Laboratory for Living

Laboratory for Living is a small-scale model inspired by architect Kisho Kurokawa’s 1972 Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo, Japan. This tower is a rare example of a completed structure from the Metabolist Movement, which aspired to create an architecture that was changeable and flexible in the face of a rapidly changing society.  Architect Kiyonori Kikutake described how the movement differed from traditional architecture stating

Unlike the architecture of the past, contemporary architecture must be changeable, moveable and capable of meeting the changing requirements of the contemporary age. In order to reflect dynamic reality, what is needed is not a fixed, static function, but rather one which is capable of undergoing metabolic changes.

The Capsule Tower was designed as a series of separate compartments attached to a central core.  The single room compartments were prefabricated to include all the necessities of life such as a stove, bed and TV.  The arrangement of the compartments was flexible so they could be added, taken away or reconfigured to meet changing needs.  The moulded white capsules have a futuristic appearance, which contrasts with the current condition of the building.  Since its construction the building has not been altered nor well maintained. There is water and mildew damage and the concrete is beginning to crumble.  The status of the building is uncertain.

The Living Laboratory is sculpted from the soft, organic material of dough. The dough creates an indeterminate visual effect, where the social imaginary presented in the tower slowly changes as mould envelops the structure.  Carefully positioned miniature plastic figures give the sense of a dramatic narrative unfolding as the Tower transforms and decays.  Over time, the mould overtakes the carefully constructed habitat of the model.  The metaphor of metabolism becomes a force in this model.