KYUUSANN Restaurant

Founded in Hangzhou, WASABIYA is known for attracting diners by creating exquisite Japanese cuisine and innovative scenes. Its sub-brand KYUUSANN, which serves Japanese barbecue and wine, opens a new premise in Chengdu, a creative city of gastronomy recognized by UNESCO, expecting to realize local exploration and innovation though insights into the catering market. Led by Li Wenqiang, PIG DESIGN decodes and retranslates the cultural context of this vibrant city, by conceiving a digital contemporary socializing space for the catering brand. The design creatively breaks the conventional image of Japanese restaurants, and introduces a worldly atmosphere as well as a sense of future and technology into modern daily life.

Daily Life Atmosphere Rendered by Digital Technology
It is the discovery of fire use that separates human from animals and ushers in the course of human evolution. Complemented by metal and granite, LED becomes the protagonist of the space. Particles move according to the command of AI parameters, hence creating a world awash with digital smoke. While producing a sense of drama, these staggered fine matters also echo the face-changing of Sichuan opera, expressing respect for this kind of ancient Chinese romantic art which turns abstract emotions and feelings into specific visible symbols.

Under the control of algorithm-based program, pixel-like particles are capable of dividing objects’ images into fragments and reorganizing them on the screen. Furthermore, based on the logic and scale of varying lighting, they generate a flowing volume with its own logic. Like murals of caves in ancient times, this volume, clearly, is not an experiment solely by human. PIG DESIGN adopts innovative techniques that combine artificial and human intelligence to depict a futuristic artistic picture.

Crack of Time
Just as space has its geometry, time has its psychology, and geography has its history. Centered on the circular bar counter in the middle, left and right circulation routes are arranged in a symmetric yet differentiated manner. Getting off the beaten track, such arrangement enables the space to accommodate dining area, afternoon tea area and wine bar and to offer multiple catering services. Grilled processing allows traditional raw and cold Japanese cuisine to be transformed into cooked one featuring the smell of fire, which helpfully evokes diners’ enthusiasm and removes their concerns about food hygiene in the post-pandemic era.

Metal structure, characterized by a strong industrial style, runs through the interior. Matte reflection, together with digital scenes on the curved surfaces and a subtle interplay of light and shadow, bring artistic commercial spatial experiences. Eggshell-shaped seats endow the fantastic space with a distinctive visual effect, whilst also making diners feel like being wrapped in a comfortable way. The triangular steel frame structure takes cues from flying wings. Cracked wall-like installations symbolize the vitality of life. Hand-stitching blue fabrics, which enfold seats and background wall, infuse the cyberpunk socializing context with a sense of reality. The dialogue between the present and the past provides a unique emotional experience, as well as an immersive spatial ambience.

Design: PIG DESIGN
Design Team: Li Wenqiang, Liu Chao, He Di
Contractor: Hangzhou Zhima Decoration Design Engineering
Photography: Qi Shuoqian