jun kamei

Jun Kamei, image courtesy of the designer.

Jun Kamei (born 1990) is a biomimicry designer and also the founder of AMPHIBIO LTD, a design-led technology firm with a focus on bringing innovation in the marine sector. He was a material scientist at the RCA-IIS Tokyo Design Lab (initiative between the Royal College of Art and the University of Tokyo) and a designer at the Singularity University Japan.

His work has been exhibited at: HeK Basel (Making FASHION Sense, 2020), Design Museum Holon (State of Extreme / Amphibio, 2019), Design Biennale St Etienne (2019), Dutch Design Week (2019), London Design Festival  (2018), Dutch Design Week (2018), Digital Art Festival Taipei (2017) and V&A Late Friday Show (2017).

LUCIJA ŠUTEJ: What attracted you to material science research? 

JUN KAMEI: I was interested in chemistry initially because it explains changes around us through chemical reactions, which fascinated me since high school. Looking at the chemical reactions, it's a bit like magic in a way.(laugh) At university, I became interested in polymer - long-chain materials like plastics and rubbers that constitute many everyday materials.  

LŠ: And your turn towards product design? 

JK: I became interested in product design because I realized that the gap between material research at the academic level and its application on a societal level is achieved via products. New material only reaches the real world if there is a defined use. This realisation eventually led me to product design -  especially wearables and soft products draping the body, as opposed to complex and hard products like phones. The wearable products' intimacy, flexibility, lightness, and softness are the reason for my specialisation. 

LŠ: Was there work by particular designers or even architects that opened new approaches for you? 

JK: Some early influences were Iris van Herpen's aesthetics and Maarten Baas’ material experiments. His projects are for me quite interesting because they opened the idea of how you could reinvent the manufacturing process. The work of startups like Spiber, which focuses on spider silk biomaterials, and Shigeru Ban's design principles are also important influences. 

LŠ: Much of your work references and explores our tangible connections with the natural world. 

JK: My interest initially stemmed from material science research, where I've done a lot of material development. When I stepped into product design, I tried to keep the same inspiration from nature - aesthetics, shapes, and functional mechanisms. So, my research included different organisms that exist in nature, such as water-repellent surfaces like oil or structure colors. But then, I also like spending time in nature (laugh) - mostly cycling around Japan close to Sendai, surrounded by beautiful forests, and then further to the sea. 

LŠ: Embyo on Mars is a project co-released with a group of Royal College of Arts students. Combining current ideas of interplanetary travel and migration, the project suggests a symbiotic relationship between humans and their new surroundings - how was it developed?

JK: Yes, the idea was to send almost a half-living organism on Mars first, and that Meteor would merge into an existing environment, which would become a new habitat. Obviously, it's a very speculative work, but with all the ideas of going to Mars, one needs to create a livable environment for humans. Where would we find water and food? From there, the research clearly pointed towards living inside pods, which would need to grow to be appropriate before human arrival. 

Project with Aaron Koshny, Yuchen Zhou and Sandra Atakora, images courtesy of Jun Kamei.

LŠ:  What directed you towards water cultures, and how did the complex relationship between water and humanity shape your practice?

JK: It again originally stemmed from my hobby - open water swimming. (laugh). Water is a very interesting medium in itself and an element that is so close to us. Thinking about the relationship between water and humanity - there is a full cycle of life and disaster. With the rising sea levels and the challenges of climate change I started my work on water-repellent materials, such as the project AMPHIBIO, a wearable gill garment. In the case of Amphibio, design is looking at the scenario of living in semi-flooded cities in the future as a way of adapting to that reality rather than preventing it. The gill garment would be a part of daily life and enable us to rethink our lifestyle - adapting to underwater breathing. 

Images of garment Amphibio, courtesy of AMPHIBIO LTD.

LŠ: Your designs speak of adapting rather than changing specific environments through interventions. 

JK: Yes! Instead of trying to change the environment, I propose adapting to transitioning surroundings. We can try to prevent climate change as much as possible, but ultimately, we must also adapt to scenarios we can't prevent.

LŠ: You also run your own company Amphico - how did Amphibio shape its direction? 

JK: I started the company alone to develop the gills (laugh), but in the end, I looked at the material's potential and its applications to other industries. Ultimately, the performance textile industry (sportswear) was the right direction due to the usage of waterproof materials. After a year, it was me and one other person plus part-timers, and during COVID, we developed yarns and membranes meeting brand requirements. We're 12 people and plan to reach 15 soon - which is very exciting.

Amphitex Textile details.

Courtesy of AMPHIBIO LTD.

LŠ: Are you collaborating with any universities on material development?

JK: Yes, we work with the University of Leeds, famous for textile development. They helped us go from the initial concept to the prototype. We are now focusing on new coloration technologies for our novel textiles.

LŠ: And can you explain how gills function - to get oxygen from water?

JK: It's actually a membrane technology that shuts out water but lets gasses through. So, if oxygen is dissolved in water, it can pass through the membrane while water can't - capturing oxygen from water.

Fabric detail, courtesy of AMPHIBIO LTD.

LŠ: What kind of experiments did you conduct yourself? 

JK: Initially, we tested different gill shapes and manufacturing methods to maximize surface area, as a high area is needed to supply enough oxygen. I even had a testing rig at home during COVID-19, with water flowing around the gill prototype. (laugh)

LŠ: That sounds intriguing, having a rig at home! Did you have almost an aquarium setup? (laugh)

JK: No, not an aquarium. We created gill prototypes in a narrow chamber with flowing water around them.

LŠ: Speaking of home DYIs. I also wanted to stop by your furniture designs.  

JK: Yes, furniture was for me to learn design basics (laugh). I do not plan to develop it at a larger scale, though I enjoy testing out small projects and ideas. (laugh)