Terada Warehouse sits in a part of Tennozu that has gradually accumulated a particular kind of creative gravity: galleries, design studios, art spaces tucked into converted industrial buildings along the waterfront. Inside WHAT CAFE, the space feels deliberate. The ceilings sit lower than you might expect, keeping everything within reach. Light spreads evenly across the room. Along the walls, Nothing’s past devices form an informal timeline — earbuds, phones, components — their transparent shells and exposed interiors sitting under the gallery lighting.

Nothing was founded in London in 2020 by Carl Pei, previously co-founder of OnePlus, with a premise that was simple to state and harder to execute: make technology interesting again. He had grown frustrated with an industry that felt increasingly cyclical — annual updates, marginal differences, a narrowing sense of what a device could be.

Nothing’s response was to treat design as a starting point rather than a finishing layer. Transparent backs reveal internal components. The Glyph Interface turns notifications into light. A monochromatic software system carries the same visual logic across the device. This spring, that approach continues with the Phone (4a) Pro and Phone (4a), alongside the Headphone (a), extending the brand’s design language into its midrange lineup.

Japan has been a consistent reference point for the brand, shaping its approach to design and presentation. That influence was visible in Tennozu, both in the devices on display and in how the event was structured.

Then, the room goes dark.

In a performance space toward the back of WHAT CAFE, dancers file in one by one. Each member holds a phone. Each wears headphones. They move in the precise, shuffling step that has become their signature, bodies already aligned before the music fully settles in.

The lights rise slowly. EDM fills the room.

They wear their uniforms — navy pinafore dresses over white blouses, red socks, identical bobbed hair — and move through the choreography in exact synchronization. At first, it reads as mechanical, but the consistency comes from repetition and control.

Avantgardey was formed in 2022 by choreographer and producer Akane, and in the years since has built a global following across platforms, with millions watching their performances online. Their breakthrough came in 2023, when a performance at a Steve Aoki concert spread quickly, followed by an appearance on America’s Got Talent that introduced them to a wider audience.

What distinguishes them isn’t just the scale or synchronization, but how they use it. Expressions are held, then reset. Movements shift between precise and slightly offbeat, with humor and control sitting side by side.

Seen in this context, the pairing feels less like a collaboration and more like a shared language.

Both operate through exposure — structure made visible, process brought forward rather than concealed. In Avantgardey’s case, it’s the mechanics of movement. In Nothing’s, it’s the internal logic of the device itself.

By 5 p.m., the space opens to the public.

The performance gives way to movement again. People drift back toward the displays, picking up devices, testing weight, turning them over in their hands. The atmosphere loosens, but something of the earlier precision lingers.

The presentation centered on the Phone (4a) Pro and Phone (4a), alongside the Headphone (a), keeping attention on the midrange line rather than expanding outward. In an industry often defined by constant escalation,  it’s a slower, more selective approach — one that prioritizes timing over expectation.

It was also, in its own way, reflected in the afternoon.

For a few hours in Tennozu, design, performance and space sat alongside each other, each holding its place without competing for attention.

[Read in Japanese below / 日本語版はこちら]

天王洲のWHAT CAFEで、Nothingが新製品を発表した。倉庫の構造を残した空間には、これまでの製品が並び、展示のような静けさが漂う。

ロンドン発のテックブランドNothingは、2020年にCarl Peiによって設立された。透明な筐体やGlyph Interfaceに象徴されるように、機能だけでなく「見せ方」にも重きを置くデザインが特徴だ。

今回発表されたのは、Phone (4a) Pro、Phone (4a)、そしてHeadphone (a)。ミッドレンジを軸に、ブランドのデザイン思想をそのまま引き継ぐラインナップとなっている。

イベントの途中、Avantgardeyが登場する。高いシンクロ率と独自の表現で知られる彼女たちのパフォーマンスは、会場の空気を一変させた。張り詰めたような精度と、わずかにずれるユーモア。その両方が同時に存在する。

やがて空間は、再びゆるやかな動きへと戻る。来場者は展示へと足を運び、デバイスを手に取りながら、それぞれのペースで体験していく。

発表、体験、そしてパフォーマンス。それぞれが明確に分かれることなく、ひとつの流れの中に収まっていた。