Finding beauty in the mundane – or more precisely, finding the mundane to be beautiful – is a constant theme in the history of Japanese aesthetics. This presentation will provide a historical overview of studies of urban trivia and ephemera, from the 1920s “Modernology” of architect Wajirō Kon, to the 1970s “Thomasson” objects of artist Genpei Akasegawa, the 1980s “Street Observation” of the ROJO group, and the 1990s “Pet Architecture” of Atelier Bow-Wow
Thomas Daniell is Professor of Architectural History, Theory and Criticism at Kyoto University Japan. A frequent contributor to AA Files, his most recent book is An Anatomy of Influence (AA Publications, 2018).
This masterclass is the first session of the Sensitive Observations Seminar
Series hosted by AA Diploma Unit 16: Homo Urbanus taught by Ila Beka, Louise Lemoine & Gili Merin
