curating the interstice

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1’-1” 160 2’-9” 119 3’-11” 235 1’-5” 27 8’-4” 73 17’-3” 625 1’-9” 48 16’-10” 352 4’-10” 472 6’-8” 162 2’-11” 163 3’-11” 798 34’-1” 2353 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Curang the Intersce Exploing the Urban Gap Phenomenon in Kobe, Japan Heather Ruszczyk 1’-7” 70 3’-0” 773 2’-8” 130 4’-0” 110 2’-11” 238 1’-7” 64 12’-6” 994 7” 61 2’-5” 153 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 21’-1” 218 2’-0” 146 5’-4” 308 13’-5” 240 29 30 31 32 8’-10” 740 4’-7” 453 5’-6” 198 1’-1” 160 2’-9” 119 3’-11” 235 1’-5” 27 8’-4” 73 17’-3” 625 1’-9” 48 16’-10” 352 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 0’-0” 5’-0” 10’-0” 25’-0” 50’-0” 100’-0” 1’-1” 66 48

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A thesis completed during an M.Arch at the University of Washington. This project was inspired by research conducted during a year long travel fellowship in Kobe, Japan.

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Page 1: Curating the Interstice

1:20

8’-10”740

4’-7”453

5’-6”198

1’-1”160

2’-9”119

3’-11”235

1’-5”27

8’-4”73

17’-3”625

1’-9”48

16’-10”352

4’-10”472

6’-8”162

2’-11”163

3’-11”798

34’-1”2353

7”36

8’-8”479

4’-11”109

2’-10”282

2’-10”228

10’-3”81

7’-6”676

2’-5”318

2’-4”59

1’-3”42

1’-3”25

1’-0”149

21’-1”218

2’-0”146

5’-4”308

13’-5”240

1’-7”70

3’-0”773

2’-8”130

4’-0”110

2’-11”238

1’-7”64

12’-6”994

7”61

6”25

5’-2”65

2’-2”100

8’-6”682

8’-8”447

2’-10”106

1’-1”66

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Curating the IntersticeExploiting the Urban Gap Phenomenon in Kobe, Japan

Heather Ruszczyk

1:20

8’-10”740

4’-7”453

5’-6”198

1’-1”160

2’-9”119

3’-11”235

1’-5”27

8’-4”73

17’-3”625

1’-9”48

16’-10”352

4’-10”472

6’-8”162

2’-11”163

3’-11”798

34’-1”2353

7”36

8’-8”479

4’-11”109

2’-10”282

2’-10”228

10’-3”81

7’-6”676

2’-5”318

2’-4”59

1’-3”42

1’-3”25

1’-0”149

21’-1”218

2’-0”146

5’-4”308

13’-5”240

1’-7”70

3’-0”773

2’-8”130

4’-0”110

2’-11”238

1’-7”64

12’-6”994

7”61

6”25

5’-2”65

2’-2”100

8’-6”682

8’-8”447

2’-10”106

1’-1”66

2’-5”153

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

0’-0”

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1:20

8’-10”740

4’-7”453

5’-6”198

1’-1”160

2’-9”119

3’-11”235

1’-5”27

8’-4”73

17’-3”625

1’-9”48

16’-10”352

4’-10”472

6’-8”162

2’-11”163

3’-11”798

34’-1”2353

7”36

8’-8”479

4’-11”109

2’-10”282

2’-10”228

10’-3”81

7’-6”676

2’-5”318

2’-4”59

1’-3”42

1’-3”25

1’-0”149

21’-1”218

2’-0”146

5’-4”308

13’-5”240

1’-7”70

3’-0”773

2’-8”130

4’-0”110

2’-11”238

1’-7”64

12’-6”994

7”61

6”25

5’-2”65

2’-2”100

8’-6”682

8’-8”447

2’-10”106

1’-1”66

2’-5”153

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

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33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

0’-0”

5’-0”

