The second day of our architectural adventures! Today we had two other museums in store for us—the Museum of Contemporary Art and The Sumida Hokusai Museum.
On our way to The Museum of Contemporary Art, we detoured to Kiba Park. There we grabbed a snack as we appreciated how the park is utilized by the locals. There were children playing around the trees, adults toasting each other with their plastic disposable cups filled with bubbly drinks, dogs and their owners chasing around at designated areas, while the smell of burnt charcoal flows in the air as the grill is prepared for some early brunch barbeque.
Upon arrival at the Museum of Contemporary Art, we went up to the current on-going exhibition, which personally was a tad too depressing for my liking. Nonetheless, it was one of the few that actually stirred my emotions and had me really truly immersed in it. Leaving the museum, the weather wasn’t much help in uplifting the mood as it was a gloomy day in Tokyo with rain for the first half of the day.
The architecture, however, has a big contrast with what is being exhibited in the museum - traditional Japanese art. Kazuyo SEIJIMA designs the Museum, she holds the record of winning awards from prestigious institutions such as the Architectural Institute o
f Japan (AIJ), the International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale and the Pritzker Prize - the Oscar of Architecture.
The architecture stands in contrast not only with the exhibit but also with its surrounding context. Located in the neighbourhood, the museum looks strikingly different from its surroundings. The enclosed facade is to protect the precious exhibits while the slits are to encourage exploration and double as the penetration of space. The building has no specific front, left or right elevation as it is the intention to allow visitors to come from all directions.
Our last stop of the day was Tokyo Tower - the coloured version of Eiffel? As we approached Tokyo Tower, we noticed the streescape has changed, wider roads, more cars but the walkability has not changed, it felt more like the Bangsar of Tokyo, suggesting a more up market community. While we were at Tokyo Tower, I got into the debate with my coursemate on the colour of Tokyo Tower.
is Tokyo Tower
Red & White
Orange & White
I saw it as red and white, he saw it as orange and white, well at least we agreed on the white? With the help of our trusty friend - Mr Google, it was in fact… orange. International Orange to be exact, a coloured specified by the aviation law for buildings or structures over a certain height.
コメント