atelier bow wow: bamboo grandstand

grandstand created with bamboo by atelier bow wow

where is architecture? seven installations by japanese architects the national museum of modern art, tokyo april 29 – august 8, 2010

japanese firm atelier bow wow was founded by yoshiharu tsukamoto and momoyo kaijima in tokyo in 1992. since then the duo have participated in exhibitions all over the world, all of which were created according to the ‘micro public space’ concept. for this exhibition, the architects will produce an installation for the museum’s front lawn titled ‘rendez-vous.’ the work will make use of an animal motif, bamboo as a material, and will function as a summer house. though the space in front of the museum has always been confusing — is it an outdoor display of sculpture? is it okay to go inside it? —, as the entire area will be redesigned through this installation, a variety of spontaneous acts are anticipated.

grandstand created with bamboo. light comes through creating shadows

dari – bamboo knitting, connecting a bridge reference: IL 21, bamboo book by klaus dunkelberg

a bridge made from bamboo reference: IL 21, bamboo book by klaus dunkelberg

‘where is architecture’

this exhibition consists entirely of new installations by seven groups of japanese architects, representing a variety of ages and styles.

to create ‘architecture’, the studios are expected to deal with a variety of conditions. this requires a way of thinking that deftly balances logic, technique, and aesthetics. one might also argue that this profound sense of balance is what has led to the international recognition of japanese architecture.

in trying to determine the special characteristics of ‘architecture’, examining where and in what form it arises seems more viable than simply addressing the question, ‘what is architecture?’

included in this wide-ranging group of installations, is a space created out of three types of polyhedrons, a place where a ‘space’ is ‘born and dies’, a summer house that resembles an animal, a video space that presents a day in the life of an architectural model, a fragile structure, and a field with a fantastic sense of scale.