From October 12 to 14, our lab visited Kagawa for field study and a trip, and we also attended the Setouchi Triennale.
In mid-October, members of our laboratory visited Takamatsu City and several islands in the Seto Inland Sea for a three-day field study and excursion. Planning began during the summer, led by first-year master’s students and supported by faculty and lab members. By experiencing the intersection of nature, art, and public space firsthand, we aimed to deepen our understanding of regional culture and place-making practices in contemporary Japan.
The Seto Inland Sea was once land during the last glacial period, later transforming into today’s dramatic archipelagic landscape as sea levels rose. Islands such as Shodoshima and Teshima now support a unique system of inter-island art exhibitions, community engagement, and cultural revitalization. Our visit coincided with the autumn season of the Setouchi Triennale, held once every three years. We connected architectural sites, landscape works, and art installations into a single on-site learning route—observing how nature intervenes in space, how art responds to environment, and how communities participate in cultural production.
Teshima: Listening to Nature Through Architecture and Art
The Teshima Art Museum was a central highlight of our visit. Designed by Ryue Nishizawa, the white shell-like structure sits on a gentle slope facing the sea. Inside, there are no exhibits other than natural light, wind, and delicate droplets forming on the floor. Visitors remove their shoes and move quietly, experiencing shifting light and slowly gathering water as time passes. Two round openings frame the sea and the forest, while the subtly sloped hydrophobic floor lets droplets converge and disperse in rhythms shaped by weather and wind. The space embodies a refined minimalism that amplifies perception—an experience where nature becomes the artwork itself.
We then visited in central Teshima. A simple steel frame supports a large roof over a sloped gravel ground, with wooden platforms scattered at different heights beneath gentle shafts of sunlight. Using familiar materials at an appropriate scale and orientation, the space creates a relaxed and open atmosphere where people can sit, lie down, eat, and rest freely. Discussions focused on how low-cost, low-precision construction can effectively generate intimate and community-friendly public spaces, and how “loose structure + free posture” contributes to spatial comfort.
Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum: Order Within Abstraction
Back in Takamatsu, we visited the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum. Photography is prohibited, but the experience left a deep impression. Noguchi juxtaposes rough stone surfaces with precise cuts, using geometry and emptiness to evoke the spirit of nature. Across the garden and sculpted terrain, abstract references to waves, stones, mountains, and wind appear in form and texture. His wave-like lines reoccur in pathways and stone compositions. During the visit, we discussed themes such as abstracting nature, expressing genius loci, and narrating culture through materials.
Several spontaneous moments also stood out: reflections near Takamatsu Port that blurred sky and water into a single line; playful stone-balancing attempts along the shore; a MUJI vending machine on Teshima that sparked debate about whether it was part of the art festival; and a group photo captured through the reflective glass outside the art museum. These encounters reminded us that spatial experience emerges not only from design, but also from use, interaction, and discovery.
Reflections
Through three days of walking, observing, and discussing, we found ourselves returning to several questions at the intersection of nature, culture, and built form:
- How can nature act as a primary protagonist rather than a background?
- How can art and public space together construct collective memory?
- How do simple, humble means generate enduring and comfortable places?
More than a sightseeing trip, this was a study in presence—an immersion in environments that sharpened our awareness of spatial quality, material expression, and the subtle dialogues between landscape, architecture, art, and community.
We return with inspiration, questions, and a keener sensitivity to place.