Hiroshi Sambuichi

TOTO Gallery MA will hold "Moving Materials," a solo exhibition on the work of Hiroshi Sambuichi, an architect based in Hiroshima but actively designing projects throughout the Setouchi region.

Sambuichi's designs are unified by their pursuit of the theme "in what ways can architecture become a part of the Earth?" His painstaking research to create "architecture that will be accepted by the Earth as well as by people" entails unravelling the history and climate of the region as well as the workings of people and nature, while diligently observing the "moving materials" such as wind, water, and sunlight, which change due to the topography and orientation. By analysing these, he pursues the form that the architecture should take. Then at the design stage, he goes to the site in every season of the year, observes the "moving materials," and, using his own camera, creates an archive of more than 100,000 photographs. Based on this research, Sambuichi intends his architecture to be more than just based on the characteristics of a place, but to be further passed on to the future. His works are highly regarded in Japan and worldwide.

Focussed on the Setouchi region, this exhibition introduces Sambuichi's efforts with Inujima Seirensho Art Museum (Okayama, 2008), Rokko Observatory (Hyogo, 2010), Miyajima Misen Observatory (Hiroshima, 2013), The Naoshima Plan (Kagawa), Naoshima Hall / House in Naoshima-Matabe (Kagawa, 2015), and Orizuru Tower (Hiroshima, 2016 expected completion). Each work of architecture allows you to feel the presence of its form as a detail of the Earth through the "moving materials" of each place, and you can see Sambuichi's design process in the large quantity of research data collected at the design stage, proof-of-concept models, images, mock-ups and so on. The intention is to exhibit a comprehensive survey of all Sambuichi's works through an image archive.

In parallel with this exhibition, the Setouchi Triennale 2016 will be held from March this year, and an exhibition titled "Naoshima Architecture + The Naoshima Plan" is planned for Spring (March 20–April 17) and Summer (July 18–September 4). It will be held in Naoshima Hall, which opened in November last year, allowing visitors to see Sambuichi's ideas and realized works at the same time. We hope that you will attend both exhibitions.