OUR WORK
Sharing Japanese craft & design with the world
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Client
Spiral / Wacoal Art Centre, Tokyo
Dates
2017 - ongoing
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Our Brief
Spiral / Wacoal Art Centre, is a multi-use arts complex in Aoyama, Tokyo that fuses Japanese enterprise with the art world.
Eager to appeal to international audiences, Spiral engaged ArtsPeople as consultants to assist them in understanding the needs and preferences of foreign visitors — particularly lovers of Japanese art, craft, and design.
We were also tasked with translating information from Japanese into English to make Spiral’s website, store, and projects more accessible to an international audience.
Services
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Market Development Strategies
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Translation and Interpreting
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Arts Sector Research & Advice
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The Project
We worked with Spiral to survey their target foreign audience, and based on these results advised on the labelling and presentation of its beautifully curated store, Spiral Market.
Lesser-known than its gallery and famous building by legendary Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, Spiral Market offers a highly curated selection of both Japanese and international craft and design goods. We provided translation and consultancy services for their store labels and information, in order to make them more appealing to international customers.
From 2018 - 2020 we also translated Spiral’s delightful series of interviews - ‘Spiral Market Selection’ - where they looked at living and working from the viewpoint of Japanese artists and creators. These interviews highlighted engagement with craftsmanship in everyday life through the lens of specific artists’ practice and work. ArtsPeople’s translations enabled these deeply personal, culturally-specific stories to be faithfully conveyed to an English-speaking audience.
