ABEL BLACK PROJECT

ABEL BLACK PROJECT by Abel Co., Ltd., reappointed Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio as creative director. This exhibition marks their second collaboration following Milan Design Week, April, 2024. This time, material, product, space and sound elements are used to resonate with each other and indicate how “blackness” influences all human sensations, and the totality of human consciousness. The venue exhibits forms and objects of many dimensions, which appear like abstract sculptures. The speakers “Tone of Black” are three-dimensional works constructed from flat sheets, and have been developed specially for this exhibition. They emphasize the inspiring nature of Abel Black® across all five senses, but focusing on our auditory awareness.

Tone of Black

How might product design maximize the expressive range of Abel Black®?
Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio folded and bent the material to fully exploit its luminosity and sense of depth. The development of Tone of Black grew out of the concept of “Listening to Black”. This series of speakers takes advantage of the endless expressiveness of a minimalist cubic box of Abel Black®. Their designs were constructed from many constituent elements, such as asymmetric front panels offering variable qualities of blackness depending on angle of view; V-cut folded edges to emphasize surface texture differences between verticals and horizontals, and combined hairline finishes that harness the visual depth of Abel Black® with its mirror finishes that give uniform reflections. The acoustic engineer Katsunori Fukuoka developed a sound system to convert Teruhiro Yanagihara Studio’s product designs into operational audio equipment. Fukuoka adopted a multi-drive system in which the amplifier distributes audio signals into high, middle and low channels, to realize the sharpest possible sound. 

ABEL BLACK PROJECT Concept

In pitch blackness, we wonder what scenery might surround us. We squint and strain our ears to sharpen their sensory awareness.

To be faced with pitch blackness is to open the mind to wide imaginings. Spaces with dim lighting also promote inner peace. Black clothes indicate respect, courtesy or formality, while a powerful blackness can connote a bottomless pit, or some overwhelmingly dignified presence. Black evokes the enigmas of a cosmos spreading into outer space. Black is no mere color. It awakens the human consciousness, and delineates vistas of the unknown.

Abel Black® is a stainless steel manufactured by Abel Co., Ltd., possessing a notably reduced reflection rate of under 1%. This material is already in wide use across industry and manufacturing and is featured in a host of spatial environments which seek to exploit its unique chromatic versatility. Abel Black® imparts a feeling of endless depth that changes according to viewing angle, condition, size, and finish.

The ABEL BLACK PROJECT was conceived to invite art, design and architectural creators to produce original works that would reimagine the material. The result has been a rich variety of interpretations.

The project generates possibilities for as-yet unseen expressions, by free envisioning the background and context of Abel Black®. It also encourages research and experimentation into the detailing, production processes of the material, liberated from conventional ideas.

Abel Black®

Abel Black® is a unique material formed by the coexistence of true metal and rich color. It is a special stainless steel with an oxide layer controlled on a nanometer scale. Abel Black® is highly resistant to heat and corrosion. It is weatherproof and recyclable. There is no risk of color peeling or flaking. The product’s main appeal lies in its profound tonalities and many finishes. Color expressions range from glossy deep pitch to sharp mat, and finishes range from mirror and hairline to vibration and glass bead blast. Strong and beautiful, Abel Black® enhances interior spaces. It is widely used in hotels and boutiques, and can also be produced as highly-designed panels, such as for system kitchens or for use in elevators. High-end automobiles and space explorations have similarly made use of the many possibilities of Abel Black®.