東京ビエンナーレ2023の展示の1つである「TOKYO ART FARM」の会場設計を東京理科大学西田研究室と行った。展示のテーマは「人と自然、農と食、生産者と消費者をつなぎ、多様な生命の共創から新たな循環を生み出し、都市の粋でリジェネラティブ（再生型）なライフスタイルを育てていくこと」。
「TOKYO ART FARM」のシンボルになるように、長さ22mのテーブルと丸太スツールをメインに計画をした。材木は林業者の大野航輔さんが長年整備してきた山梨県道志村の森で間伐したスギとヒノキの無垢材を使用した。製材は道志村で製材所を営む池谷叔晴さんに手掛けて頂いた。節や皮が残る間伐材の特性を活かし、組むことで大都会のシンボル東京駅に木々が立ち並ぶ森の風景をつくることを考えた。
製作は一般公募で集まった方達と一緒にワークショップ形式で組み立てた。製作後のテーブルは芸術祭の期間中に多くのアーティストのパフォーマンスやトークイベントの舞台になった。このテーブルは会期後に一般販売され、家庭やオフィスの室内、屋上やベランダ、共有スペースへと旅立った。
We worked with the Nishida Laboratory of the Tokyo University of Science on the venue design for “TOKYO ART FARM,” one of the exhibits at the Tokyo Biennale 2023.The theme of the exhibition is “to connect people and nature, agriculture and food, producers and consumers, to create a new cycle from the co-creation of diverse life forms, and to foster a regenerative lifestyle in the city.
To symbolize “TOKYO ART FARM,” a 22-meter-long table and log stools were planned as the main components of the project. The lumber was solid cedar and cypress thinned in the forests of Doshi-mura in Yamanashi Prefecture, which forestry worker Kosuke Ohno has maintained for many years. The lumber was milled by Mr. Yoshiharu Ikeya, who runs a sawmill in Doshi-mura. The idea was to take advantage of the characteristics of thinned lumber, which still retains its knots and bark, and assemble it to create a forest landscape of trees lining Tokyo Station, a symbol of the big city.
The table was assembled in the form of a workshop with people who had gathered from the general public. The table was used as a stage for many artists’ performances and talk events during the festival. After the festival, the tables were sold to the general public, and were placed in homes and offices, on rooftops and balconies, and in common spaces.
