Designers
Designers
Designers
In the Hands of Masters
Richard Sachs X Gen Saratani - Reframing the bicycle through craftsmanship and process
Key Words
Designers
Kennedi Murray
Aiko Shibata
Maggie Dualan
SUMMARY
We began with the challenge of expanding Richard Sachs’ audience beyond the cycling community, while questioning how the bicycle has become commodified through marketing-driven collaborations. In response, we developed a project that repositions the bicycle as an art object through a collaboration between masters, Richard Sachs, who hand-builds the steel frames, and Gen Saratani, who applies traditional urushi lacquer. The project is focused on slowness and material. This shifts value from visibility to making, expanding perception to new audiences while staying true to Sachs’ philosophy.
challenge
We identified a gap between Sachs’ practice and audiences outside the cycling community, particularly those who value functional art. Interviews and research showed that existing collaborations are often driven by marketing narratives, overlooking craft and material. This revealed an opportunity to expand his audience through art and design contexts, while maintaining his philosophy of slowness and respect for the material.
Outcome
The project takes the form of a hypothetical collaboration, where Richard Sachs crafts a steel frame and Gen Saratani applies urushi lacquer to create an art object. Alongside this, we developed a book that documents the collaboration, produced through traditional letterpress techniques with Bowne & Co. By positioning the bicycle as an artwork and the publication as a crafted artifact, the project highlights the process of each master while also democratizing access to the collaboration, allowing broader audiences to engage with it beyond the single physical object.
MEET THE Designers:
Kennedi Murray
Aiko Shibata
Maggie Dualan