Toshiyuki Kita, Designer Toshiyuki Kita was born in Osaka, Japan in 1942. In 1967 he established his design office and started researching on habitats, life styles, and traditional handicrafts. He began to work in Japan and Milan, Italy in 1969. In 1981 his WINK Chair was selected for the permanent collection in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He received the Product Design Award from the Institute of Business Designers and Contract Magazine in the USA in 1983. In the following year KICK Table was chosen for the permanent collection in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1985 he was awarded the Mainichi Design Prize. Toshiyuki Kita was invited to "Novelles Tendances," 10th anniversary exhibition of the Centre George Pompidou in France, where he submitted his work "Furture Space" in 1987. In 1990 he won the Delta de Oro Award in Spain. In the ensuing year, he had his private exhibition in Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art. He designed the chairs and interior for the rotating theatre at the Japanese Pavilion in Seville in 1992, and in 1993 he chaired the judging committee of the Sixth International Design Competition. In 1995 Mr. Kita was the General Chairman of the committee under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to select "Good Design" products. In 1997, his MULTI LINGUAL CHAIR was selected for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In the following year, thirteen of his works were selected for the permanent collections of the Modern Art Museum in France. In 1999 he had the design seminars in Peking, Taipei, and Seoul. He held his private exhibitions in Milan and Bellona (1999) and in Italy (2000). Moreover, he held the exhibition, "l'anima del design," in Milan in 2001. Toshiyuki Kita is an active, internationally respected environment, interior and product designer. He is also involved in traditional Japanese craft designs such as lacquer wares and Japanese paper products. In addition, he has actively encouraged industries in local areas. Motomi Kawakami Motomi Kawakami was born 1940 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. In 1964 he graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music where he majored in industrial design. In 1966 he finished a postgraduate art course at the same university. From 1966 to 1969 Mr. Kawakami worked professionally at the Angelo Mangiarotti Architecture Office in Milan, Italy. In 1971 he established the Kawakami Design Office. Mr. Kawakami's accomplishments include the Japan Interior Designers' Association Award (1976) and the first prize at the Open International Chair Design Competition of A.I.A. in the USA (1977). He won the IF Prize in West Germany in 1981, 1982 and 1999. In 1991 he won the MAINICHI Design Prize, and in the following year he received the Kitaro Kunii Industrial Design Award. In addition Mr. Kawakami was awarded the Tanaka Prize for the Tsurumi Tsubasa Bridge by the Japan Society of Civil Engineering (1995), won the Yokohama Civic Design Award (1996), and was awarded the Good Design Gold Prize (1998). Motomi Kawakami is involved in product, interior and environmental design. He is a design faculty lecturer at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, and other academic institutions. Kunio Shibuya Kunio Shibuya was born in Tokyo in 1940. He is a professor of Hokkaido Tokai University Department of Design, and his specialty is industrial design. In 1963 he graduated from Chiba University Faculty of Engineering where he majored in industrial design and started working for Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. He took charge of car designings such as Nissan Laurel while he was working there. In 1970 he established Techne Design Co. Mr. Kunio Shibuya has dealt with designing merchandise such as cars, electric household appliances, commodities, illuminators, and building materials. In the same year, he became a part-time lecturer at Tokai Universityﾕs Humanities and Cultures Department. In 1984 he started teaching as a professor at Hokkaido Tokai University Department of Design, which is his current job. In addition, he served in the university as the Dean of Design Department from 1987 to 1994. He consecutively worked as the chief editor of ﾒIndustrial Designﾓ magazine, team leader of ICSID Inter Design ﾕ81 Hungary, director of Kanagawa Design Association, member of Hokkaido Arts Council, chairman of Asahikawa Scenery Design Committee, judge of Good Design Award、chairman of selecting committee of Industrial & Human Design Competition, and judge of Sapporo International Design Competition. He is the director of Japanese Society for Science of Design, manager of Japan Society for Interior Studies Hokkaido branch, director of Design Research Association, director of Hokkaido Design, and the chairman of Asahikawa Design Association. He is the author of Method of Conception for Product Design, The City and the Life Stage, The Connection between Design and Traffic Safety, and Modern Product Design in Japan. Hans Sandgre JAKOBSEN Biography Hans Sandgren Jakobsen was born in 1963 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1986 he finished his education as a cabinet maker. From 1986 to 1990 he studied industrial design at The Danish Design School in Copenhagen, and during his studies he went to America to study the Shakers' craftsmanship. After graduating as an industrial designer Hans Sandgren Jakobsen went to Japan for three months where he worked as a designer at "COBO Design" in Nagoya. In 1991 he started working for the Danish designer Nanna Ditzel and at the same time he started to make a name for himself. At the end of 1997 Hans Sandgren Jakobsen ceased working at Nanna Ditzel's and since then has concentrated on his own designs. He has made designs for: VIA (USA), Kohseki (Japan), Art Andersen & Copenhagen, Kunsforeningen Gammel Strand, Stilling Furniture, Fritz Hansen, Frederica Furniture and Codex (Denmark). Furthermore, he is a member of the design group "Spring" beginning in 1991 and the society "SE" Snedkernes Efterrsudstilling since 1994. Hans Sandgren Jakobsen has been awarded many prizes and scholarships from Gurli and Paul Madsen's Foundation and from the Danish government's fund for the endowment of the arts. For several years he has received the Danish National Bank's Jubilee scholarship. He has also been awarded with The Forns Prize, Good Design Award, Rote Punkt and The Danish Furniture Award. Moreover, his works have been shown at exhibitions all over the world. 8. November 1941 Helsinki Resides in Helsinki Architect, designer 1967 Free-lance Designer from 1969 Teacher at the Helsinki University of Technology, Dept of Arch. 1974-79 Vice President of the Interior Designers Association in Finland 1969-73 Artistic cordinator of Vivero Oy since 1980 Teacher of furniture design at the Helsinki University of Industrial Arts since 1981 Establisher and chief designer of K ja Y Wiherheimo Oy 1981- Board Member of the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design 1985 and 1986 Professor of Furniture Design at Statens Hogskole for Konsthandverk og Design, Bergen, Norway, 1987-93 Visiting professor at Santiago Catholic University, Chile, 1994 Visiting professor at Buenosaires University, Argentina 1997 Professor of furniture design, University of Art and Design Helsinki, UIAH, 1997 - Invited lecturer at several domestic and foreign academic and professional events Works at many domestic and international crafts and industrial design exhibitions "Towards a seat"-the exhibition of the Vivero project 1981 "Kalusteita (Furniture)"-a joint exhibition in with Simo Heikkila 1988 in Helsinki, Vaasa and Kemi "SE"exibition 1998 Awards at several design competitions representing many areas