[Exhibition Report] Tokyo Photographic Art Museum: "Toshio Iwai x Tokyo Photographic Art Museum: The 100-Story House of Light and Motion - Connecting 19th-Century Optical Devices and Media Art"

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Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (hereinafter referred to as TOP) is currently hosting "Toshio Iwai x Tokyo Photographic Art Museum: The 100-Story House of Light and Motion - Connecting 19th-Century Optical Devices and Media Art." I visited the exhibition and here are my thoughts.

To start with the conclusion, this exhibition stands apart from typical photography exhibitions; it was an exhibition that children can enjoy using their hands and eyes (and adults too, of course!). This is because famous picture book author Toshio Iwai collaborated on it, and there are many interactive works that you can touch. Since the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is not a familiar place for children, I would be grateful if they could hold such initiatives regularly.

▶︎ "The 100-Story House of Light and Motion - Connecting 19th-Century Optical Devices and Media Art" Impressions

The beginning of "photography" (1826) is said to be the invention of the camera obscura by the Niépce brothers in France. TOP houses not only photographic works but also many devices from before the camera was invented.

▼ An exhibition introducing the "peeping" devices housed at TOP

In the first half of this exhibition, the mechanisms by which still images move are introduced along with interactive devices, and in the second half, works using analog and digital media by Toshio Iwai (hereinafter referred to as Toshio Iwai) are exhibited.

Because famous picture book author Toshio Iwai is collaborating, there were many parents with children, which is rare for TOP (I regretted not bringing my child😨).

At the front of the entrance, there was a work with the motif of "The 100-Story House" from the exhibition title. However, I didn't know Toshio Iwai, so I passed it by😅. By the way, my child knows "The 100-Story House" well and was very interested in the pamphlet I brought home (they seem to read the picture book at nursery school).

This exhibition was a groundbreaking and rare composition for TOP because 1) there are many interactive exhibits, 2) there were many fun works like contemporary art. I feel that in recent years, TOP has been trying to explore themes like "What is the history of photography anyway? What kind of structure does it have?" from various angles through trial and error.

Indeed, as the basic character of the photography museum states: "To popularize photographic art and culture, people can easily appreciate and learn about excellent photographic works," and "We will learn about the history of the development of video media and explore the possibilities of diverse expressions," I thought this was a necessary exhibition as a "photography museum".

It is not just about looking at "photographs" and saying "hmm, I see..." while appreciating them, but also gaining inspiration and new ideas from things that include the "concept of photography" itself, which I think is a unique strength of TOP.

✔️First Half

In the first half, we will unravel the history of particularly important discoveries, optical devices, and more, focusing on items from the TOP collection.

There are many interactive devices here! My child says, "I won't go to a museum unless there's something I can touch!" so I'm sure children will be thrilled with this exhibition. It's fun, like a science experiment.

Businessman Leland Stanford (1824-1893) made a bet with a friend: "When a horse runs, is there a moment when all four legs are off the ground?" To prove it, photographer Eadweard Muybridgerefined photographic technology and succeeded in capturing that very moment.

It is said that being able to analyze instantaneous movement through these photographs had a major impact on science, art, and more.

✔️Second Half

Born in 1962 (the year Astro Boy began broadcasting), Toshio Iwaibecame obsessed with anime and special effects programs from a young age, and grew up enjoying flipbooks and electronics projects. In junior high, he aspired to be a manga artist or animator, and in high school, he had an awakening to art. He enrolled in the University of Tsukuba, School of Art and Design, where he reportedly pioneered his own path in media art.

In the second half, almost all the works utilize optical illusions, so I cannot convey the quality of this exhibition through images... (bitter laugh). Please, visit the venue and enjoy it using your eyes and hands 😀

▶︎Summary

Did I convey how interesting it was? It was an exhibition that broke through the mold of a "photo exhibition," leveraging the strengths of the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, and was an exhibition that could be enjoyed using both eyes and hands to satisfy intellectual curiosity. If you have children, I highly recommend visiting together! It's been a while since I've had an exhibition that was so difficult to capture the appeal of in a record... (bitter laugh.

▼TOP exhibition viewed on the same day