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For the exhibition “Enduring Aspirations: Architecture Exhibition 2024,” which reflects on the 36-year history of the Kumamoto Artpolis initiative, I directed and produced a series of interview films with four leading architects.
The interviewees were Riken Yamamoto, Terunobu Fujimori, Kazuko Akamatsu, and Kumiko Inui—figures who represent different generations of Japanese architecture. Each spoke about their thoughts during the time of the project, the social significance of Artpolis, and their perspectives on the future of public architecture.
The interviewer was Michiko Tanaka, an actress and model who has also passed the first-class architect examination. Drawing from both her architectural expertise and her sensibility as a performer, she engaged the architects in conversations that revealed a rich intersection of words and expressions.
The films were composed to balance documentation with sensitivity, aiming to make visible the spirit of “aspiration” that allows the vision of Artpolis to be carried forward from past to future.
Participants
Interviewees
- Riken Yamamoto — Prefectural Housing Yatsukubo Daiichi Complex
- Terunobu Fujimori — Kumamoto Prefectural Agricultural College Dormitory
- Kazuko Akamatsu — Uto Municipal Uto Elementary School
- Kumiko Inui — “Everyone’s House” in Hitoyoshi City
Interviewer
- Michiko Tanaka (Model / Actress)
Credits
Film Production: Qe to Hare Inc.
Director: Eikoh Tanaka
Camera / Editing: Kaoru Yamane
English Translation Support: Joyce Lam