Momentarium : : by Markuz Wernli Saitô

IN_BETWEEN: 26 Visions rendered in 3D.

Realized within just 10 days, I invited 26 citizens to tell me about their personal visions for the vacant urban spaces that are everywhere in Kyoto. Consequently IN_BETWEEN transformed a remnant space into a temporary gallery and ordinary people into artists who kneaded unfulfilled desires into play dough sculptures.

IN_BETWEEN PROJECT ARCHIVE:
Empty Lots (pics)
26 Visions (in 3D)
Comments
Catalog

Introducing myself as a curator (with a “gallery” but nothing to show yet...) I approached people in cafés, book stores and the community house. After making sure they had at least ten minutes to spare, I showed them photos from vacant lots and asked them how they would use the space regardless of monetary or legal constraints. Consequently I asked my participants and ad-hoc artists to materialize their ideas with play dough. Here follow the results which were publicly displayed on March 22, 2009 at the IN_BETWEEN exhibit.

How Would You Utilize a Vacant Lot in Your Neighborhood?

26 citizens put their spontaneous ideas, dreams and desires into words and play dough sculptures. The conversations had a duration between 5 and 90 minutes depending on the ad-hoc artist's availability.

VISION 01: Dance with Agriculture in Vacant Space
CREATOR: Ojee
COMMENTS: Bodies and animals dance together (with hot spring)
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VISION 02: Untitled
CREATOR: Iori Takeda
COMMENTS: A-A-Aliens!!!
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VISION 03: Football Space
CREATOR: Yoshitaka Yokozawa
COMMENTS: In Europe kids are playing with balls in the park and in back alleys. In Japan there are signs "Don't enter the grass" or "Don't play because it is dangerous!". There are "Don't!" signs all over the place and kids have no place to play outside. It can't be helped that kids stay in the house and play video games...
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VISION 04: Vietnamese Coffee House
CREATOR: Kha Chau
COMMENTS: I have a dream to have my own Japanese restaurant in Kyoto, the old Japanese capitol.
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VISION 05: A cozy place invites friendly people
CREATOR: Satomi Tamiya
COMMENTS: It is very difficult to be just as i am. When I am truly myself other people can naturally gather around me. Then the only thing I need is comfortable chairs and tables.
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VISION 06: Full Recycling
CREATOR: Yonsupu Hara
COMMENTS: Lets effectively use our garbage and natural resources with:
1) Earth worm breeding
2) Vegie garden
3) Trout farming
4) Bullfrog farming
5) Plastic bags recycled into light oil
6) Methan gas station
7) Light oil station
8) Solar energy station on rooftop.
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VISION 07: Having Tea Without Rush
CREATOR: Noriko Kawasaki
COMMENTS: The garden over the rainbow.
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VISION 08: A Park for Kids
CREATOR: Tetsuji Takahata
COMMENTS: These days I rarely see kids playing in the park so that I create a park for them.
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VISION 09: Yoga Observatory
CREATOR: Iwasaki Yuko
COMMENTS: While watching the stars above me I make my yoga poses...
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VISION 10: Soccer Match
CREATOR: Chun Din Tam
COMMENTS: The Thai national team is playing against Vietnam.
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VISION 11: Book Hideout
CREATOR: Nathali Stumpf
COMMENTS: My escape, my own world and my own thoughts.
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VISION 12: Small House
CREATOR: Kei Takeuchi
COMMENTS: I like to have this kind of house with a big hot tub next to it that I can rent out.
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VISION 13: Entrance to the Forest
CREATOR: Eri Oomura
COMMENTS: It is wonderful where the space is fully overgrown (taken over) by plants. Like a forest.
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VISION 14: Lounge
CREATOR: Rin-san
COMMENTS: Romantic lounge offering an abundance of lychee (litchi) fruits.
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VISION 15: Slow Paced
CREATOR: Nolly (Noshiyori)
COMMENTS: A space where strangers can get and play together.
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VISION 16: Spend time together with flowers
CREATOR: Machiko
COMMENTS: The garden in where everybody is welcomed.
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VISION 17: Totoro and Flowers
CREATOR: Mie Matsuoka
COMMENTS: If there was a parasol it would be better. Playing with playdough brings me back to my childhood.
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VISION 18: Play and Sports Ground
CREATOR: Reiwtaku
COMMENTS: The soil is covered with grass, there are no stones and we are running.
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VISION 19: Shinto Park (with hens and vegetable garden)
CREATOR: Shinto
COMMENTS: Milk (1 liter) ¥200; Egg (1 piece) ¥50.
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VISION 20: Dinosaur Bath
CREATOR: Hinemosu Hirune
COMMENTS: I am the walking bath tub.
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VISION 21: Play Station
CREATOR: PeLe
COMMENTS: Some are enjoying a drink, some are watching a sports game. Of course we can play interactive video games at this open air video projection screen that fills the entire back wall.
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VISION 22: The Tree House of My Dreams
CREATOR: Canpi
COMMENTS: I build a hut on a humongous tree and I invite people and we spend a fun time together.
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VISION 23: Space Shuttle
CREATOR: Hori
COMMENTS: Open the house door and within two minutes we have launched in space!
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VISION 24: Japanese Lantern Party
CREATOR: Kaya
COMMENTS: We make lanterns and at night we light the candles in them and have fun.
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VISION 25: Shake Our Hands
CREATOR: Kosuke Tamaii
COMMENTS: Being this "in_between situation" it would be wonderful if this space could facilitate many encounters among strangers.
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VISION 26: Spoon & Fork
CREATOR: Mie Saito
COMMENTS: Wooden benches in the shape of an oversized spoon and fork invite people to sit down and share a picnic.
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CURATORS WITHOUT GALLERIES / CONSERVATEURS SANS GALLERIE (CSG) is an international art organization established in 2009 by curators and citizens in Japan. Today CSG provides unusual artistic ventures to people worldwide who are excluded from the art system and institutionalized culture. CSG realizes independent, aesthetic interventions that create surprising art experiences in the everyday context through subtle shifts within human presence and co-existence.

Credits: Project IN_BETWEEN was made possible with the indispensable support of Yuka Saito, Makiko Hori, Tagaki-san, Mie Matsuoka, Ichikawa-san (barber), Thiery Le Cam, Paul Blazek, Lehan W. Ramsay, and all project participants.

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Momentarium pays particular attention to what happens when our very presence becomes the catalyst for a “work of art” — situations which lead to an experience we can possibly integrate into our lives by fusing reality with carefully calculated artifice.