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1:20

8’-10”740

4’-7”453

5’-6”198

1’-1”160

2’-9”119

3’-11”235

1’-5”27

8’-4”73

17’-3”625

1’-9”48

16’-10”352

4’-10”472

6’-8”162

2’-11”163

3’-11”798

34’-1”2353

7”36

8’-8”479

4’-11”109

2’-10”282

2’-10”228

10’-3”81

7’-6”676

2’-5”318

2’-4”59

1’-3”42

1’-3”25

1’-0”149

21’-1”218

2’-0”146

5’-4”308

13’-5”240

1’-7”70

3’-0”773

2’-8”130

4’-0”110

2’-11”238

1’-7”64

12’-6”994

7”61

6”25

5’-2”65

2’-2”100

8’-6”682

8’-8”447

2’-10”106

1’-1”66

2’-5”153

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1:20

8’-10”740

4’-7”453

5’-6”198

1’-1”160

2’-9”119

3’-11”235

1’-5”27

8’-4”73

17’-3”625

1’-9”48

16’-10”352

4’-10”472

6’-8”162

2’-11”163

3’-11”798

34’-1”2353

7”36

8’-8”479

4’-11”109

2’-10”282

2’-10”228

10’-3”81

7’-6”676

2’-5”318

2’-4”59

1’-3”42

1’-3”25

1’-0”149

21’-1”218

2’-0”146

5’-4”308

13’-5”240

1’-7”70

3’-0”773

2’-8”130

4’-0”110

2’-11”238

1’-7”64

12’-6”994

7”61

6”25

5’-2”65

2’-2”100

8’-6”682

8’-8”447

2’-10”106

1’-1”66

2’-5”153

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

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Page 2: Curating the Interstice
Page 3: Curating the Interstice

The flowing river never stops and yet the water never stays the same.

Foam floats upon the pools, scattering, re-forming, never lingering long.

So it is with man and all his dwelling places here on earth...

Kamo no Chomei12th century Japanese Buddhist monk and poet

Page 4: Curating the Interstice

This project is inspired by urban phenomena in Japanese cities, particularly those unique conditions that exist as a result of a rapidly changing urban form.

Page 5: Curating the Interstice

changeable japan 3gap analysis 9

design 19

Page 6: Curating the Interstice

This research began by observing patterns, cycles, and causes for change and how urban form evolves. With a lack of long term planning strategies, lack of zoning and parcel regulations, urban form is free-willed, rendered an accumulation of architecture and infrastructure built one on top of the other.

2

Page 7: Curating the Interstice

changeable japan

3

Page 8: Curating the Interstice

A Cause for ChangeA number of factors facilitates the Japanese tendency towards rapid change including a lack of available space. The emphasis on land value rather than building value leads to a lack of preservation and valueless architecture. Japanese cities are largely a-historical in regards to physical context and undifferentiated in terms of form. Buildings are easily disposed of and a setback mandate requires a minimal 18” setback from property lines for all buildings. Every building is stand-alone; party walls don’t exist and this enables an ease in the replaceability of buildings. Altogether this attitude that favors construction over preservation is referred to as ‘scrap and build’ and renders the average life-cycle of a building in Japan at 26 years, roughly half of that in the United States.

4

Page 9: Curating the Interstice

tabula rasa

undifferentiated / ahistorical ‘scrap and build’

minimal gap mandatevalueless architecture / lack of preservation

unrestricted parcel division

5

Page 10: Curating the Interstice

Shibuya, Tokyo

motomachi, kobe

downtown, seattle

space as a grid

space as a field

regulated rhythm + scale

fragmented rhythm

Returning to this image of Tokyo compared to Seattle, a downtown core defined by a grid, continuous facades, party walls and preservation corridors, the urban form is drastically different. Space in Japanese cities can be thought of as a field where buildings are constantly changed, unrestricted by pre-determined form. Further, urban form is a product of both positive and negative space.

urban space as a field

6

Page 11: Curating the Interstice

Downtown Seattle

motomachi, kobe

downtown, seattle

space as a grid

space as a field

regulated rhythm + scale

fragmented rhythm

urban space as a grid

7

Page 12: Curating the Interstice

Gaps are arguably the most significant product of change evidenced by the Japanese urban landscape. They are the marginal spaces leftover as a result of accumulated and unplanned changing form. They expand and contract, they accumulate and disappear as the positive space of the city comes and goes. They collectively represent a significant amount of underutilized space in cities that lack available public space.

