As a part of the recent LA Design Fest and dopium LA, Mori is located at the A+D Museum and will be a part of the exhibit for the next three months. Mori explores a bottom-up modular approach that enables both lateral and diagonal aggregation, forming functional adaptability, structural integrity and aesthetic appeal. Mori is one out of three installations designed and produced by OWIU Design.

The character Mori 森 comprises of 3 of the same characters, ki 木 stacked in a pyramid.

Alone, ki means wood, a strong, versatile and important material.

Combined, it forms mori 森, meaning forest, a vital ecosystem whose strengths depend on the synergy and collaboration amongst living things.

This is very much like our installation where wood is stacked up in a “pyramidal form” to form “a forest”

The more effective the collaboration between these separate habitats, the more robust the forest.

Additionally, in the character mori森, 3 of the characters hito 人 are embedded, only visible if you’re looking closely.

人 hito means human. There is therefore a symbolic meaning in mori that emphasizes the importance of collaboration between people in a society in order to create a harmonious forest/ecosystem. The name 森, thus, is apt in outlining the goals and significance behind the project. This project cannot be achieved without the collaboration of multiple people coming together.

Like moku, the single module displays adaptability, structural integrity and aesthetic appeal. The module is adaptable. Akin to a cell, it’s a basic building block of a myriad of components. When combined with more of its kind, it creates functional and unique components. Individually, it possesses great strengths. When combined, its potency is multiplied.