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'teshima art museum' by ryue nishizawa and rei naito on teshima island
photo © noboru morikawa photos


'teshima art museum' by tokyo-based architect ryue nishizawa and japanese artist rei naito
recently welcomed visitors of the 2010 setouchi international art festival held on seven islands
in the takamatsu port area, japan. hugging a hilly site on the island of teshima, the museum
resembles a droplet of water caught in the middle of gliding across the land.



exterior view
image © iwan baan
see more images at domus


overlooking the inland sea to the north, the collaborative project was designed to interact
with its wooded surrounding, pushing the tangible boundary between architecture and nature.
two large elliptical openings define and orient the space while letting the interior collect pieces
of the elements: pools of water accumulate on the floor and freely shift and migrate according
to the breeze's direction; the sounds from the sea and foliage reverberate through the open space
while the ambiance is in constant change according to the sun's position and time of day.



collected rain water inside the museum
image courtesy lllabo


at 25 cm thick, the white concrete pod shell is devoid of any pillars or visible structural aid.
the gallery space is not a result of encapsulation but a careful negotiation between
the earth and the sky. visitors are encouraged to freely walk around the 40 by 60 meter
museum and connect with the present phenomena.



looking in to the interior
image © iwan baan
see more images at domus



large cut-out
photo © noboru morikawa photos



image courtesy office of ryue nishizawa



photo © noboru morikawa photos



a part of rei naito's work entitled 'matrix'
photo © noboru morikawa photos



photo © noboru morikawa photos


a meandering path around the site take visitors around mt. myojin, a small bluff between
the museum and the sea. the form and presence of the structure seemingly fluctuates with
the observer's vantage point, much like a dynamic drop of water traveling across a surface.



outside promenade
image © iwan baan
see more images at domus



art museum in context
image courtesy prkbkr



image courtesy prkbkr



image courtesy office of ryue nishizawa


made possible by the patronage of the naoshima fukutake art museum foundation,
the teshima art museum will continue to operate after the festival, hosting activities involving
art, architecture, food, the environment, and other creative intersections.



the museum adjacent to the nearby rice terraces
photo © noboru morikawa photos



site plan
image courtesy office of ryue nishizawa



contextual site plan
image courtesy naoshima fukutake art museum foundation

about ryue nishizawa:
born in 1966, nishizawa joined kazuyo sejima & associates in 1990,
established SANAA with her in 1995, and established his own practice
in 1997. along with sejima, he was awarded the pritzker architecture prize
in 2010. significant works include, 'honmura lounge and archive' (2005, naoshima),
'moriyama house' (2005, tokyo), and the 'towada art center' (2008, aomori).

about rei naito:
born in hiroshima in 1961, naito's major exhibitions and projects include
'being given' (2001, kinza, art house project, benesse art site naoshima),
'un luogo sulla terra' (1997, japanese pavilion, 47th venice biennale),
'tout anial est dans le monde comme de l'eau a interieur de l'eau'
(2009, museum of modern art, kamakura).

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be sure to check out raymund ryan's coverage of the museum for domus
with the always stunning photographs by iwan baan by clicking here.

Via Libération

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By Sylvestre Huet

Récit - Le glaciologue Claude Lorius démontre que l’homme est devenu un «géo-ingénieur» climatique aussi puissant que les forces géologiques, et annonce l’anthropocène, l’ère de l’homme.

Iceberg dans les eaux antarctiques. (REUTERS)

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More about this book, Claude Lorius and the Anthropocene directly on Libération.

Related Links:

Personal comment:

Anthropocene is a word we hear more and more about. It probably just gives a name to what we all observe everyday: that our environment is getting more an more artificial, conditioned at a global scale with ecological costs.
Humanity as a whole (and the consumption habits that came along with industry first, then re-inforced by capitalism) have become a geo-engineering force that is shaping the planet, with no effective couterparts at this day.
The question is maybe now how to critically "architecture" and reprogram this global scale and all what comes with it (so obviously, human habits are part of this), rather than if we can avoid it and go back to our "caves". At this point, the main force that drives globalism is the commercial one, this should change for something more valuable (for "les produits de "haute nécessité"", as Edouard Glissant would probably say).