The phrase “finding a needle in a haystack” could be applicable when describing a new exhibition by studio yumakano. Run by its sole designer Yuma Kano, the installation features one of his signature smiley-faced screws hidden among 36,445 other variations of the tiny object. This impressive show is titled 36,445+1screw:) and was created for DESIGNEAST 05 Camp. It’s currently on display in a multi-story parking garage in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, Japan.

When people view the exhibition, they spend most of their time looking for that one cheerful screw. The designer aims to demonstrate how happiness is still found even in a crowded space. “Visitors unconsciously spent time to look for the specific screw, and all of them delighted were when someone finally picked it out from the tons of ordinary parts,” he explains.

Hamamatsu is known as an industrial hub; vehicle manufacturer Suzuki has its headquarters there, and it provides the ideal setting for Kano’s show. An assortment of screws represent the city, and they’re displayed on a vertically-aligned flat surface in variety of heights. The number 36,445 isn’t arbitrary, either. It symbolizes the amount of officially registered business institutions or companies that are located in Hamamatsu.

Studio Yumakano website

via [designboom]