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This summer, Japanese studio Naoya Matsumoto Design created a miniature Yorunoma bar as part of a larger project for the gallery Abenoma, based in Abeno, Osaka.
The pop-up venue was open to the public until August, and ran as part of a summer season programme for the gallery which occupies a row of converted homes in the city. Young designers met up and collaborated to create a place where people could get together and enjoy the space.
Matsumoto produced a ‘self-build space', using swaths of tracing paper to cocoon the interior. The designer sculpted this paper by twisting and crunching it to achieve cosy, rock-like walls and ceiling, and encouraged local residents to do the same. Matsumoto comments: "I found it interesting because it is fun to crumple paper and anybody can do it."
The bar was dimly lit with just a few unshaded bulbs, creating a shadowy, atmospheric cave for patrons to enjoy. A heavy wooden table was placed in the centre of the space, acting as a serving bar, surrounded by cross-shaped stools.
Designed to be adaptable from day to night, the space was not only used as a bar but also to host daytime workshops such as origami lessons. Matsumoto's intention was for people to get together and enjoy the space, hopefully feeling more connected to it due to their involvement in the construction process: "This is the project by folding, pasting, sticking paper to make a space and hopefully to stick people and people, people and the space as well."