ART | Building Homes from Cardboard: "Living: The Project - Another Country"
ART | Reconsidering 'Living' in a Rapidly Changing World
Building Homes from Cardboard: 'Living: Project—Another Country'
An expansive installation using cardboard by Filipino artists Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan, titled 'Living: Project—Another Country,' is on view at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, until Sunday, November 10.
Text by KUROMIYA Yuzu
The Final 'Another Country' Completed
Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan began their 'Home' themed project in 2006, prompted by their move to Brisbane, Australia.
Through 'Another Country,' a project that prompts contemplation on 'Where to live?' and 'How to live?', they continually propose a space for collective consideration of the challenges individuals face amidst rapid global shifts that threaten the assumed freedom of 'living.' In particular, 'In-Habit' is a monumental installation inspired by the lifestyle of the Bajau people, who inhabit the coastal areas of Sabah, Borneo. It features stacked 'homes' made of cardboard, illustrating the flow from production to consumption.
The Bajau people are a nomadic sea-dwelling group who live their entire lives on boats or in stilt houses built over shallow waters. It is said that their way of life has seen changes in recent years due to the waves of globalization. Through the Bajau people, the Aquilizans accurately capture the current situation in Asia, drawing attention to the reality that while globalization advances economically and culturally, it simultaneously expands its dangers.
This project employs an interactive approach where local residents create cardboard houses, imagining the lives of the Bajau people, and these creations become part of the artwork. Visitors construct cardboard houses at art spaces near the museum, in schools around Kanazawa city, and at workshop booths set up in the exhibition room on weekends during the exhibition period. These are then added to the work, creating an endeavor where 'Another Country' in Kanazawa continuously expands.
This presentation, unique to artists with the panoramic perspective gained from navigating different cultures, culminates in the creation of 'Another Country' in Kanazawa, built together with visitors. It offers an opportunity to reconsider global values.
Isabel & Alfredo Aquilizan
'Living: Project—Another Country'
Dates: Saturday, August 3 – Sunday, November 10 (Closed Mondays)
Hours: 10:00–18:00 (Fridays and Saturdays until 20:00)
Venue: Exhibition Room 6, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
1-2-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
Tel. 076-220-2800
Admission: This ExhibitionFiona Tan ExhibitionJoint Ticket with
General ¥1000, University Students/Seniors (65+) ¥800, Junior High/High School Students ¥400