The Osaka Expo 70ʼ 50th Anniversary Exhibition, organized by Osaka Prefecture, has begun. It runs until February 24th at T-ART HALL in Tennoz, Tokyo.
The World Expo '70, Japan (Osaka Expo), celebrates its 50th anniversary this March. This exhibition, with the theme "Plaza of Humanity: Memories and Inheritance of Exchange," features original works by artists such as Taro Okamoto, as well as works by contemporary artists and creators influenced by the Osaka Expo. A preview was held on February 14th ahead of the opening.
The first exhibit you'll encounter upon entering T-ART HALL, the venue for the Expo, is the Osaka Expo Timeline, titled "From Osaka's Forests to the World's Forests." The exhibit features a spiral of photographs and footage, arranged like a picture scroll, depicting the Senri Hills, the site of the Expo, the opening ceremony, scenes during the Expo, the closing ceremony, and the current Expo Park. The iron pipes used in the exhibition space are recycled from those used at the original venue.
The next exhibit, "Osaka Expo and Art," features Taro Okamoto's work "Mask" and François Baschet's sound sculpture "Katsuhara Phone." The venue was filled with the music of "Hibiki no Aida," a piece performed by Shuta Hasunuma on the Katsuhara Phone.
Next door, the "EXPO '70 Pavilion Satellite" exhibited 5,000 items from the 190,000 documents stored by the Osaka Prefecture Japan World Exposition Commemorative Park Office, including minutes of meetings, research materials, model poster panels, and uniforms. As many of the documents cannot be seen, the exhibit also featured videos and talks by five Osaka creators. The museum also features rare materials such as architectural drawings for the arms of the Tower of the Sun.
The "Expo Commemoration Park FUTURE & PAST" exhibit features aerial photographs of the park from then and now, as well as Naohiro Ukawa's work "NO BREATH / EXPO 70 EDITION." At the back of the space, where a seamless audio recording of Taro Okamoto and Sakyo Komatsu talking about the Expo plays, visitors can enjoy a massage chair with synchronized massage balls and vibrations. By listening to contemporary music created specifically for the pavilion through headphones, visitors can experience the Expo with their entire body.
Works are also exhibited outdoors and in the T-PASSAGE. At Tennozu Ocean Square, visitors can walk through Nishino Tatzu's "Tunnel of the Everyday," a 15-meter-long work that alternates between three vehicles, including a car and a bus, and three rooms, including a living room and a bathroom, transforming everyday scenery into something completely different. In the T-PASSAGE, visitors can watch footage documenting the making of Hasunuma's "Hibiki no Ma," and the work's music is played over numerous speakers placed on Bond Street and the Boardwalk.
At the preview, Ukawa said, "I opened a Pandora's box of over 1,000 reel-to-reel tapes that had been stored for 50 years. I created a collage of the atmosphere and worldview of the time, and created a way to massage the body with the latest massage chairs and the sounds of the Expo." Nishino added, "I wanted to express the surprise of moving from the pavilion to the panel pavilion."
The World Expo '70, Japan (Osaka Expo), celebrates its 50th anniversary this March. This exhibition, with the theme "Plaza of Humanity: Memories and Inheritance of Exchange," features original works by artists such as Taro Okamoto, as well as works by contemporary artists and creators influenced by the Osaka Expo. A preview was held on February 14th ahead of the opening.
The first exhibit you'll encounter upon entering T-ART HALL, the venue for the Expo, is the Osaka Expo Timeline, titled "From Osaka's Forests to the World's Forests." The exhibit features a spiral of photographs and footage, arranged like a picture scroll, depicting the Senri Hills, the site of the Expo, the opening ceremony, scenes during the Expo, the closing ceremony, and the current Expo Park. The iron pipes used in the exhibition space are recycled from those used at the original venue.
The next exhibit, "Osaka Expo and Art," features Taro Okamoto's work "Mask" and François Baschet's sound sculpture "Katsuhara Phone." The venue was filled with the music of "Hibiki no Aida," a piece performed by Shuta Hasunuma on the Katsuhara Phone.
Next door, the "EXPO '70 Pavilion Satellite" exhibited 5,000 items from the 190,000 documents stored by the Osaka Prefecture Japan World Exposition Commemorative Park Office, including minutes of meetings, research materials, model poster panels, and uniforms. As many of the documents cannot be seen, the exhibit also featured videos and talks by five Osaka creators. The museum also features rare materials such as architectural drawings for the arms of the Tower of the Sun.
The "Expo Commemoration Park FUTURE & PAST" exhibit features aerial photographs of the park from then and now, as well as Naohiro Ukawa's work "NO BREATH / EXPO 70 EDITION." At the back of the space, where a seamless audio recording of Taro Okamoto and Sakyo Komatsu talking about the Expo plays, visitors can enjoy a massage chair with synchronized massage balls and vibrations. By listening to contemporary music created specifically for the pavilion through headphones, visitors can experience the Expo with their entire body.
Works are also exhibited outdoors and in the T-PASSAGE. At Tennozu Ocean Square, visitors can walk through Nishino Tatzu's "Tunnel of the Everyday," a 15-meter-long work that alternates between three vehicles, including a car and a bus, and three rooms, including a living room and a bathroom, transforming everyday scenery into something completely different. In the T-PASSAGE, visitors can watch footage documenting the making of Hasunuma's "Hibiki no Ma," and the work's music is played over numerous speakers placed on Bond Street and the Boardwalk.
At the preview, Ukawa said, "I opened a Pandora's box of over 1,000 reel-to-reel tapes that had been stored for 50 years. I created a collage of the atmosphere and worldview of the time, and created a way to massage the body with the latest massage chairs and the sounds of the Expo." Nishino added, "I wanted to express the surprise of moving from the pavilion to the panel pavilion."