8

Page 13: Curating the Interstice

gap analysis

9

Page 14: Curating the Interstice

The remainder of this study focuses specifically on Kobe, Japan, beginning with a survey of Kobe’s gaps. Kobe is the 5th largest city in Japan, a major port city situated between mountains and water. In central Kobe is the Motomachi district, a popular shopping area whose form reflects the typical conditions of Japanese cities. Specifically studied is the Sakaemachi district, an up and coming artisan district in the once busy marine industrial fringe of central Kobe.10

Page 15: Curating the Interstice

OsakaKobe

TokyoKyoto

HONSHU

Rokko Mountains

Port of Kobe

Residential / Commercial

Harbor / Industrial

Port Island

Kobe StationMeriken Park

Earthquake Memorial Park

Kobe

Motomachi11

Sakaemachi

Page 16: Curating the Interstice

1:20

8’-10”740

4’-7”453

5’-6”198

1’-1”160

2’-9”119

3’-11”235

1’-5”27

8’-4”73

17’-3”625

1’-9”48

16’-10”352

4’-10”472

6’-8”162

2’-11”163

3’-11”798

34’-1”2353

7”36

8’-8”479

4’-11”109

2’-10”282

2’-10”228

10’-3”81

7’-6”676

2’-5”318

2’-4”59

1’-3”42

1’-3”25

1’-0”149

21’-1”218

2’-0”146

5’-4”308

13’-5”240

1’-7”70

3’-0”773

2’-8”130

4’-0”110

2’-11”238

1’-7”64

12’-6”994

7”61

6”25

5’-2”65

2’-2”100

8’-6”682

8’-8”447

2’-10”106

1’-1”66

2’-5”153

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

0’-0”

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Forty-eight Gaps48 gaps were identified and compared in terms of scale, use, spatial qualities, and effect on the urban fabric and its accumulative formation. This investigation began as an analysis of positive and negative; figure and ground; solid and void; challenging the assumed relationship between positive space as meaningful and negative space as meaningless and equalizing the value of both in forming urban space in Japan.12

Page 17: Curating the Interstice

1

2

107 8

11 12

13

14

15

16

17

20

22

23

6

25

28

29

32

35

37

38

40

41

43

44

48

45

46

26

24

3027

21

42

19

34

31

3639

33

5

9

4

3

A

B

A

B

C

C

13

Page 18: Curating the Interstice

solid

void

40% 51%

A

B

C

17% 69%

35% 43%

void solid roads

solid

void

40% 51%

A

B

C

17% 69%

35% 43%

void solid roads

solid

void

40% 51%

A

B

C

17% 69%

35% 43%

void solid roads

solid

void

Sectional RhythmThese simplified sections demonstrate the abundance of gaps and variety of scales. They are an essential piece in forming space but also experiencing the Japanese city as one moves through it. Space is fragmented and the gaps accumulate to a significant amount of underutilized space as evidenced by the percentage underneath the white bar.

14

Page 19: Curating the Interstice

1956

1984

2012

Large block development, reflecting the effect of early foreigners on urban form and Sakaemachi’s adjacency to the ‘foreign settlement’ just east of the site.

At the height of the ‘bubble’ years, this figure ground pictures Sakaemachi as but visible is the growing number of gaps due to the un division of land.

By 2012, general decline of the economy and leaves its marpost bubble collapse, post 1996 recovery, and a grow-ing number of larger gaps due to accumulated empty lots. The urban form displayed in this mapping is best described

The overlay of the figure ground maps from 1956, 1984, and 2012 demonstrates the evolution of gap development within 26 year increments, the average length of one ‘scrap and build’ cycle. Notable is the growing number of gaps, the increasing division of space and smallness of property, and the amount of empty space by 2012.

