a 360° rotating center gives this japanese house a shape-shifting layout

artist mochida atsuko has transformed a house in northern japan by cutting out its center and rebuilding it on a rotating structure. the section of the house covering a diameter of five meters is spun manually, altering several rooms in the process.

the center of the home features a rotating floor surface
image by ryuichi taniura | video by kousuke shige (ogopogo film)

titled ‘the revolving house of T’, mochida atsuko invites the viewer to actively engage with the architecture by changing its configuration. the main theme for the piece is to interrogate the notion of public and private spaces, redefining them through collaborative effort and purposely placing the viewer into a performative position.

when the section is spun, the configuration of several rooms is altered
image by ryuichi taniura

this particular site-specific project is situated in the area of mito city, where atsuko mochida has been researching for over a year into the history of an old wooden family house, that has been abandoned more than ten years. there is not a single electrical component used in the mechanism but instead atsuko has collaborated with local carpenters to realize the piece with a manual function.

the project invites the viewer to actively engage with the architecture
image by ryuichi taniura

‘this work is a site-specific work made based on long-term practices on the installation work intervening in mochida’s building and the topic of public and private‘, it reads on the artists website. ‘the main themes are relatives relationships, issues about identity based on that change, multilayered relationship between architecture and people, and intervention in open places / closed places.’

the work interrogates the notion of public and private space
image by ryuichi taniura

the house viewed from the exterior
image by ryuichi taniura

floor plan, indicating the home’s layout and configuration

project info:

video: kousuke shige (ogopogo film)
director: kousuke shige (ogopogo film), atsuko mochida
photography: ryuichi taniura
construction: builder inc.