Gallery A⁴ is now in its 16th year, and “ORIGAMI ARCHITECTURE: Fold the World’s modern Architecture from a Piece of Paper,” is our 113th special exhibition.
Last year, we were forced to close the gallery temporarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decline in visitors is regrettable as our exhibitions are designed to be seen and experienced in person, and we hope that things will return to normal as soon as possible.
“Origami architecture” was invented in 1981 by the late Masahiro Chatani, architect and professor emeritus at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and his works were introduced the following year at Ginza Matsuya’s Design Gallery. With architectural works as his starting point, his subject matter expanded to cover a wide range of themes, and numerous books were published from 1983 as his activities and influence spread around the world. This exhibition presents this trajectory as well as the world of origamic architecture that it has inspired.
Architecture includes the field of architectural criticism. In the same way that a good critic can capture the essence of a work with few words, Chatani’s work is distinguished by the way it brilliantly brings out the essence of the architectural work through an exquisite minimalization that can be described as a kind of abstraction. Today, this mysterious skill has been inherited by his daughter, Aya Chatani, and by origamic architects.
The basic principle is that a folded piece of paper is opened 90 or 180 degrees to create the finished form (though apparently there are also 0-degree and 360-degree works) but the general rule is that the paper can be folded in half, and does not pop open when folded. The mysterious transformation from two to three dimensions is a delight. Mentally extrapolating a three-dimensional image from a flat surface that has been cut, or conversely, seeing a three-dimensional form and envisioning how it could be crafted from a flat surface, is an extraordinary work of imagination. These elaborately-designed works are truly “paper miracles” of first-rate craftsmanship, and I recommend that you experience this fascinating process yourself through the online workshop.
With the cooperation of the 16th International DOCOMOMO Conference, this exhibition presents architectural works that are positioned as part of the modern movement. With 80 pieces of origamic architecture, the timeline provides a valuable opportunity to get a bird's eye view of architecture from both Japan and around the world in the same time frame.
In Japan, it is not easy to garner public support for the conservation and restoration of modern architecture. There are many masterpieces that have been dismantled. It is my hope that the architectural heritage featured in this exhibition will provoke thinking about the historical background as well as the future of these works, and will be of interest not only to experts but to many people of all ages.
The venue includes a hands-on area where visitors can directly touch the artwork and learn about the creation process. I hope you will take this opportunity to try something new by thinking about modern architecture and by creating something of your own.
Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the people and organizations whose cooperation made this exhibition possible.