Sou Fujimoto
Futurospective Architecture
3 June–2 September 2012
Opening: Sunday, 3 June 2012, 11:30am
Kunsthalle Bielefeld
Artur-Ladebeck-Straße 5
D-33602 Bielefeld
Germany
In an exhibition on architecture it is rare that a building can be shown to scale. Often, drawings and models of future structures must placate the viewer’s imagination. It is, therefore, particularly significant that we have been able to once again erect a key work by architect Sou Fujimoto, the so-called Final Wooden House, in the Kunsthalle Sculpture Park—and not only because he received an international architecture prize in 2008 for this work, but above all, because it makes it possible to experience something of the concept of space that distinguishes Fujimoto’s oeuvre.
What seems from the outside to be a cubical, basic, geometric shape proves on the inside to be a complicated interplay of protruding and receding beams whose function is dependent upon the viewer’s behavior; the beams are for sitting or reclining, or for use as a table or shelf—each function is determined by the user.
The Kunsthalle Bielefeld is presenting the first monograph and exhibition on the work of Sou Fujimoto (b. 1971) in Europe. Besides his spectacular designs for houses, Fujimoto is also known for his book, Primitive Future, published in 2008. In ten chapters he presents his ideas and the development of his entirely different understanding of space. Constantly shifting relationships between interior and exterior is one of Fujimoto’s intellectual leitmotifs. The spaces he designs no longer have any identifiable center, since it is partially defined by the user.
With approximately 120 models, objects, and materials, the exhibition features Fujimoto’s previous projects, most of which have been realized in Japan. Among them are several models for the House NA in Tokyo, which was ready for occupancy in autumn 2011. A structure without walls, it is a living space that presents a challenge in every way. Also on display is the Musashino Art University’s library (2010), consisting entirely of shelves. Finally, Fujimoto’s future projects and plans are also on display; these have either been developed in recent years or have won prizes and are about to be built.
To accompany the show, a catalogue with essays by Friedrich Meschede, Günter Küppers, and Jörg Gleiter, as well as views of the installation at the Kunsthalle Bielefeld, will be published; so that photos of the show can be included, the publication will be released after the opening.
The exhibition is financed by the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture, and Sport of the State of North-Rhine-Westphalia, and the Kulturstiftung pro Bielefeld. It is sponsored by the Landesbetriebe Wald und Holz NRW; the Handwerksbildungszentrum (HBZ) Bielefeld-Brackwede; Oehme und Partner Architects, Bielefeld; the Quakernack Company, Bielefeld; and The Japan Foundation.
*Image above:
Erecting the Final Wooden House, Sculpture Park, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, April 2012.
Photo: Roman Mensing 2012.
