i×i with Bang & Olufsen — 100th Anniversary Edition
Feelings for someone can sometimes take shape. The sense of closeness that Bang & Olufsen has long cultivated through sound has likewise given quiet form to connections that cannot be seen. To mark Bang & Olufsen’s 100th anniversary, artist Toshiki Yagisawa has created a special wooden edition of i×i. This exclusive piece is offered as a limited gift for customers who purchase the eligible speakers. Made from Japanese zelkova wood sourced in Gunma Prefecture, each piece is individually shaped by skilled artisans and finished with linseed oil. Rather than the uniformity of an industrial product, each one carries its own unique character through the natural grain, knots, and variations in tone. These are not imperfections, but traces of time inherent to the material itself.
A Story of Two
What i×i expresses is the fundamental feeling of caring for someone.
It needs no explanation. It is something that has existed within us since before culture or technology came into being. Toshiki Yagisawa sought to distill that feeling into the simplest possible form. What emerged through that process of reduction was a quiet, primal figure, reminiscent of human forms left behind in ancient ruins.
Bang & Olufsen, too, began with two people.
Peter Bang and Svend Olufsen.
Two distinct individuals resonating with one another to shape a shared vision. In that sense, the origin of the brand deeply echoes the form of i×i. A hundred years is not simply a measure of time.
It is time that has been passed down, refined, and nurtured through relationships.
This wooden edition was created as a small sculpture to mark that milestone.
Placed beside sound and quietly present within everyday life, it speaks, in another form, of the intimacy and dialogue that Bang & Olufsen has always cherished.
Material and Making
This piece is crafted from Japanese zelkova wood sourced in Gunma Prefecture.
Long cherished in Japan, zelkova is known for its strong grain and warm tone, developing greater depth and character over time.
Each piece is made entirely by hand by skilled artisans. The wood is carefully carved and shaped, preserving a soft contour that feels natural to the touch.
The final coating of linseed oil protects the material without hindering the wood’s natural breathability, while enhancing its subtle sheen and tactile warmth.
The grain, knots, and variations in tone that appear in each piece are not irregularities or noise falling outside uniformity, but proof of the material’s natural origin. The fact that no two pieces are ever exactly alike is itself an essential part of the work.
Toshiki Yagisawa’s Perspective
A consistent thread runs through Toshiki Yagisawa’s work: a perspective that moves between primality and modernity, simplicity and abstraction, emotion and structure. Though i×i takes an extremely simple form, it is far more than a mere object. It is an attempt to give lasting shape, through the most minimal outline, to the invisible feeling that exists between people.Emotion before it becomes language.
A presence that is already there, before any explanation begins. This work quietly holds that way of thinking at its core. There is meaning in the fact that, at the milestone of Bang & Olufsen’s 100th anniversary, this philosophy has been given form through wood as a material. While celebrating the evolution of technology, it also returns us to the human sensibility that comes before it. This small wooden sculpture is, in that sense, a quiet monument to that idea.
TOSHIKI STUDIO
TOSHIKI STUDIO is the creative studio led by Toshiki Yagisawa. Moving across the boundary between physical form and digital expression, the studio explores the relationship between material, form, and perception. Working with a range of media including ceramics, 3D printing, and wood, the studio creates objects and installations that open up new possibilities for expression. Its collaborations and exhibitions have included M/M (Paris), JW Anderson, DIS, and Kwangho Lee.
https://toshiki.studio/
https://www.instagram.com/toshikistudio
Official Online Store Exclusive Gift
Exclusive gift with eligible speaker purchaser
Campaign Overview
- Period: March 31 – April 12, 2026
- Store: Bang & Olufsen Official Online Store (Bang-olufsen.com)
Offer:
- Purchase any eligible home speaker and receive a special wooden edition of “i×i” by artist Toshiki Yagisawa, created for Bang & Olufsen’s 100th anniversary.
- Available while supplies last.
Eligible Products:
- Beosound Emerge, Beosound 2, Beosound A5, Beosound Balance, Beosound Level