Gap Evolution

1956

1984

2012

Large block development, reflecting the effect of early foreigners on urban form and Sakaemachi’s adjacency to the ‘foreign settlement’ just east of the site.

At the height of the ‘bubble’ years, this figure ground pictures Sakaemachi as but visible is the growing number of gaps due to the un division of land.

By 2012, general decline of the economy and leaves its marpost bubble collapse, post 1996 recovery, and a grow-ing number of larger gaps due to accumulated empty lots. The urban form displayed in this mapping is best described

The overlay of the figure ground maps from 1956, 1984, and 2012 demonstrates the evolution of gap development within 26 year increments, the average length of one ‘scrap and build’ cycle. Notable is the growing number of gaps, the increasing division of space and smallness of property, and the amount of empty space by 2012.

Gap Evolution

1956

1984

2012

Large block development, reflecting the effect of early foreigners on urban form and Sakaemachi’s adjacency to the ‘foreign settlement’ just east of the site.

At the height of the ‘bubble’ years, this figure ground pictures Sakaemachi as but visible is the growing number of gaps due to the un division of land.

By 2012, general decline of the economy and leaves its marpost bubble collapse, post 1996 recovery, and a grow-ing number of larger gaps due to accumulated empty lots. The urban form displayed in this mapping is best described

The overlay of the figure ground maps from 1956, 1984, and 2012 demonstrates the evolution of gap development within 26 year increments, the average length of one ‘scrap and build’ cycle. Notable is the growing number of gaps, the increasing division of space and smallness of property, and the amount of empty space by 2012.

Gap Evolution

19561st Iteration

19842nd Iteration

20123rd Iteration

Gap EvolutionIf buildings in Japanese cities are on a 26 year cycle, then examining the urban fabric in 26 year increments is telling of how urban form accumulates. These maps show the relationship between the increasing fragmentation of urban land (due to lack of parcel restriction and people dividing their property due to increasing land value) and the growing complexity of accumulated positive and negative form.

15

Page 20: Curating the Interstice

gapA B

Ma + The ‘Pregnant’ VoidUp until this point, a gap has been defined as something that exists between two buildings. Rethinking this spatial relationship more generally, a gap can be defined as the spatial or temporal distance between two physical or non-physical things. This is likened to the Japanese spatial concept of ma, which Arata Isozaki refers to as the ‘pregnant void.’ Ma emphasizes the meaning behind the void as the essential emptiness that exists between two things, both separating and uniting them in space and time, and this concept assigns equal importance to positive space and negative space. 16

Page 21: Curating the Interstice

17

Page 22: Curating the Interstice

After having understood the site context in terms of its gaps, this study concluded that although rarely transgressed or even noticed, these interstitial voids are critically important to perpetuating the unique character and formation of urban space in Japan. They also inadvertently capture the extremities of Japanese spatial values including smallness, darkness, irregularity, and emptiness and each has a specific spatial experience.18

Page 23: Curating the Interstice

design

19

Page 24: Curating the Interstice

This thesis engages with the gaps in the Sakaemachi neighborhood of central Kobe offering a proposal to exploit the gap as a representative space of change, exploring temporality but also questioning the value of a negative space through overlaying the notion of impregnating the void. This project envisions Sakaemachi’s gaps as a collection to be curated, creating an infrastructure that supports this network of gaps as an ‘art site’, filling them with temporary site-specific installations and inviting the public to transgress the void.20

Page 25: Curating the Interstice

21

Page 26: Curating the Interstice

16

12

46

24

Four Gaps + Art Site SakaemachiOf the forty-eight gaps surveyed in Kobe, four were selected to represent Art Site Sakaemachi. Three serve as installation spaces (No. 12, 46, 24), while a larger typical infill gap (No. 16) is reserved for a central facility that maintains the Art Site and provides the basic infrastructure for the project.

