Island Community Plan 1,
Setouchi, Kagawa Prefecture
(2017, planning/conception only)

A businessperson of Setouchi conceived a plan to build a modern art museum on an island. He first reached out to a curator who was an authority on art and crafts, and the curator contacted us. Located in the community of island, the actual plan entailed building a museum by reforming the building and garden of an old house. However, since not only the house but the entire community was situated in a very attractive location, we thought it might be possible to create an expansive museum by incorporating not only the old house but also a temple, shrine and nearby vacant land and so on. Although this plan didn’t eventually materialize, the discussions I had with curator on the theme of “craft architecture” were highly stimulating. Rather than making spaces and placing artworks inside them, we considered embedding arts into the spaces. The idea was to build a museum that would unify art works and spaces. At this time, we considered selecting five artists and building each section of the community in tandem with their works. We conceived this idea five years ago, however, the concept has yet to be realized in any museum. If such a plan ever came to fruition, it would surely be a pioneering and interesting venture. By teaming up with an outstanding curator, Rokukaku-ya is capable of realizing joint productions with energetic artisans in such fields as plastering and carpentry. We can create spaces of a type never seen before. It’s unfortunate that this plan didn’t materialize, however, it was an important inspiration for bringing a broader perspective to bear in subsequent projects.