UMA / design farm is a design studio based in Osaka established in 2007 by Yuma Harada. In addition to graphic works, the studio collaborates with architects and editors in the creation of libraries, schools, facilities for disabled persons, etc., from the basic groundwork through to signage planning. Each project is undertaken to reflect the needs and views of the local community and others who will benefit directly from its completion, with studio members engaging in dialogue and ongoing experiments to reach the optimal design for all concerned. This design method, bringing together diverse people from various places and fields, continuously yields proposals that generate cyclical progress and new possibilities.

This exhibition will focus on an array of UMA / design field’s projects, including interviews of the people involved in their development describing the thoughts behind their work and what they ultimately created, plus actual design processes and the stories that unfolded. Among the projects featured will be: the “Good Job!” project, performed in collaboration with the Tanpopo-No-Ye social welfare facility in Nara City, targeted at job creation for people with disabilities; the signage design project undertaken for Otsu Kogan (Lakeside) Nagisa Park in Shiga Prefecture; and an Urban Renaissance Agency project to repair and color exterior walls at six housing estates. Through these exhibits, the visitor will be given an introduction to how design is part of the lives of people in local communities.

Through its cross-domain approach to project execution, UMA / design farm ponders the everyday of tomorrow and explores environments in which design melds into everyday lives. The exhibition is sure to make the visitor reconsider the role design plays in our society.