | Agenda". Phaidon. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
13. Yamada, Mio (2014-10-28). "OK Go shares a love of Japan with fans". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
14. "Pentagram taps celebrated sound designer to be its newest partner". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
15. "Yuri Suzuki pays homage to Raymond Scott's pioneering electronics in new album". The Vinyl Factory. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
16. Kikuchi, Daisuke (21 August 2014). "Playing with Sound: Yuri Suzuki". The Japan Times.
17. "Sound in Mind: Yuri Suzuki". Design Museum. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
18. Wong, Henry (2019-09-16). "Yuri Suzuki's Sound in Mind captures sound design's big moment". Design Week. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
19. "Extra: 'Sound in Mind' with Yuri Suzuki, Monocle on Design - Radio". Monocle. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
20. "Yuri Suzuki | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art.
21. "Yuri Suzuki". The Art Institute of Chicago. 1980.
22. Thompson, Mark (12 February 2010). "The magical mystery tour of 'media artist' Yuri Suzuki". The Japan Times.

External links

• Official site