Project Omishima 2014-Transforming into the most beautiful island in Japan

July 26, 2014 (Sat) – June 14, 2015 (Sun)

From July 26, 2014, Toyo Ito Architecture Museum, Imabari—the first architecture museum in Japan that opened in this area—will start a new exhibition called “Transforming into the most beautiful island in Japan” to celebrate the third anniversary of its opening. The exhibition will make new proposals based on the project “Living on Omishima, the most beautiful island in Japan,” which was initiated in 2012 by the students of my private school, Ito Juku.

We have visited Omishima many times to carry out research on the history and folklore of the island. As we continued our conversation with its inhabitants, we were mesmerized by the island’s beautiful landscape that is being surrounded by the sea and the mountains; the citrus fruits that grow among the sea breeze, and the lifestyles of the people that do not create conflict against nature. Many inhabitants on the island live by a philosophy of “making the most of what there is, rather than asking for what is missing.” The island has a long history of being blessed with the sun and the sea, and has a rich climate that has been passed down from generation to generation, which is missing from the urban way of convenience.

This exhibition is a complete renewal of the previous permanent exhibition and will show the process of creating “Omishima, the most beautiful island in Japan,” together with photographs and videos showing the landscape of the island and the activities of its people. This year’s exhibition, which marks the beginning of a long-term project, will present proposals for drawing out and maximizing the charm of the island and to think about the future of Omishima together with the people who live on the island.

There are 13 villages on Omishima. Today, overland routes make it easier to travel between villages but in the past, maritime traffic was the main means of transport, and trade with the surrounding islands was more prevalent than within the island. The villages were developed on limited land that was found in between the sea and the mountains, resulting in each settlement to form a slightly different culture and lifestyle. The exhibition begins with an introduction to the 13 villages, followed by our proposals to make “small places where people can gather” in the four villages Sakari, Seto, Miyaura and Munakata in the subsequent project rooms. We would like to create a place where residents and people from outside the island can meet in a casual way by utilizing the vacant houses and existing buildings that are scattered around the island.