Special Exhibition “Analogy of Couture - Constructing Garment / Knitting Architecture”

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The JP Tower Museum INTERMEDIATHEQUE (IMT) will be holding a special exhibition “Analogy of Couture - Constructing Garment / Knitting Architecture”.
This exhibition is the world premiere of the collaborative project by Yasutoshi Ezumi, fashion designer, Kengo Kuma, architect, and the Intermediatheque.
Garments and architecture, although two different fields, are both creations that define the act of “wearing” in human activities. Garments envelop the body, while architecture envelops people’s activities. Both can be broadly categorized as “covering environments” surrounding human activities.
Since the modern era, the efficiency and division of labor in production processes through industrialization has led to the production, distribution, and consumption of homogenized, interchangeable commodities for both. As a result, physical sensation and diversity have been largely lost from the “covering environments” that surround humans. On the other hand, in recent years, people have come to place more value on experience and empathy than on product-centered consumption, and there is a movement to return to a sense of value that focuses on the appeal of the simple experience of living and wearing, in other words, physical sensation, in the “covering environments”. In midst of these social changes, isn’t it significant to review conventional design methods and reconstruct them anew? The complex design and production process, which has become a black box, should be made transparent and opened up through primitive methods such as knitting and constructing. As a byproduct of this transparency, we believe it will be possible to ensure sustainability through a cyclical process of production, distribution, consumption, disposal, and reuse.
Today’s issues surrounding the “covering environments” are common to all, and proposals are needed that transcend the boundaries of design. The ways of “Constructing Garment / Knitting Architecture” focus on the similar structural and organizational origins of garments and architecture, and attempt to present a new design method that organically integrates the increased freedom afforded by the development of production technology, the use of natural materials with consideration for environmental impact, and the reuse of recycled fibers and materials.

Key Information
Title: Intermediatheque Design Special Exhibition “Analogy of Couture - Constructing Garment / Knitting Architecture”
Dates: November 5, 2022 – April 2, 2023
Opening Hours: 11:00-18:00 (until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays) *Opening hours may change.
Closed: Mondays (or the following Tuesday if Monday is a National Holiday) and New-Year holidays. See our website.
Venue: Intermediatheque 2F [GREY CUBE]
Organizer: The University Museum, the University of Tokyo (UMUT)
Co-Organizers: Ri Design. Ltd | Kengo Kuma & Associates
Cooperation: STYLEM TAKISADA-OSAKA CO., LTD. | UNICO.Co., Ltd. | Moririn Co., Ltd | WORKSTUDIO Corporation | NANASAI Co., Ltd.
Address: KITTE 2-3F, 2-7-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
Admission: Free of charge
Access: JR lines and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi line Tokyo Station (Marunouchi South Exit). Nijubashimae Station (Exit 4) on the Chiyoda Line (about 2 minutes on foot).

Exhibition Page
http://www.intermediatheque.jp/en/schedule/view/id/IMT0256

Contact
+81-47-316-2772
From Japan: 050-5541-8600 (NTT Hello Dial Service)