We've started a blog updated irregularly by the women's section staff at Isetan Mitsukoshi. It will be managed by a team. For this first installment, I (the woman) will chronicle my recent trip to London.
The purpose of this trip was to explore art. I stayed at a hotel near Kensington Gardens, west of Hyde Park in London, and on a drizzly morning, I took a stroll to the Serpentine Gallery. The Serpentine Gallery is a museum that hosts temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, located in the woods of Kensington Gardens. Apparently, it's a renovated and reused tea pavilion (a coffee shop and gazebo) built in 1934.
As I walked across the rain-soaked lawn, I came across a pavilion reminiscent of the Futuro modular building, designed in the 1960s. Apparently, every summer, the gallery sets up a pavilion as a cafe and rest area on land adjacent to the main building. A number of renowned architects have worked on the project in the past, including Zaha Hadid in the inaugural year, followed by Frank Owen Gehry and Rem Koolhaas, as well as Japanese architects such as Toyo Ito, SANAA, and Sou Fujimoto.
This year's project was selected by Smiljan Radic, a young Chilean architect who also exhibited at Maison Hermès Forum in Ginza. Built on the lawn is a huge oval building made of thin fiberglass. The donut-shaped interior is a cafe, furnished with tables and chairs designed by Alvar Aalto. I had a quick breakfast there while I was there.
By the time I finished eating, the light rain had stopped, and after basking in the sun on the stones, I headed to the gallery space. The current exhibition is "Marina Abramovic: 512 Hours." Some may be familiar with her, as she also participated in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. Since the 1970s, Marina Abramovic has been known primarily for her performance pieces, which utilize her own body.
At the gallery entrance, we were instructed to place our bags, cameras, cell phones (electronic devices), and watches in lockers. In other words, we left everything we had in our everyday lives in the lockers and were now being invited into an extraordinary world.
In the exhibition space, Abramovic herself personally handed us headphones, and we entered a soundless, silent world. This unique space, unlike anything I'd ever experienced, immersed us in a deep, meditative realm. There was also a space where we were allowed to move around blindfolded, experiencing a space lacking various elements. The feeling of "being" and "existing" with a stranger in this space of a "non-existent" world was a very strange experience.
This is art not to be viewed, but to be experienced. The exhibition is on view at the Serpentine Gallery in London until August 25th. Currently, the Isetan Shinjuku store is also running the "1st Art & Creation" project, which proposes "art styles" for 12 days from August 13th to 25th, excluding the store's closing date on the 19th. Come and experience the art for yourself.
[Event Information]
Marina Abramovic: 512 Hours
Venue: Serpentine Gallery
Address: Kensington Gardens London W2 3XA
Dates: July 11th to August 25th
Time: 10:00 to 18:00
Closed: Mondays
Free admission
