Bell-orgel Hanging Bell

Nendo, a design firm based in Tokyo and Milan, designed this series of Bell-orgel music boxes for the Japanese department store Isetan. This set includes three forms that all adhere to the traditional shape of the bell: a hand bell, a standing bell, and a hanging bell. In each design, the bell shape functions as the switch to turn on the music box, a reference to the traditional function of the bell. Created in conjunction with the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s organization More Trees, a global initiative to plant more trees as a natural source of carbon dioxide filtering, the wooden music boxes are made of sustainably harvested Japanese cypress. For this project, 57 designers were enlisted to decorate the bells, with a portion of the proceeds directed to More Trees. The unadorned version, as seen here, highlights the tactile aesthetic inherent in the wood while reflecting the aim to promote sustainably harvested wood.