#8 May 25, 2018

To my pleasant surprise, the exhibition at Tokyo Station Gallery was widely discussed, resulting in a record-breaking 61,997 visitors since the gallery’s renewal opening with a Chagall exhibition. I realized the strength of messages from “the real things.”

I was particularly flattered by a review written by Professor Hiroshi Hara for Shinkenchiku’s April issue. Professor Hara was my teacher in university and I know that he does not always praise his students, but he commented that my essay “Return to Materials” as well as the tree diagram representing KKAA’s whole creative process would leave a mark in the history of aesthetics. I felt as though my work until now was well rewarded.

In the review Professor Hara also touched upon a trip to the Sahara Desert in West Africa, during which he and his six students, myself included, surveyed various villages and settlements in the region. He speculated that I have carried on this survey and it results in architectural form, and I am certain he is correct. I now understand why I’m so drawn to travelling.