Art in the Garden
Tsunagu: Connecting to theArchitecture of Kengo Kuma

Winter 2016

Tsunagu: Connecting to the Architectureof Kengo Kuma

C ON N EC T W I T H K E NG O K U M A

The work of Kengo Kuma builds on many spatial traditions in Japanesearchitecture—most of the projects directly emerge from a very
Japanese practice of space, if renewed and reinterpreted. The link
is unmistakable. While the content of this exhibition is intended toexplain Kuma’s architecture by way of the Portland Japanese Garden’s
Cultural Crossing project, the design of the exhibition itself is a chancefor you to directly experience modern Japanese space, in the spiritof Kengo Kuma and Associates. As you walk through, be drawn into
Kuma’s ideas and be connected to past, present, and future. Spendtime, slow down, find your own meanings in the design—connect withKengo Kuma.

2A RT IN THE GA RDEN

入り方H A I R I - K ATA
T H E WAY T O E N T E R :I N DI R EC T PAT H , D E L AY

Entry into buildings, particularly
into Japanese homes, is neverdirect. Entrance is a matter ofheightened awareness of one’s
movement from one place to thenext. In the case of the Tsunagu
exhibition, the path involves a few
turns, with a changing view eachtime. Part of the joy is in discovery.
Here, we have placed a bundleof Port Orford cedar as a bench
for waiting, reminiscent of themachiai in a Japanese tea garden.
This pause gives psychologicaldistance, helping to highlight thegallery not as a small space, but asa microcosm of possibilities.

空間の分け方K U U K A N NO WA K E - K ATA
T H E WAY T O D E F I N ES PAC E : I N D ET E R M I NAT E
BOU N DA R I E S

Most are familiar with Japanesesliding paper doors and various
bamboo screens. The important
aspect here is not simply lightness
in material, but also the vaguenessby which these elements define
space. These are not fixed, andhave the ability to let space flow
through or to block it entirely.
Even still, light can pass through,and thus a “limit” is never solid.
With the Tsunagu exhibition,areas are suggested by the useof sudare bamboo screens, hungfrom the rafters of the space. Theheight of these drapes depends
on what takes place beneath,and is lowered or raised in orderto define entry. The sudare is asingle element that covers manyzones, and connects and divides
at the same time.

材料の使い方Z A I RYO U NO T S U K A I - K ATA
T H E WAY TO US E M AT E R I A L S :PA RT I C L E S , S M A LL E R P I EC E SThis aspect is not necessarily
Japanese in and of itself, but thisemphasis is a core notion of theway in which Kuma addresses
material: that is, for materials tobe made smaller, an act he calls“particlization.” On an emotional
level, this avoids heaviness or
oppressiveness of a given material
by minimizing dimensions. Thereis a practical aspect to this as
well: smaller pieces allow anyone
to construct architecture, andthis speaks directly to Kuma’s
hope for democratic design—
if it can be lifted, then anyone
can make something. For theTsunagu exhibition, all elements
are installed by hand, from thescreens, to the tatami platform,and even the Baker Blue granitestone. After the exhibition, all ofthese materials will be reused—
including the Port Orford cedar,the granite, the tea platform, theTyvek washi—as materials forthe actual buildings within thePortland Japanese Garden’s new
Cultural Crossing.

WINTER 2016

3S P ON S OR E D BY :CFA/PDX; RACC/Work for Art; Hacker; Hoffman Construction Company;
Walker/Macy; Stephen and Melissa Babson/PICA

Diane Durston
Curator of Culture, Art, and Education
ddurston@japanesegarden.org“Tsunagu” – to connect; tobridge; to bring together

All event photos by Jonathan Ley

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