21_21 design sight spotlights the world's most monumental projects + their fearless creators

21_21 design sight — a museum in tokyo led by issey miyake, naoto fukasawa, and taku satoh — is hosting an exhibition dedicated to some of the most monumental projects in the world. titled ‘grand projects: how far will you go?’, the show celebrates creators who have given shape to bold and innovative ideas that transcend existing methods of expression. artists, designers and architects with diverse backgrounds and varying ideologies are gathered together to present their works, including videos and installation art by christo and jeanne-claude, junya ishigami, and numen/for use. 

christo ‘the mastaba (project for united arab emirates)’ drawing 2012 in two parts | image © christo
see more about the project on designboom here 
[main image] christo at the floating piers, lake iseo, italy, 2014-16 | photo by wolfgang volz © christo

the exhibition at 21_21 design sight, directed by naoko aono, seeks to convey the extraordinary power of creation in influencing and affecting the public realm. the starting point for the show has been the recent work in italy by christo and jeanne-claude: the floating piers. 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric wrapped a floating dock that connected various points on lake iseo. the monumental work of incredible scale and proportion was recently awarded THE DESIGN PRIZE for social impact. from there, the exhibition gathers and displays the works of seven other creative forces, each who have realized something initially thought to be impossible.  

christo talking about the making process of ‘the floating piers’ | photo by keizo kioku
see more about the project on designboom here 

the exhibition intends for visitors to feel a sense of awe at the monumentality of each work. the show offers insight into the process and meticulous planning that goes into a project, as well as the cooperation of many collaborators, and potential financial and social challenges. another major characteristic of the exhibition is the projects’ influence on the urban landscape. by temporarily or permanently changing the city or natural environments, the artists’ works permeate the public’s daily lives. by taking part in the project, and being involved in the production process, collaborators from public institutions or corporations are able to experience the joy of working together to make something culturally significant.

‘the works they express encourage us to experience new things, and make us aware of enjoyment and sets of values we had never thought of before,’ director naoko aono says. ‘the exhibition will convey the special power that such creations have, and the joys that spread from there.’

lucerne festival ark nova, event scene at fukushima (2015)
see more about the project on designboom here 

lucerne festival ark nova | photo by keizo kioku

sketch of ‘ark nova’, designed by british sculptor anish kapoor and japanese architect arata isozaki

yusuke asai, yamatane, 2014 | commission, rice university art gallery, houston, texas | photo © nash baker
see more about the project on designboom here 

yusuke asai ‘possibility of soils’ | photo by keizo kioku

junya ishigami ‘church of the valley’ | image © junya.ishigami+associates

junya ishigami ‘church of the valley’ | photo by keizo kioku

dani karavan ‘axe majeur’ (1980-) | image © lionel pagés

georges rousse ‘tokyo 2017’ | image © georges rousse

sketch of ‘tokyo 2017’

numen/for use ‘tape tokyo 02’ | photo by keizo kioku

tatzu nishi ‘capsule hotel 21’ | photo by keizo kioku

project info:

date: june 23 ‒ october 1, 2017
organized by in association with: 21_21 design sight, the miyake issey foundation
agency of cultural affairs; ministry of economy, trade and industry; minato city board of education
subsidized by: embassy of israel, austrian embassy/austrian cultural forum tokyo, french embassy/institut français du japon
special sponsor: mitsui fudosan co., ltd.
sponsored by: toda corporation
supported by: canon inc., canon marketing japan inc.
exhibition director: naoko aono
exhibition content, christo and jeanne-claude: masahiko yanagi
space design support: yuri naruse / jun inokuma / misato honda (naruse inokuma architects)
exhibition graphic design: yuzo kariya / nao kakuta (neucitora)
participating creators: christo and jeanne-claude, junya ishigami, numen/for use, lucerne festival ark nova, yusuke asai, dani karavan, georges rousse, tatzu nishi

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