Ginza Department Store Updates Basement

Japanese luxury retailer Wako Co. Ltd. (Tokyo) will unveil a remodeled basement floor at its flagship store on the famed Ginza strip on July 20. The space has been transformed into what the company calls a “Theatre of Time,” featuring at its center two ‘hands’ like those of a clock that can be reconfigured into an endless variety of patterns.

The space was designed by the New Material Research Laboratory (Tokyo), an architectural firm founded and led by artist Hiroshi Sugimoto and architect Tomoyuki Sakakida. It is designed for “the expression and exchange of a culture that is rich in both tradition and innovation,” Wako said in a news release. “The ‘stage’ at the center of the floor features a horizontal mechanism like giant clock hands. This conveys a sense of constant change, and each change in the position of the hands transforms the space into something new.”

The basement floor is conceived as a space to showcase designers, craftspeople, and others active at the forefront of fashion, jewelry, modern art and other creative fields, the retailer said. “These professionals echo the aesthetics, culture, and techniques that have defined Japan since ancient times, while also introducing new brands that bring innovative approaches to these fields,” its statement notes.