"Metabolism, the City of the Future," the highly-acclaimed exhibition held at the Mori Art Museum in 2011, is currently on view in Taipei, Taiwan. This is the first exhibition organized by the Mori Art Museum to be presented in Taiwan.
Entrance of the "Metabolism, the City of the Future: Forerunners of Contemporary Japanese Architecture"
(left) Hirata Akihisa Fermentation, (right) Yoshimura Yasutaka WHEREVER GREEN
As many may know from the 2011 exhibition in Tokyo, Metabolism was a movement led by Japanese architects and designers in the 1960s, during the country's period of rapid post-war economic recovery. The movement takes its name from the biological term for the process of regeneration, and is based on the principle that buildings and cities should be designed so as to change organically in the same way that organisms grow by repeatedly undergoing metabolization.
The exhibition in Taipei has been organized jointly by the Mori Art Museum and JUT Foundation for Arts and Architecture, and is on view at Chun Shang Creative Hub until November 3. While somewhat reduced in size, it still features over 300 items including architectural models, reference materials, photographs and videos that convey the very essence of the Metabolism movement. For presentation in Taipei, the exhibition was re-titled "Metabolism, the City of the Future: Forerunners of Contemporary Japanese Architecture," reflecting the idea that Metabolism was the origin of architecture seen in Japan today.
Installation view "Metabolism, the City of the Future: Forerunners of Contemporary Japanese Architecture"
Installation view "Metabolism, the City of the Future: Forerunners of Contemporary Japanese Architecture"
In conjunction with the exhibition, the façade of the Chun Shang Creative Hub has been decorated with cross-sections of the Festival Plaza and Tower of the Sun designed for the Expo 1970 in Osaka. In addition to this, young, up-and-coming Japanese architects Hirata Akihisa and Yoshimura Yasutaka have created architectural installations in the frontyard of the Creative Hub, adding further depth to the exhibition.
A series of lectures and talks is also planned in conjunction with the exhibition. Invited lecturers include Maki Fumihiko, Dan Norihiko, Isozaki Arata, Aoki Jun, Rem Koolhaas, Hirata Akihisa, and Yoshimura Yasutaka, providing rare opportunities for the Taipei audience to hear from internationally-acclaimed architects. We hope you will have a chance to visit Taiwan to take in the exhibition running this summer through fall.
In line with a concerted expansion of its ventures in the international arena, in addition to the "Metabolism" exhibition, the Mori Art Museum is currently touring an exhibition of work by Ai Weiwei in 5 North American venues (Washington, Indianapolis, Toronto, Miami, New York), and partnering with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council to set up a short-stay internship program. Look out for more initiatives this fall as the Mori Art Museum celebrates its 10th anniversary as Japan's, and Asia's, leading international contemporary art museum.
Text byx Tsuchiya Takahide (Manager, International Programs, Mori Art Museum)
■Relevant information
・Mori Art Museum exhibition tours
・"Metabolism, the City of the Future:Dreams and Visions of Reconstruction in Postwar and Present-Day"
Saturday, September 17, 2011 - Sunday, January 15, 2012
・Rem Koolhaas x Nanjo Fumio
(1) Why Metabolism now?
Looking back at the period of the Metabolists through the eyes of today
(2) Why Metabolism now?
Is Metabolism a thing of the past for a shrinking Japan?
(3) Metabolism and Politics
Are politicians and bureaucrats the real "architects"?
(4) Architecture Today and Its Problems
What kind of limitations does Koolhaas feel as an architect?
(5) Architecture Today and Its Problems
・Installation View
"Metabolism, the City of the Future: Dreams and Visions of Reconstruction in Postwar and Present-Day Japan"
