Reflecting on the Exhibition

In November 2023, Landscape Architects as Change Makers travelled to Tokyo. Toho Leo Co. generously offered the use of their unique venue Kudan House, located in the heart of Tokyo. Constructed in 1927, Kudan House is a Spanish-style concrete mansion complete with restored rooms and period furnishings. The exhibition was timed to coincide with the IFLA Asia Pacific Regional Landscape Conference.  Close to 1000 people visited the exhibition during its 10-day run from the 18th- 26th November. Three Australian landscape architects-Jane Irwin (Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture), Kirsten Bauer (ASPECT Studio), Nick Griffin (McGregor Coxall) accompanied the exhibition to take part in discussions and other events including a student charrette and a business salon.

Installing the exhibition in a house, rather than an open gallery space provided new opportunities.  The exhibition stretched across the entire four-story house including the basement, a large tatami room and multiple smaller sitting rooms. Tokyo-based firm studio-on-site moved their office into one of the larger rooms for the duration of the exhibition, offering a glimpse of a working office. 

Kudan House proved an excellent venue for introducing landscape architecture to the Japanese public. Many visitors had little knowledge of landscape architecture, initially coming to experience Kudan house which is not generally open to the public.  But once there the visitors spent considerable time exploring the content. Some spent up to four hours. 

A survey of Japanese participants revealed a great appreciation of the exhibition and associated events. One practitioner commented ‘It was a great pleasure to be able to attend the amazing exhibition and talks. I’ve learnt a lot from listening to the philosophy and attitudes towards projects from Japanese and Australian landscape architects respectively. It was such a great stimulus to meet so many people through these occasions. I can’t imagine how challenging it must have been to interview, produce the website and curate the exhibition.’