Haunted play house in Tokyo, Japan by TORAFU ARCHITECTS

Article source: TORAFU ARCHITECTS

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo presented a summer exhibition for children entitled  GHOSTS, UNDERPANTS and STARS for which we designed a Haunted house.
The concept of this exhibition invites young visitors to consider the paradox of the rules of the museum, such as ‘Don’t Run’, ‘Don’t Touch’ or ‘Keep Quiet’ by allowing behavior normally forbidden in museums.

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

• Architects: TORAFU ARCHITECTS
• Project: Haunted play house
• Location: Tokyo, Japan
• Photography: Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

From a different perspective, the seemingly endless hallways and portraits with gazes that appear to follow one around are characteristics that provide museums the elements to create an eerie atmosphere. Thus, we set out to turn an exhibition space with such characteristics into a spooky hall of portraits. At first, the paintings on the walls appear perfectly ordinary, but strange things begin to occur as eyes gaze at you and faces in the picture suddenly change.

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Hidden behind the walls is in fact a backstage room from where all sorts of antics are unleashed on unsuspecting visitors. Museum-goers previously on the receiving end of such antics can also enter the secret room and reverse the roles by becoming in turn tricksters on the other side of the paintings. We aimed to create a  Haunted play house that can not only spook visitors, but also engage them more actively while stimulating their imagination.

Image Courtesy © RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Michel Urtado /distributed by AMF-DNPartcom

Visitors exiting the Haunted play house on their way to the next exhibition hall are greeted by specially printed eyeball stickers affixed on one side of a bridge appropriately renamed the Bridge with eyes. As we set out onto the bridge, the eyeballs, which one assumes to be static, appear to follow us as if beckoning the surreal world of the  Haunted play house an exhibition space where one can feel the underlying presence.

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Image Courtesy © Fuminari Yoshitsugu

Tags: Japan, Tokyo

Categories: Exhibition, Museum

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