22

Page 27: Curating the Interstice

Since the Sakaemachi district is currently undergoing revitalization as an artisan district, the project was inspired by the contribution of art to revitalization efforts and sought to create a project in-line with the residents and workers of Sakaemachi. Following the precedent of Naoshima, Echigo Tsumari and other projects in Japan that work to revitalize rural areas through creating site-specific art and architecture exhibition where visitors arrive at the site, receive a map, and then go out again to experience the landscape in a new context, this project envisions a similar model in an urban setting, drawing visitors to the site and encouraging them to contemplate Japan’s urban phenomena.

23

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

16

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

16

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

16

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1612

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1624

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1646

24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

12

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

4622

8’-10”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

16

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1616

Page 28: Curating the Interstice

Change over TimeEach individual site becomes a found public space, however, the project as a whole envisions the cumulative void space of Sakaemachi as a new and accessible urban space. The intention is that each piece of the Art Site is temporary, to varying degrees. Therefore the project and the site as a whole changes in response to the general changeable nature of space in Japan, creating a unique experience of the site for visitors over time. Each gap installation changes every 6-9 months, while the larger facility is dismantled and reassembled elsewhere on the site every 3-5 years.24

Page 29: Curating the Interstice

5 years

6 months

present

25

Page 30: Curating the Interstice

Art Site ProcessThis project creates an infrastructure that supports this network of voids, providing a collaborative platform for curator and artist. The curator selects the voids and prepares the space according to its inherent spatial qualities through minimal architectural intervention. A resident artist is invited to respond through impregnating the void with a temporary site-specific work. Prior to installation, the artist is invited to occupy their gap, developing an intimate relationship with the space in order to respond accordingly. Finally, the public is invited to transgress into these gaps. While this process is happening in a number of gaps, a central facility, located in a larger gap, is a vital element in this process, working to maintain and perpetuate the art site.

occupy the gap

1 identify existing gap

the curator

the artist

3a prepare space through minimal intervention

3b site-specific installation

2a install artist’s studio in gap

2b artist occupies studio in gap

the visitor

4 public transgression

5 construction materials stored and partially assembled in storehouse

identify the gap

1

2

3

prepare the gap

4

experience the gap

5

maintain the gap

standard ring-lock scaffolding pieces

plywood coated polyethylene mesh netting

construction system

art site components

26

Page 31: Curating the Interstice

occupy the gap

1 identify existing gap

the curator

the artist

3a prepare space through minimal intervention

3b site-specific installation

2a install artist’s studio in gap

2b artist occupies studio in gap

the visitor

4 public transgression

5 construction materials stored and partially assembled in storehouse

identify the gap

1

2

3

prepare the gap

4

experience the gap

5

maintain the gap

standard ring-lock scaffolding pieces

plywood coated polyethylene mesh netting

construction system

art site components

There are 5 stages of use of the site, all varying in degrees of temporality. Scaffolding was employed as a tectonic expression that could be repeated throughout each phase of constructing the art site. This system was chosen because of its ability to create and adapt to a variety of spaces, its reuseability, and in general its expression of temporality. A ring-lock scaffolding system serves as the structure for the interventions, while plywood provides for platforms and netting provides shelter.

27

Page 32: Curating the Interstice

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1646

28

Page 33: Curating the Interstice

29

Preparing the GapPrior to the artist coming to the site to prepare an installation, the curator has conceptualized a vision for the gap gallery. The intention for each intervention is to respond to the inherent qualities of the void. The existing conditions of the found space are all similar: walls, ground and ceiling planes (sky). However, a number of variables including width, height, edge conditions and accessibility, renders the transgression into each gap a unique spatial experience. The interventions focus on particular spatial qualities of voids. Each intervention is prepared by the curator and is minimal, restricted primarily to the scaffolding construction system.

In the case of gap #46, the space is open between both ends, offering a physical and visual connection through. The building that forms the gap on the west side is slightly skewed, creating a natural forced perspective in the space. Therefore, the curator conceptualized this space around the idea of perspective. The curator has invited a sculpture artist to prepare something site-specific for this space.

