Yoshiharu Tsukamoto
2010.1.16 Sat “Toward Tokyo without ‘Walls’”
Yoshiharu Tsukamoto (Atelier Bow-Wow / Architect) x Ayumu Yasutomi (Professor at the Institute of Oriental Culture, The University of Tokyo / Social Scientist)
Observing the current city of Tokyo, Tsukamoto feels that there has been no collaboration between the city and architecture. In addition to having no restrictions on building style or design as well as no social civic power, the city of Tokyo is composed of individual residences and segmented plots of land. This creates its own dynamism and sustainability supported not by any authorized power but rather by the activities of individuals living in Tokyo. Even though there are so many tall buildings clustered around main streets, we find small houses with its own planters or small green trees like garden cities just behind these main thoroughfares which also serve as fire protection. One of the characteristics of Tokyo is that it is re-born every 26 years as the shelf life of Japanese houses are rather shorter than in the EU (100 years) or in the US (80years). Sixty years after the close of the war, we can observe that an original intelligence has emerged in Tokyo and that architects must catch the trend of this principle in Tokyo at the earliest timing. In his talk, Tokyo becomes an amazing city reborn every 30 years for 90 days as 1st generation, 2nd generation, and 3rd generation through the overwhelming transformation of individuals. In the 1960’s there was a concentration of power and capital in the form of the Metabolist movement which explored radical ways of change in the face of ageing. In the 1980’s power and capital have been diversified and there is no core as such but rather inter-spaces, a condition which Tsukamoto referred to as‘Void Metabolism’.
The houses of the fourth generation are characterized by the nuclear family, which separates work and home, and closes space with air conditioners and the like. Under these conditions in Tokyo, the following are the required conditions of living in the city: 1. There are people besides family members living in a house, 2. To live half with the outside, and 3. To consider the void as the residual product between buildings. Tsukamoto also maintains a strong interest in the behavior of Tokyo city. Behavior includes time cycles and natural phenomenon, among other factors.
For the future of behavior standards in architecture, he emphasized the integration and structuring of the following three aspects: small natural phenomenon, human behavior, and the behavior of architecture and the city within varying time scales.
Yasutomi gave a presentation about how we can survive and engender a more glowing life in Tokyo by referring to historical examples and his own experiences. He particularly indicated the relation between organizations and individuals. Individuals have depended on organizations that tend to harm their own sense of freedom, creativity and independence.
When he was a banker, Yasutomi often suffered from group pressure in the workplace which spiralled out of control in the form of power harassment. He resigned from the bank and became an academic. He researches the top-to-bottom barriers against the social integration of women after World War II in Japan. In the past women could not survive without marriage just as men could not survive without the company as a group and consequently dominated women for a long time. We cannot live for our own benefits. He showed one solution by introducing the thoughts and activities of Michael Jackson. Yasutomi warns that modern society kills the human spirit and soul as illustrated in Jackson’s song“Thriller”. He also indicated the destructive capability of group pressure and victims captured by systems and organization. Michael Jackson provides a good example of survival in these conditions in his song“Billy Jean”, using terms such as‘Smooth’and‘Jam’.‘Smooth’means the wheel or gears and‘Jam’means lodged in or blocked. In this case‘Jam’indicates to live for oneself and become ones own self. We can learn how we can survive in modern society with our own will and creative behavior through the songs and thoughts of the late Michael Jackson.
Yoshiharu Tsukamoto (Atelier Bow-Wow / Architect) x Ayumu Yasutomi (Professor at the Institute of Oriental Culture, The University of Tokyo / Social Scientist)
1st Lecture Title: Viewing Tokyo from the Independent Home Unit: by Yoshiharu Tsukamoto
Observing the current city of Tokyo, Tsukamoto feels that there has been no collaboration between the city and architecture. In addition to having no restrictions on building style or design as well as no social civic power, the city of Tokyo is composed of individual residences and segmented plots of land. This creates its own dynamism and sustainability supported not by any authorized power but rather by the activities of individuals living in Tokyo. Even though there are so many tall buildings clustered around main streets, we find small houses with its own planters or small green trees like garden cities just behind these main thoroughfares which also serve as fire protection. One of the characteristics of Tokyo is that it is re-born every 26 years as the shelf life of Japanese houses are rather shorter than in the EU (100 years) or in the US (80years). Sixty years after the close of the war, we can observe that an original intelligence has emerged in Tokyo and that architects must catch the trend of this principle in Tokyo at the earliest timing. In his talk, Tokyo becomes an amazing city reborn every 30 years for 90 days as 1st generation, 2nd generation, and 3rd generation through the overwhelming transformation of individuals. In the 1960’s there was a concentration of power and capital in the form of the Metabolist movement which explored radical ways of change in the face of ageing. In the 1980’s power and capital have been diversified and there is no core as such but rather inter-spaces, a condition which Tsukamoto referred to as‘Void Metabolism’.
The houses of the fourth generation are characterized by the nuclear family, which separates work and home, and closes space with air conditioners and the like. Under these conditions in Tokyo, the following are the required conditions of living in the city: 1. There are people besides family members living in a house, 2. To live half with the outside, and 3. To consider the void as the residual product between buildings. Tsukamoto also maintains a strong interest in the behavior of Tokyo city. Behavior includes time cycles and natural phenomenon, among other factors.
For the future of behavior standards in architecture, he emphasized the integration and structuring of the following three aspects: small natural phenomenon, human behavior, and the behavior of architecture and the city within varying time scales.
Ayumu Yasutomi
2nd lecture title: How Do We Survive in Tokyo? by Ayumu Yasutomi
Yasutomi gave a presentation about how we can survive and engender a more glowing life in Tokyo by referring to historical examples and his own experiences. He particularly indicated the relation between organizations and individuals. Individuals have depended on organizations that tend to harm their own sense of freedom, creativity and independence.
When he was a banker, Yasutomi often suffered from group pressure in the workplace which spiralled out of control in the form of power harassment. He resigned from the bank and became an academic. He researches the top-to-bottom barriers against the social integration of women after World War II in Japan. In the past women could not survive without marriage just as men could not survive without the company as a group and consequently dominated women for a long time. We cannot live for our own benefits. He showed one solution by introducing the thoughts and activities of Michael Jackson. Yasutomi warns that modern society kills the human spirit and soul as illustrated in Jackson’s song“Thriller”. He also indicated the destructive capability of group pressure and victims captured by systems and organization. Michael Jackson provides a good example of survival in these conditions in his song“Billy Jean”, using terms such as‘Smooth’and‘Jam’.‘Smooth’means the wheel or gears and‘Jam’means lodged in or blocked. In this case‘Jam’indicates to live for oneself and become ones own self. We can learn how we can survive in modern society with our own will and creative behavior through the songs and thoughts of the late Michael Jackson.
Summary by Mari Noda (Shikkai-ya Intern)
English proofreading and editing: Roger McDonald (AIT).
Photo: Yukiko Koshima
