Markuz and a self protrait in progress

Markuz Wernli – designer, photographer, and lover of life – is the creator behind the Kamibashi web site and all of the beautiful photographs seen on our pages. Simply put, Markuz captured the essence of Kamibashi and made our products as beautiful in cyberspace as they are in real life. We couldn't be happier with the results!

Bridging borders and perceptions
Originating from a small town in northern Switzerland, Markuz's love of life has led him on adventures all around the world. From studying jewelry design in Zurich, to volunteering as a guest intern at an inner city church in New Jersey, to a career as an independent interface designer in San Francisco, to his current artistic base in Kyoto, Japan, Markuz has shown that he is a versatile and capable individual who loves a challenge.

Markuz lives in a traditional Japanese house in the west part of Kyoto with his wife Yuka, a native of Kyoto. There he enjoys swimming, hiking and baking bread.

Photos that infuse Kamibashi products with life

"I am intrigued by rediscovering what seems so ordinary, or what we take so much for granted, be it the bus stop in front of my house, or the portrait of a Japanese garden. The world we see is a reality projected in our heads – my mission is to discard preconceptions, revisit the way we see, and turn banality into experience," he says.

An online catalog succeds if the product can be experienced

Rephrasing everyday-ness
As an "evolving" photographer (a term that we at Kamibashi feel is much too humble), Markuz says, "Photography helps me to record and share the daily wonders and insignificant visual sensations that I am privileged to witness. Those precious, short moments when life suddenly comes to a halt."

Markuz is currently working on two photo book projects and does ongoing editorial contributions for Kyoto Journal by documenting communal spaces in Japan.