ARCHIGRAM -- Experimental Architecture 1961-1974 (English) / Contemporary Art Center, ATM

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ARCHIGRAM -- Experimental Architecture 1961-1974
Jan. 22 (Sat) to Mar. 27 (Sun), 2005

Archigram is the name of a group of experimental British architects active from the 1960s to the early 1970s, and is also the title of a magazine that they published.

Peter Cook (b. 1936) and the five other architects who were the members of Archigram operated freely between the fields of poetry, architecture, and design, among others, creating their expressions of pop graphics and collages making reference to images from the period's advertisements and science-fiction comics.

Their "Walking City" portrayed a giant city with insect-like legs that would move to wherever its residents wished. Also, their "Plug-in City" represented a city assembled from detachable spatial units intended for a variety of uses, such as condominiums, offices and stores. Their fanciful ideas never left the pages of Archigram, remaining in their experimental form, without ever once having actually been built.

Nonetheless, their avant-garde approach, full of humor, not only had an effect on other architects, such as Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid, but also influenced such designers as Paul Smith. Having won the most prestigious award in the world of architecture, the Gold Medal from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in 2002, the reputation of Archigram is now undergoing a reevaluation, with their foresightedness garnering new attention.

The retrospective exhibition, "ARCHIGRAM -- experimental architecture 1961-1974," made its debut in 1994 at the Kunsthalle in Vienna, and having moved next to the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Design Museum in London, it has finally made its way to Japan after 11 years of traveling through Europe, North America and Asia.

The 300 drawings, collages, and models shown this time - the displays designed by the group's members themselves - will represent the first comprehensive exhibition of Archigram in Japan, and recreates the vivid atmosphere of their period. The only place at which Archigram's exhibition will be held in Japan is Art Tower Mito.


"Plug-in City" 1964 Peter Cook, Archigram Images: Archigram Archives	"Walking City in New York" 1964 Ron Herron, Archigram Images: Archigram Archives	"Electronic Tomato" 1969 Warren Chalk, David Greene, Archigram Images: Archigram Archives

Cover "Archigram #4" 1964
Images: Archigram Archives

Exhibition Details
Name: "ARCHIGRAM -- experimental architecture 1961-1974"
Dates: Jan. 22 (Sat) to Mar. 27 (Sun), 2005 Venue: Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (last admission at 5:30 p.m.)
Closed: Mondays (except for Jan. 10), and during the year-end holiday period (Dec. 29 to Jan. 3).
Entrance fees: ¥800 (General), ¥600 (advance-purchase tickets, groups of 20 or more)
Free admission: Junior high school students and younger, senior citizens aged 65 or older, and disabled persons with proper certification
Yearly pass: ¥2,500 (Adult Pass for people 20 years and older), ¥1,000 (H.T.P.)
Purchase locations: ATM Ticket Counter
Organizer: Mito Arts Foundation
Grant from: Pola Art Foundation, The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foudation, The British Council
Sponsor: Asahi Breweries Ltd.,
Cooperation: Paul Smith Ltd., UPLINK CO., Océ Japan, SOUM Corporation
Planning: Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito
Curator: Dennis Crompton (Archigram Archives)
Planning Coordinator: Mizuki Takahashi (assistant curator, Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito)

Profile of Archigram
Group of architects whose activities revolved around the publication of the magazine, "Archigram," in London from 1961 to 1970.
In 1961, Peter Cook, David Greene, and Michael Webb published the one-page debut issue of "Archigram" (short for "architectural telegram"). The following year, they were joined by Warren Chalk, Dennis Crompton and Ron Herron, and published the second issue.

Borrowing from sci-fi comics and advertising images, "Archigram" attempted to propose new modes of cities and architecture within the consumer society, and continued to be published until its 9th issue in 1970. After the group's office shut its doors in 1975, the members went their separate ways, with some continuing as architects and others working as researchers at universities or research institutions. In their new positions, they served as mentors for such architects as Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid.

In 2002, the group was awarded the Gold Medal by RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Members' Profiles

Ron Herron (1930-94)
Born in London, Herron studied architecture at the Brixton School of Building and Regent Street Polytechnic. Besides teaching at the AA (Architectural Association School of Architecture) between 1965 and 1993, he set up the architectural firm, Herron Associates, with his sons Andrew and Simon in 1981. Herron passed away in 1994.

David Greene (b. 1937)
Born in Nottingham, Greene majored in architecture. Currently, he serves as professor at Westminster University. Under the pen name "Casa Verde," he is busy writing and carrying out theoretical projects.

Dennis Crompton (b. 1935)
Born in Blackpool, Crompton studied architecture at Manchester University. While working at the AA, he also teaches and is involved with numerous publications at universities. He now teaches master's degree students at the Bartlett School of London University.