Page 34: Curating the Interstice

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1624

30

Page 35: Curating the Interstice

Occupying the GapThis is an intermediate step between the curator’s vision of the space and the full realization of the artists installation in situ. The curator uses the scaffold to prepare a minimal space for the artist. The artist is invited to use this space as a studio or simply as a perch that offers a different vantage point and understanding of the particularities of the specific gap. It also explores another temporal scale and use of the scaffolding to fulfill this purpose. This structure remains during the artist’s residency, roughly 1-3 months prior to the installation of the intervention and artwork.

In this case, the gap is 110’ tall and 3’8” at its widest point. It forms a dark canyon in the middle of the city. The curator has identified that the artist must address light in their work. Therefore, the curator constructs the scaffolding as a tower through which the artist can ascend into the space, experiencing the gap as the light streams from the top to bottom.

31

Page 36: Curating the Interstice

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1612

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Experiencing the GapThis rendering displays the final realized product of the curator’s intervention and the artist’s installation. In gap #12, the intervention is a simple ramp built from scaffolding which brings the visitor up into the space, suspending them 4’ above the ground plane. A mirrored surface covers the ground allowing the visitor to experience a reflected image of the sky above and of the installation. The curator has invited a hanging installation artist to create a work for this space, which is here represented as a glowing pink orb. The projected length of any one installation is 6 months.

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Maintaining the GapThis facility provides the basic infrastructure to maintain the Art Site. It is located in a larger gap, a typical infill site, measuring 34’ x 70’. Programmatically, it includes public restrooms and a welcome center for visitors coming to the site, but most importantly, it acts as a storehouse and workshop. The scaffolding and other materials for the in situ interventions are stored and staged here by the curator and artists.

12 46 24

43’-7” 46’-10

4’2’-4”

22’

8’-10”

44’

43’-7”

2’-4”

72’-5” 32

70’-2”

32’-10

1616

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34

4

1

2

5A

B BA

34

4

1

2

5

1 workshop2 storage3 welcome center / archive4 public restrooms5 curator’s studio

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2 x 4 studs @ 3’ o.c. attached to scaffold

2 x 12 floor joists @ 3’ o.c. attached to scaffold

2” plywood sheet attached to interior of studs

standard 43 mm tube steel ring lock scaffolding system

standard scaffolding base

coated polyethylene netting

This building demonstrates the use of scaffolding to a higher degree of permanency with a lifespan of 3-6 years. The scaffolding acts as an exterior structure to shelter the unconditioned space of the workshop. The conditioned space, a simple box constructed of plywood and 2x4s, is entirely hung off of the scaffolding structure. 36

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Revisiting Kamo no Chomei’s words, “The flowing river never stops and yet the water never stays the same. Foam floats upon the pools, scattering, re-forming, never lingering long. So it is with man and all his dwelling places here on earth,” his opinion of the built environment, written over one thousand years ago, still resonates today. Building in Japan is a temporal act, reflecting the essential transience of the physical world. The Japanese city is the quintessential product of this long-standing attitude towards change.

Of this change reflected in the built environment, contemporary architect Mitsue Inoue says, “There is a consciousness that the present that we inhabit is nothing more than an instant wedged in eternal nothingness. From this comes the idea that human life and human dwellings are temporary shelters.” Beyond temporality, Inoue suggests that ‘eternal nothingness’ or void is the essence of space. Ma, the spatial and temporal interval conceptualized in Japanese spatial theory and traditional cultural value, builds a fundamental connection between space, time and the void. Gaps, as both a physical void and a product of change, suggest more than a forgotten leftover in urban form.

Through curating Sakaemachi’s gaps as a network of site-specific interventions, this project engages with the gaps as representative spaces of change, addressing the issues of temporality, questioning the void as a negative space, and offering a proposal to exploit the gap. The project, as a collaboration between artist and architect, suggests a new role for the architect-that of the curator. Art Site Sakaemachi represents one vision for utilizing these forgotten, leftover, albeit critically important spaces.

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heather [email protected] 11th st ne #3washington, d.c. 20002

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