‘SOU FUJIMOTO: FUTURES OF THE FUTURE’, is the inaugural exhibition at the Japan House London Gallery held in collaboration with Tokyo’s TOTO GALLERY?MA and part of the London Festival of Architecture. On show for the first time in the UK, the exhibition explores the innovative works of one of Japan’s most influential contemporary architects. Fujimoto’s vision of the future is not a fully imagined set of assumptions but is to plant the seeds of inspiration and potential. This exhibition looks at not only current projects but also Fujimoto’s architectural experiments for the future, asking the visitor to share in imagining a variety of futures of the future.
Sou Fujimoto portrait credit David VINTINER
Commenting on ‘Futures of the Future’ Sou Fujimoto said:
“Creating architecture is like planting seeds of the future When we design, we pay close attention to the context of the site, the requests of our clients, and the cultural and historical backgrounds of each local community. Our dialogues with a variety of such factors inspire us to create actual places. In other words, it might be the kind of work to give forms to latent possibilities that remain hidden in the real society. Therefore, if what we call future is defined as series of manifestation of possibilities, I would say that small architectural proposals that stimulate them are ‘seeds of the future’.
Wishing the seeds that are cast into the future will create another future, I decided the title of this exhibition to be “Futures of the Future.” Inspired by these seeds of open future, I would truly appreciate it if visitors could join us to imagine a variety of futures of the future.”
ARCHITECTURE IS EVERYWHERE
In addition, in The Shop at Japan House London Fujimoto also presents ‘Architecture is Everywhere’ which illustrates the concept of discovering architecture within the forms of everyday objects: the serendipity of finding numerous possibilities for new architecture.
Commenting on ‘Architecture is Everywhere’ Sou Fujimoto said:
“Architecture, I think, is something that is first found and then made. Just as our ancestors find their habitat in caves and woods, in modern times we discover ours among the many things we encounter in this immense built jungle. And it is a discovery like this that leads us to conceiving new architecture. Here at this exhibition I’m presenting this concept of what I call ‘Found Architecture’. By placing scale human figures next to the ordinary objects found in everyday life or in contexts that might first seem coincidental, if not fortuitous, we would soon start to read these objects as architectural spaces. The discrepancy in scale in these pairings is serendipitous, and what lies beyond them is a prelude of new architecture. Within this concept should underlie the question of discovery by chance vs. creation with intent. Architecture could come into being from anywhere. I believe fostering that architecture-to- be into real architecture itself is also architecture. Onward architecture continues.”
‘SOU FUJIMOTO: FUTURES OF THE FUTURE’ Japan House London from Friday 22nd June to Sunday 5th August 2018.
www.japanhouselondon.uk
About The Artist
Sou Fujimoto is a leader among Japan’s new generation of architects. Born in Hokkaido in 1971, a graduate of the University of Tokyo, Department of Architecture, Sou Fujimoto established Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000. Among some of his most notable works include Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2013, House NA (2011), Musashino Art University Museum & Library (2010), Final Wooden House (2008) and House N (2008).