Peter Cook (b. 1936)
Born at Southend-on-Sea, Cook studied at the Bournemouth School of Art and at the AA in London. Currently, he serves as a teacher of architecture at the Bartlett School of London University. In 2003, he joined forces with Colin Fournier to complete the design of the Kunsthaus in Graz, Austria. He also served as the curator of the British Pavilion at the 2004 Architecture Biennale in Venice.

Warren Chalk (1927-87)
Born in London, Chalk studied at the Manchester School of Art. He later wrote articles and taught at the AA, mainly in North America and the U.K. Chalk passed away in 1987.

Michael Webb (b. 1937)
Born in Henley-on-Thames, Webb studied architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London. He has lived many years in New York, and taught at such institutions as Cooper Union, Columbia University, Barnard College, and Princeton University. He has also put on many exhibitions in Europe and America.

"Monte Carlo Project" 1969
Peter Cook, Dennis Crompton, Ron Herron, Archigram
Images: Archigram Archives

Related Events

1. Japan Visit by Archigram's Members
In conjunction with the exhibition, the four surviving members of Archigram - Peter Cook, Michael Webb, Dennis Crompton, and David Greene - will visit Japan

2. Gallery Talk by Archigram Members
Archigram's members will describe and explain their works.
Simultaneous interpretation into Japanese will also be provided.
Date: Jan. 22 (Sat), 2005
Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Venue: Inside the ATM Contemporary Art Gallery
Meeting spot: Gallery entrance
Fee; Included with the price of admission

3. Lecture and Symposium "Counter culture and Architecture"
Panelists: Peter Cook, Dennis Crompton, David Greene, Michael Webb (all former Archigram members), and Arata Isozaki
Moderator: Taro Igarashi
Date: Jan. 23 (Sun), 2005
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.)
Venue: ATM Conference Hall
Seating: 100
*Simultaneous translation into Japanese will also be provided.
Fee; ¥1,000 (the admission fee to the exhibition is separate)
Reservations: Required, and will be accepted starting at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 22 (Wed).
Call the ATM Ticket Reservations Center at (029) 225-3555.

4. London as Heard by Peter Barakan
Peter Barakan, a long-term British resident of Japan, will lecture in Japanese about the music scene in London in the 1960s and 1970s, when Archigram was active, and will also introduce interesting points about the culture of that city during that period.
Date: Jan. 29 (Sat), 2005
Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)
Venue: Workshop Room, Contemporary Art Gallery, ATM
Seating: 80
Fee: ¥500 (the admission fee to the exhibition is separate)
Reservations: Required, and will be accepted starting at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 22 (Wed).
Call the ATM Ticket Reservations Center at (029) 225-3555.

5. Traveling Cow Books and Traveling Tea Service
Traveling Cow Books was the name of a used-book store "on wheels" that brought together good books for sale to the various neighborhoods it moved around. It will be joined by a traveling tea service in the ATM Plaza.
Date: Mar. 26 (Sat) and 27 (Sun), 2005
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (cancelled in case of rain)
Venue: ATM Plaza

6. Publication of "ARCHIGRAM -- experimental architecture 1961-1974"
In the last part of February 2005, PIE Books will publish an exhibition catalog about the Archigram exhibition at ATM. It will also contain a recent interview of Peter Cook by Arata Isozaki, and text by Taro Igarashi.
Specifications: A4-sized, 112 p.p. (including 66 pp. of colored diagrams)

CRITERIUM

CRITERIUM 62: Isobe Ichiro
"Criterium" is the Latin for "criterion" (originally a Greek word). The series aims to introduce the new works of mostly young artists.

Dates: Jan. 22 (Sat) to Mar. 27 (Sun), 2005
Venue: Room 9, Contemporary Art Gallery, ATM
Planning coordinator: Kenji Kubota (curator, Contemporary Art Center, ATM)
Fee: Included in the price of admission to the "ARCHIGRAM -- experimental architecture 1961-1974" exhibition

High-schooler Week
During a special one-month period every year, ATM allows high school students and other youths aged 15 to 18 to view exhibitions for free.

Period: Feb. 22 (Tue) to Mar. 21 (Mon), 2005
Eligibility: High school students, and other youth aged 15 to 18

Notice about Upcoming Exhibition
Kaiyodo, the Plastic Figurine Maker
Apr. 9 (Sat) to Jun. 5 (Sun), 2005
Planning coordinator: Toshikazu Asai (curator, Contemporary Art Center, ATM)

ATM Contemporary Art Gallery's
Pass for Adults

A pass has been designed for adults aged 20 and older, letting the holder make an unlimited number of visits to the Contemporary Art Gallery's exhibitions for one year from the date of purchase.
The price is ¥2,500 The artwork on the pass has been designed by Hiroko Ichihara, an artist who incorporates words in her works. The logo on the pass reads: "Contemporary art -- as easy as pie." The pass is on sale at the ticket counter in Art Tower Mito.

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Translated by Paul T. Narum
(official names of exhibitions and artworks are furnished by the artists and planners themselves)

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