On November 8th, as part of the activities of the International Projects Committee at the JIA (Japan Institute of Architects) Chiba Convention, we were invited to guide VIPs from overseas around the town of Sawara, Chiba Prefecture. Our studio, Studio MYU architects, has been restoring the townscape and revitalizing historic buildings since 1996, when Sawara was designated a Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. In 2025, we received the Architectural Institute of Japan Award for our achievements. Click here for more information.
The NPO Onogawa and Sawara Townscape Study Group created the video above. I’m sharing it because it’s very easy to understand the condition of the town scape. After walking around the townscape on November 8th, we plan to visit Yokuraya’s Okura. It’s an incredibly impressive building. I also found a video of this, so I’ve attached it below.
11月10日（金）午後6時より「Between Art and Architecture」 と題して講演をすることになりました。建築にはアートとして人々の心に語りかける力があると信じ、「アートと建築」２つの世界を行き来しながら活動を続けてきました。それぞれの実践を通じ、アートの力、建築の力について考えてきたことを語ります。皆さんと一緒に楽しく語り合いながら思考を深められれば幸いです。
秋の夜をぜひご一緒いたしましょう。 （参加ご希望の場合は、事前にお申し込みが必要です。）
■日時と内容： 2023年11月10日（金）17:30開場
18:00-18:15 美術館にアートを贈る会の総会（活動報告。どなたでも参加可能） 18:15-19:00 講演会「Between Art and Architecture」 ゲスト・建築家/美術家 郡裕美氏 19:00-20:00 懇親会
This is a site-specific art installation realized on the site of Ryoanji Temple in Minoh mountain, Osaka, which was founded in the 7th century. The temple’s “kuri” building (former kitchen) was completely destroyed by a typhoon in 2018. The kitchen was important to the temple because it supported ”shugendo”, Japanese indigenous religion through the provision of food to practitioners. The lost “kuri” had a ”kamado” (earthen floor stove) and a small hip roof above it for ventilation and sky light, and that created a strong connection between the ground and the sky. Therefore, through my work, I wanted to evoke the memory of the lost architecture and reconsider the meaning of the “kuri”.
