WORKSHOP: Alchemy of Architecture Season 2

Date: 13 December 2015 – 11 November 2016
Venue: JSURP PLACE

In addition to the narrative and construction of the previous season in the first half of 2015, another word “projection” was added to the concept for Season 2. The word “projection” here means not only the projection of images, but also planning (project), development (projection), and, originally, the alchemical term “transformation.

The site remained in Kikuzaka, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. It was an experimental attempt to create images that project the hidden part of the streets, and to transform them into other media, using collage, bricolage, and assemblage techniques. The goal is to have the images more clearly show one’s inner motivations and assertions.

The chosen references relate to the site, such as Shinichi Nakazawa’s essay “Earth Diver” (2005), Kanoko Okamoto’s short story “Kingyo ryōran (A Riot of Goldfish),” (1937), Kenji Mizoguchi’s “Orizuru Osen (The Downfall of Osen)” 1935, Mikio Naruse’s “Bangiku (Late Chrysanthemums)”, 1945, Yoshimitsu Morita’s “Sorekara (Then)”, 1985, and others from which the participants developed their own associations to their own project.

Participants were not only architects, but also artists, architecture majors from British art academies, film schools, art universities, urban planners, and those with no production experience, resulting in a series of aggressive, ambitious, and artistic projects. The participants were diverse, including people from Europe and Asia, and even those with no experience in production followed the natural flow, eventually awakening their sensibilities to produce video and architectural works, reaffirming that CAT’s stimulating and creative environment inspires creativity.

Click here to see some of the video works made in the workshop:

The Memory of Summer（S. Tomoko）