BUNNY SMASH design to touch the world


Exihibition Outline

As society has become increasingly complex since entering the 21st century, design has also been undergoing dramatic changes. Today, the sort of design that is taking on increasing importance is one that has the capacity to change people's perception of society, as opposed to one that contributes to the constant stream of consumer products pursuing "newness." This exhibition focuses on practices in design by a total of twenty one designers, artists and architects, both domestic and foreign, who address various elements and phenomena pertaining to today's highly advanced information society in the form of tangible design. Crossing over genres, their practices interpret the present landscape of the world we live in through unique measures. At times, through unexpected ideas, they give us the opportunity to see and feel the world in ways which we would not otherwise. By providing a comprehensive physical experience, as opposed to one that depends solely on the sense of vision, the exhibition aims to question anew existing bodies of knowledge and the ways in which information is disseminated in society, while also providing an entry point for viewers to think about ways in which they can engage with the world as active participants.

An analogy can be drawn between the eye-opening experience of seeing the world differently and Alice stepping into a parallel universe while chasing the White Rabbit in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The White Rabbit encourages us to delve into the new realm of Wonderland; he is the symbolic figure who "smashes up" logical perspectives and conventions. The exhibition title "BUNNY SMASH" connotes this sort of invitation to the world through a different gateway.

Artists: *in alphabetical order

Burak Arikan
Atelier Bow-Wow + Tokyo Tech + Tsukuba University
Bureau d'études
CAMP
Revital Cohen & Tuur Van Balen
Leandro Erlich
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg & Sascha Pohflepp
Hiroshi Ishii + Tangible Media Group/ MIT Media Lab
Tsunehisa Kimura
Michael Lee
Mikael Metthey
OMA*AMO
Rhizomatiks (Daito Manabe and others)
Fernando Sánchez Castillo
Sputniko!
Shinichi Takemura
Sissel Tolaas
Yosuke Ushigome
Marnie Weber
Judi Werthein
Richard Wilson


Exhibition Information

Title: Tokyo Art Meeting Ⅳ
BUNNY SMASH design to touch the world
Period: October 3, 2013 (Thu) - January 19, 2014 (Sun)
Closed on: Mondays (except for October 14, November 4, December 23, January13), October 15, November 5, December 24, December 28 - January 1, January 14.
Opening Hours: 10:00-18:00 (tickets available until 17:30)
Organized by: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo Culture Creation Project Office (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
The Sankei Shimbun
Tokyo University of the Arts
Supported by: Bloomberg L.P.
In cooperation with French Embassy, Institut français du Japon
British Council
Fundación Proa
National Arts Council, Singapore
NEC Display Solutions, Ltd.
Asian Cultural Council
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.
Admission: Adult: ¥1,100 (¥880)
University & College Student, Over 65yrs old: ¥800 (¥680)
High School & Junior High School Student: ¥600(¥480) /
Free for Elementary School & Under
*( ) Price for a group, over 20 people
*Free entry to MOT Collection for ticket holders
Exhibition catalogue: "BUNNY SMASH design to touch the world"
Scheduled to be published on October 20, 2013
Texts by: Hiroshi Kashiwagi, Taku Satoh, Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby, Akira Mizuta Lippit,
Yuko Hasegawa
Publisher: Film Art Inc. ISBN: 978-4-8459-1317-6 http://filmart.co.jp/
Curator: Yuko Hasegawa (Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo Chief Curator)
Co-curator: Hiroshi Kashiwagi
Design direction/Advisor: Taku Satoh
Advisor: Hiroshi Ishii

Related Events

Artists' Talk :

October 5, 2013 (Sat) 15:00 - 17:30
Participating artists (To be confirmed): Burak Arikan, Aterlier Bow-wow, Daito Manabe, Sputniko!,
Shinichi Takemura, Sissel Tolaas, Judi Werthein
"BUNNY SMASH" exhibition gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Exhibition ticket required/ English-Japanese translation available

Dialogue: Hiroshi Ishii and Toshinao Sasaki :
November 3, 2013(Sun) 15:00-17:00
Auditorium (B2F), Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Admission free/in Japanese only

Demonstration and lecture on "Tangible Earth" by Shinichi Takemura :
November 16, 2013 (Sat) & December 21, 2013 (Sat) 13:00-14:00
"BUNNY SMASH" exhibition gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Exhibition ticket required/ In Japanese only

Forum: "Ways to Touch the World - Potential of Art and Design" (Tentative title) :
December 7, 2013 (Sat) 15:00 -17:00
Speakers: Taku Satoh, Hiroshi Kashiwagi, Kenichiro Mogi, Yuko Hasegawa
Auditorium (B2F), Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Admission free / In Japanese only

Concurrent events at Tokyo University of the Arts


Exhibition: "SENSE of Wonder-exploring the other side of familiar materials" :
December 6, 2013 (Fri) - December 18, 2013 (Wed) 10:00-17:00 (Open daily)
Exhibiting artists: Faculties and students of Tokyo University of the Arts
Chinretsukan Gallery, the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts
Admission free

Lecture: "The Aesthetics of Unreality: Design, Fiction and Social Dreaming" :
October 10, 2013 (Thu) 18:00-20:00
Speaker: Prof. Anthony Dunne (Head of the Design Interactions, Royal College of Art, UK) In English (English-Japanese translation available)
Lecture room 1, Center Bldg., Tokyo University of the Arts/ Admission free
  • Revital Cohen & Tuur Van Balen, Life Support, 2008

  • Mikael Metthey, Pox Teddy, 2007

  • Leandro Erlich, Lost Garden, 2009 Installation view at Galería Nogueras-Blanchard Courtesy: Galería Nogueras-Blanchard, Madrid

  • Sputniko!, The Moon Walk Machine‐Selena's Step, 2013 Photo: Rieko Igarashi

  • Marnie Weber, Log Lady & Dirty Bunny, 2009 Courtesy: artist and Simon Lee Gallery, London/Hong Kong

  • Burak Arikan, Monovacation, 2013

  • Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg & Sascha Pohflepp, Growth Assembly, 2009

Concurrent Exhibition

See Exhibitions

Past Exhibitions