Karimoku Furniture has launched Survey 03: Form Follows Feelings, a collaborative exhibition with New York-based audio designer and artist Devon Turnbull, the founder of Ojas. Titled Between Space & Sound, or Ma no Oto, the exhibition is hosted at the Karimoku Research Center in Tokyo and explores the deep intersection of acoustic philosophy with the Japanese cultural concept of Ma—the tension and harmony found in the spaces between entities. This project reimagines Turnbull’s high-fidelity acoustic designs through Karimoku’s advanced 3D-machining and woodworking expertise, transforming historically plywood or metal components into complex wooden curvatures that harmonize technical performance with natural materials. At the heart of this survey lies an inquiry into the relationship between function and feeling, moving beyond mere usefulness to examine how material, proportion, and presence shape memory and daily experience.

The exhibition is meticulously structured across three floors to provide a multifaceted sensory experience. On the first floor, visitors encounter a Sound House inspired by a traditional Japanese tea room, wrapped in an intricate dot pattern and designed as a meditative retreat that shuts out external noise to focus on sonic purity. At its center stands a single pair of Rokujo speakers, inviting guests to settle into a single chair and confront the particles of sound and the intervals of silence. The second floor opens into an expansive public listening room centered around a massive speaker system featuring multicell horn speakers produced using Karimoku Furniture’s advanced precision technology. These emblematic pieces are guided by decades of craft, with wood grain and grain direction carefully selected to materialize the organic resonance and depth of natural wood.

In the basement study, the full product lineup is displayed for closer examination, featuring three primary speaker models: the Sanjo, Rokujo, and Nurikabe. These are presented in two distinct expressions, including Turnbull’s signature Pewter Gray finish—a specialized coating that maintains the visibility of the organic wood grain—and Karimoku’s iconic Pure Oak. Beyond audio equipment, the collection includes modular seating systems and acoustic panels inspired by traditional folding screens or shoji. Accompanied by a curated vinyl selection from the record shop Haru no Ame, the project serves as a study of form that goes beyond mere functionality, aiming to stir the emotions of the user and bring an enriching rhythm to everyday life through the resonance of material and craft.