Sukima

In 2001, the ‘Command N’ gallery in Tokyo, Japan opened the Sukima (‘sukima’ means ‘gap’ in Japanese) competition project for submissions of theoretical architectures that would fit in the spaces between existing buildings in the city.

Many of the strategies used by architects in Tokyo, to defy earthquake damage, result in a majority of buildings being fabricated as autonomous structures - producing thousands of small gaps or sukima in the city. These spaces separate the concrete skins of the urban fold, providing cracks in which to question the technologies and social engineering of architecture and urban planning.

KIT travels to Tokyo to photograph, research and work in the Akihabara district for the project. Every day for two weeks, walking tours are undertaken and documentation of the area is made in photographic, sonic and written form. The gaps between buildings are found to be very small and as a result, inflatable architectures are chosen as the design format for the context. Since the Akihabara district is one dedicated to electronics and computer gaming stores, landscapes from computer games are to be printed on the inflatable structures, reflecting the projected identity of the area. The most popular videogame played in Akihabara at this time is called ‘Tekken’ so landscapes from this game are the ones utilized.

KIT members are invited to present a lecture at ‘Command N’ whilst working on Sukima and a presentations of the selected projects are given at ‘The Artlink Festival’ in October 2001.