Bernhard Willhelm

Bernhard Willhelm's first shop in Tokyo was conceived with the idea of creating something out of nothing. Asked by Via Bus Stop to create his first shop ever, this trial was an opportunity to gather all the aesthetical codes he has been working on. Following his background of collaborations with artists and designers, he asked new-born duo ( item idem™, conceptual artist, and Asa, exiled designer, both based in Tokyo ) to create an environment following his main guidelines. Conceived as an interior crafted with detritus and waste of the consumeristic society, this shop ( which of course presents the latest collections ) would be the ideal palace for  dandy homeless. Bernhard Willhelm's philosophy has always been focused on how to make clever projects with no money, and this new store demonstrates this very well. item idem™ and Asa added their own inspiration and esthetical poetry influenced by the reconstructed japanese homeless house. Japan is certainly one of the most sophisticated countries in the world. But still, focused on beauty, this nation is ashamed of its poor individuals, parking them in parks. However the sophistication of this society can still be found in its hidden aspects. The homes the homeless build with found objects, cardboards, and blue plastic, are purely beautiful in terms of ephemeral architecture. Adding necessary functionality to a research of beauty, they design a strong political statement, proving that being poor and rejected by society, doesn't stop them from having beauty ideals. The collaboration between Bernhard and this duo started with this latest influence, one that had a strong meaning for all three, especially doing this project in japan, inside a department store. The genius of Bernhard Willhelm partly consists of a great understanding of a large number of aesthetical codes, sometimes coming from pop culture or ethnical origins. That is something item idem™ and Asa understood and tried to reproduce while they were designing this " junk puzzle interior". This alternative shop is a rare and unique project and a must-to-see. By mixing art and market, this proposal of an exhibition shop,  will live for months before evolving, just as a homeless updates his cardboard house. The shop opening was on the 4th February at 3rd floor of PARCO shopping mall at Shibuya, Tokyo.