The Royal Academy welcomes Momoyo Kaijima and Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, co-founders of Japanese architecture practice Atelier Bow-Wow, to discuss their celebrated work.
Please note, this event is taking place online via Zoom.
Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima – co-founders of renowned Japanese architecture studio Atelier Bow-Wow – will share their ideas on the architectural impact of the Tokyo Olympics and discuss their studio’s most recent projects and unique philosophy.
Combined with the impact of Covid-19, the 2021 Olympics have transformed the built environment of Tokyo. For Atelier Bow-Wow, the changes have prompted them to look to the outskirts of the city. Their focus has shifted to rural areas, and the challenges that come with revitalising them and connecting them with cities. Responding in part to the value shift that accompanied the pandemic, they are reconsidering the balance between city and countryside and the resulting dispersed urban landscape.
The Atelier Bow-Wow co-founders will speak for approximately 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with the audience.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Annual Architecture Lecture, we will also be producing an illustrated pamphlet featuring the transcript of Atelier Bow-Wow’s lecture that will be sent to ticket holders after the event.
Biography
Since founding the studio in 1992, Yoshiharu Tsukamoto and Momoyo Kaijima have been dedicated to the investigation of the material, social and economic conditions of architecture. Their instantly recognizable drawings continue to demonstrate great attention to detail, painstakingly linking both buildings and their inhabitants to their context.
From the anonymous grassroots architecture of their book Made in Tokyo, to the Swiss landscapes Momoyo Kaijima explores alongside students at the ETH in Zurich, their work amounts to an ethnography of architecture. Atelier Bow-Wow has a term for this, calling it ‘Behaviorology’ – where architecture, society and the environment can work together to bring meaningful change.
