Japan, Archipelago of the House
14/06/2016.
Exhibition at Looiersgracht 60 [Amsterdam] Netherlands. 22.06.16>10.07.16
metalocus, PALOMA DE LA QUINTANA
metalocus, PALOMA DE LA QUINTANA
What do we really know about the Japanese house? What do they look like? Who inhabits them? Leading us through 70 houses, ‘Japan, Archipelago of the House’ is dedicated exclusively to Japanese architects and elegantly addresses the issues of misunderstanding surrounding this phenomenon while providing historical and contextual cues to understanding the development of these unique living spaces.
Yesterday Houses. Kunio Maekawa. Sample of the exhibition 'Japan, Archipelado of the House'. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Yesterday Houses. Kunio Maekawa. Sample of the exhibition 'Japan, Archipelado of the House'. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Yesterday Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Yesterday, house by Yoshida. Photograph © Manuel Tardits. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Maekawa house (pictured) by Maekawa Kunio was completed in 1942 and built in a space limited to less than 100 sq m
The section ‘Yesterday’s Houses’ comprises a small collection of residences built between 1933 and 1984. Pictured: Mountain Villa in Karuizawa by Junzo Yoshimura, 1962
Today Houses. Tokyo homes, meanwhile, are spotlighted care of Souteyrat’s ‘portraits’ of the Japanese capital’s most striking examples of residential architecture. Pictured, House Tokyo by ALX. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Tokyo. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Delta by Architecton, Tokyo. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Laatikko by Workshop Kino, Tokyo. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Narrow housing has becoming increasingly popular, such as with this house designed by On Design, due to strict planning regulations. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Repository, built in 2012 and conceived by Jun Igarashi Architects, sits on the outskirts of Asahikawa. The region sees a drastic temperature swing of 60°C between summer and winter, and so the house has been designed with this mind, featuring only small openings and plenty of insulation. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. In House in Komazawa by Go Hasegawa, the floor of the study is made of wooden slats to allow light from a large window upstairs down through the entire house. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. In House in Komazawa by Go Hasegawa, the floor of the study is made of wooden slats to allow light from a large window upstairs down through the entire house. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Maison Aki-Shima was built in 2004 in Akishima, Tokyo, by architect Taira Nishizawa. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. O House by Hideyuki Nakayama Architecture. Photography: Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Kiritoshi House by Sugawaradaisuke. The architects explain, 'The exterior is finished as a simple box, allowing the residence to blend in easily with the rest of the surroundings.' Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Today Houses. Window House by Yasutaka Yoshimura Architects) built over two decades from 1993–2013. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Park view from the living room of Maison Vista, designed by Shigeru Ban. Photograph by Jérémie Souteyrat
Today Houses. Sample of the section Houses of Today. Photograph © Jeremie Souteyrat. Image courtesy of Looiersgracht 60.
Poster of the exhibition "Japan, Archipelago of the House", at Looiersgracht 60.
Looiersgracht 60 will be presenting from 22 June–10 July ‘Japan, Archipelago of the House’, a travelling exhibition that explores the Japanese house within its physical, cultural and social context.
The idea of the Japanese house captivates and intrigues. It is as celebrated as it is vague and indistinct; a phenomenon that has fascinated Europeans for a long time. It is often misunderstood and engaged with out of context, frequently being used to add an air of novelty to international publications. The houses are treated like objects of wonder, plucked out of their environs and placed onto pages that often do not paint a complete picture of their scope and background. Although often praised for the absence of ornament and their simplicity, their habitability is frequently doubted by the very people who admire them for their creativity.
Minimal and homogeneous, the exhibition echoes the simplicity of Japanese design. The exhibition was especially conceived for travel with a lightweight display system made entirely of poplar plywood, a material often used in Japanese houses and based on the measurement of traditional Japanese tatami.
In order to provide clarity the exhibition has been divided into the following three sections:
YESTERDAY’S HOUSES
This section is comprised of fourteen case studies of famous twentieth century homes built between 1933 and 1984. Although not exhaustive this selection includes houses by famous architects such as Tadao Ando and Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito.
The 14 houses, summarily presented, paint a large and loyal panorama of the architectural typology in the field of housing. They are considered important precedents due not only to the living conditions they support, but also how they respond to the natural and built environment.
TOKYO HOUSES
A photographic documentary by Jeremie Souteyrat comprised of thirty-six house “portraits” in their environments. A combination of cultural, economic and geographic factors such as a high population density, the high cost of land and earthquakes have resulted in a sense of transience in the architecture. Made of lightweight and transparent materials, the Tokyo house is more of a fleeting fashion statement than a lasting edifice.
TODAY’S HOUSES
Twenty case studies of houses built between 1993 and 2013, by a variety of established architects including Shigeru Ban Architects, Yasushi Horibe, Atelier Bow Wow and Mikan.
View threshold, economy of space, and extreme functionality are some of the themes that are being explored through interviews with their inhabitants and the architects, drawings, maps, photos and videos. Working to meet the personal requirements of the inhabitants within the geographical space afforded, the projects in this section feature striking structural innovations developed as a result of a commitment to the intended social life of the buildings.
The idea of the Japanese house captivates and intrigues. It is as celebrated as it is vague and indistinct; a phenomenon that has fascinated Europeans for a long time. It is often misunderstood and engaged with out of context, frequently being used to add an air of novelty to international publications. The houses are treated like objects of wonder, plucked out of their environs and placed onto pages that often do not paint a complete picture of their scope and background. Although often praised for the absence of ornament and their simplicity, their habitability is frequently doubted by the very people who admire them for their creativity.
Minimal and homogeneous, the exhibition echoes the simplicity of Japanese design. The exhibition was especially conceived for travel with a lightweight display system made entirely of poplar plywood, a material often used in Japanese houses and based on the measurement of traditional Japanese tatami.
In order to provide clarity the exhibition has been divided into the following three sections:
YESTERDAY’S HOUSES
This section is comprised of fourteen case studies of famous twentieth century homes built between 1933 and 1984. Although not exhaustive this selection includes houses by famous architects such as Tadao Ando and Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito.
The 14 houses, summarily presented, paint a large and loyal panorama of the architectural typology in the field of housing. They are considered important precedents due not only to the living conditions they support, but also how they respond to the natural and built environment.
TOKYO HOUSES
A photographic documentary by Jeremie Souteyrat comprised of thirty-six house “portraits” in their environments. A combination of cultural, economic and geographic factors such as a high population density, the high cost of land and earthquakes have resulted in a sense of transience in the architecture. Made of lightweight and transparent materials, the Tokyo house is more of a fleeting fashion statement than a lasting edifice.
TODAY’S HOUSES
Twenty case studies of houses built between 1993 and 2013, by a variety of established architects including Shigeru Ban Architects, Yasushi Horibe, Atelier Bow Wow and Mikan.
View threshold, economy of space, and extreme functionality are some of the themes that are being explored through interviews with their inhabitants and the architects, drawings, maps, photos and videos. Working to meet the personal requirements of the inhabitants within the geographical space afforded, the projects in this section feature striking structural innovations developed as a result of a commitment to the intended social life of the buildings.
More information
Venue
Looiersgracht 60, 1016 VT Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Dates
From June 22nd to July 10th.
Time
From wednesday a domingo de 12:00 a 20:00. Free admission.
Curators
Architects Véronique Hours, Fabien Mauduit, Manuel Tardits and photographer Jérémie Souteyrat.
Co-organized and co-funded by
Maison de l’architecture Poitou-Charentes in Poitiers, Maison de l’architecture Haute Normandie in Rouen, Forum de l’urbanisme in Nice and the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris.
