Japan, Archipelago of the House Exhibition in Amsterdam

Symbols of minimalist architecture, metaphysical spaces perfect in their essential nature with no decoration; buildings that have fascinated European tastes, although their livability has been questioned even by those who admire them, offered by magazines asmodels to aspire to, even though only incomplete information and a decontextualized vision is presented. In reality we know little or nothing of Japanese houses and this is the reason behind the travelling exhibition Japan, Archipelago of the House, which recently opened at Looiersgracht 60 in Amsterdam.
The exhibition is an investigation and research into "the Japanese house" in a physical, cultural and social context that offers historical and contextual elements useful for understanding and developing this architecture.

The 70 houses on display are divided into three sections, the first is “Yesterday’s Houses” with buildings created between 1933 and 1984, including projects by Tadao Ando and Toyo Ito, which helps offer an overview of the Japanese residential architectural style and its relationship with its setting (both natural and constructed). The second Tokyo Houses is the photographic research of Jeremie Souteyrat who portrays 36 homes in their settings. Finally, Today’s Houses are homes built between 1993 and 2013, by architects like Shigeru Ban Architects, Yasushi Horibe, Atelier Bow Wow and Mikan. This recent architecture features innovative structural solutions and is also presented from a social point of view through interviews with its inhabitants.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Title: Japan, Archipelago of the House
Curated by: Véronique Hours and Fabien Mauduit (A.P.ARTs association www.a-p-arts.com), Manuel Tardits (www.mikan.co.jp , www.tokyofictions.com), Jérémie Souteyrat (www.jeremie-souteyrat.com)
Date: 23rd June – 10th July 2016
Place: Looiersgracht 60, Amsterdam NL

Images courtesy of Looiersgracht 60

www.looiersgracht60.org

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