ai ai gasa love umbrella by KazuhiroYajima from japan

“Motion” is Ai-Ai-Gasa (Love umbrellas).

When I went to Europe at the first time, I was surprised that young couple was kissing in public space. So I wanted to make the connecting tool between public space and private behavior. When you open umbrella, the different space emerges before me and you can make your own space.

I propose “upside down and irregular shapes umbrella” as Ai-Ai-Gasa (Love umbrella). This umbrella makes the place people get together.

1. Upside Down
When couples are busy kissing, they don’t want to hold umbrellas, right? So the shaft of the umbrella is upside down. If you use upside down umbrellas, you can hang up opening umbrellas at the tree or somewhere. There are a lot of places you can hang up your umbrellas in the city.

2. Irregular shapes
Each shape makes the activity of people. In this time I propose oval shape as a prototype. Oval shape has the direction which invites somebody under umbrellas. You can share the umbrella more easily with somebody, so the umbrella serves as a new communication tool.
The key feature of this umbrella comes from its unique frame. Because it’s difficult to close oval umbrella. I found the formula to close irregular shapes umbrellas. Every end of ribs on the same plane and the axis of the handle are at right angles like a regular umbrella. This formula enables the umbrella to be closed properly. In addition with this formula, you can make any shaped umbrella even if irregular shapes.