Preparing for the release of 'Custom-Made Museum Tours'! Trial Experience Report ① Kotomi Takagi

'I'm interested in art, but museums feel intimidating and hard to visit.'
'I tried going to an exhibition, but I didn't really understand it even after reading the explanations.'
My freelance and writer friends shared these honest thoughts with me.

I am a freelance writer specializing in art, and I also work in the back office for theater festivals.

In order to continue my writing career for a long time, I wanted to 'further polish my writing skills,' so I have been participating in and learning from multiple communities since 2024.

Recently, my interactions with peers have increased, and I've had many opportunities to introduce myself.

During those times, when I mentioned, 'I write articles specializing in art,''I'm interested in art, but it's hard to get close to it...'many people told me that.

I studied art from junior high school through university, and after graduation, I worked in jobs supporting the art scene, immersing myself in the world of art.

However, at some point,I began to feel uncomfortable being confined to the art world.

Art is a specialized field, and there are times when it is discussed using difficult language, but I felt,'Wouldn't more people be interested if we used slightly softer language?'I questioned.

However, I didn't have the chance to hear what kind of image people around me had of art, and I couldn't find a way to convey it in a fun way.

At that time, it was very happy and grateful to be able to hear the honest feelings of my friends through our interactions.

'What kind of support can I provide to those who want to go to a museum but find it difficult to take the first step?'
'Instead of studying it professionally, can't I deliver art according to their interests?'
I started thinking like this.

And, with advice from people-connectorO-Two (Yuko Tomita)and many others, I was able to gradually shape the content!

That content is,'Custom-Made Museum Tours,' where we visit a museum together, slowly appreciate the exhibition, and deepen your own sensibilities.

We will pick out exhibitions that match your interests and what you want to know, and tour the museum.

Before the official release, I wanted to provide an opportunity to experience the program, so Iconducted a trial 'Custom-Made Museum Tour'.
In this article, I will deliver that report.

This time, painter and illustratorKotomi Takagiparticipated!

Kotomi wrote about what she felt when she went to the exhibition on her note, so please read it 🎨🔽

From here on, I will introduce the trial version of the 'Custom-Made Museum Tour' with photos.

• What kind of experience can you have when touring together?

• What can you learn through dialogue?

I will report while covering these points, so I would be happy if you could watch it as if you were touring the exhibition together!

Report on the trial version of 'Custom-Made Museum Tour'

The place I visited with Kotomi wasThe National Art Center, Tokyoin Roppongi.
It was designed by the late Kisho Kurokawa (1934–2007), one of Japan's leading architects, and opened in 2007.
It is a unique museum with a wavy exterior and an open space with an atrium.

The exhibition being explained is “Living Modernity: Housing Experiments 1920s-1970s.” This exhibition introduces experimental attempts in housing that began in the 20th century, focusing on 14 residences designed by architects active around the world.

This time, the three points Kotomi-san was interested in were as follows.

• I want to experience architecture as a hint for my illustrations

• I want to try drawing people and buildings, and people spending time inside buildings

• I want to know the background of how the architecture was created and the thoughts of the architects

To meet her wishes, I devised a way to provide explanations that make it easy to imagine 'how would I feel if I lived in this building?'.

Since the exhibition focuses on models and photographs, I felt there were parts that would be difficult to imagine just by looking at the works.

So, we decided to step inside a model first!

The first place we headed was the display that reproduces the unfinished “Row House” project by Mies van der Rohe at full scale.

It is a large-scale 16.4m square model that could only be realized at The National Art Center, Tokyo, which boasts one of the largest exhibition spaces in Japan.

Furniture designed by Mies van der Rohe is also placed there, and some of it can actually be sat on.

I sat on a chair with Kotomi-san and spent some time in this space.

After that, we moved to the main venue and viewed the exhibition centered on the 14 residences.

“When I saw the small model, I could imagine, ‘It would feel like this if I went inside,’” Kotomi-san shared this happy impression with me!
(From Kotomi-san’s note)

As we walked around sharing our impressions, it became clear that Kotomi-san was interested in the construction methods and materials used in the houses.

For example, when I explained that several types of bricks were used in Alvar Aalto’s “Muuratsalo Experimental House” (1954, photo above), she said with sparkling eyes, “I really admire brick houses!”

As we talked further, she told me about the episode of how she designed her own home with great care.

It was a moment where we both realized that Kotomi-san was viewing the works from the 'perspective of building a house.'

While delving into her own interests, Kotomi-san sketched ideas for illustrations as soon as they came to mind.

She mentioned that she was “more inspired by the furniture than the buildings,” and even posted rough sketches of the illustrations she wants to draw on note.

We spent lunch and tea time together, discussing our impressions of the museum tour and ideas for her creative work.

And,hoping that what we saw at the exhibition would lead to creative ideas, I also introduced some picture books featuring architecture.

She enjoyed various forms of expression, such as works depicting people's lives from a bird's-eye view of the city and works that trace the history of a single house.

Through the “Bespoke Museum Tour,” Kotomi-san realized that she is “drawn to Nordic-style furniture and miscellaneous goods,” and it seems she has found a new goal:“I want to see lots of Nordic-style illustrations and furniture!”.

I am very happy that we were able to fulfill her wish to “experience architecture as a hint for creative work.”

In this “Bespoke Museum Tour,” we deepened our thinking by focusing on the background and materials of the architecture, in line with the goal of“gaining hints for illustrations.”

Moving forward, I will be thinking about programs not only for those in creative professions but also for those who simply want to enjoy it casually.

I will continue to introduce the trial experiences on note, so I hope you look forward to them!

*The “Bespoke Museum Tour” is conducted in small groups while taking care not to disturb other visitors.