Program
Film Screening: Nakagin Capsule Tower: Japanese Metabolist Landmark on the Edge of Destruction
Completed in 1972 by Kisho Kurokawa, the Nakagin Capsule Tower is a rare, longstanding example of Metabolist architecture. This documentary directed by Rima Yamazaki examines the meaning of Metabolism and Kurokawa's meticulous methods within the movement.
Known as the first Japanese architectural movement, Metabolism manifested in 1960 through critic Noboru Kawazoe and five architects, Kurokawa being the youngest among them. Together they envisioned a new direction for the future of Japanese architecture and urbanism, designing plans with large, flexible and expandable structures, the style of which is beautifully demonstrated by the Nakagin Capsule Tower. This portrait, filmed in 2010, gathers context surrounding the tower from its residents as well as Kurokawa's colleagues, friends and family as they debate the current issues with the structure and argue the merits of both preservation and demolition.
A Q&A with architect and author Naomi Pollock, architectural and design historian John Zukowsky and photographer Noritaka Minami will follow the screening.
This event is related to the exhibition 1972/Accumulations by photographer Noritaka Minami on display at the MAS Context Reading Room between September 22 and December 8, 2022.
AIA/CES Credits: 1.5