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Seiko Watch Corporation introduced an all-new exhibition stand for the fair last year.
The Seiko stand is on three levels. The motif of the second and third levels is Shosoin Treasury, one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world--a kind of time capsule from the past--using aluminium pipes in a modern expression of the traditional azekura method for the outer walls. The ground floor level features a large glass area with the motif of traditional Japanese beauty in the form of screens and hanging scrolls. Behind this is a representation of the mountains of Suwa, home to one of the Seiko Group's largest production facilities, on layers of panels. In front of this is a row of beautifully formed watch stands reminiscent of modern sculpture. This, in combination with the innovative images, produces a sophisticated space.
In the entrance, a circular showcase floats in space to symbolize eternity. The displays inside the large showcases in the outer walls of the ground-floor level feature curvilinear watch stands made in the image of flowers that grow in the fields. Use is also made of oval plates at many places throughout the booth wherever messages can be effectively enhanced with their circular or curved shapes.
The stand's outstanding concept and design went on to win widespread praise, and it received an Award in the Exhibition Category of the Japan Display Design Award. For 2004, the overall stand image is retained but the details have been further refined.
The ground floor is an open glass space showcasing the beauty of Japan, taking its inspiration from folding screens and picture scrolls. The wall panels present a layered view of the mountainous skyline at Suwa, the Seiko Group's major production base. The watch displays, new this year, express the spirit of ikebana, one of Japan's leading traditional crafts. Each display is a wooden shelf holding a ceramic plate on which watches are presented at different heights, rather like elegant flowers adorning a traditional Japanese alcove. Each color has a distinct visual appeal. The black Yuteki-Tenmoku pattern brings out the special ferrous crystal glow of the feldspar gloss, while the quicklime gloss helps to make every display item look truly exquisite. The ceramic plate, such an important element in the display, is the work of INAX Corporation, a leading Japanese ceramics manufacturer founded in 1924.
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