The work of Tom Kundig was part of the exhibit GLOBAL ENDS—towards the beginning at TOTO GALLERY・MA in Tokyo, Japan. Tom was the sole North American architect featured in the exhibit, which ran from November 19, 2010 through February 26, 2011. The interactive installation, including models, drawings and media, was designed and fabricated by Spencer Fornaciari, Chris Gerrick, Tom Kundig, Alan Maskin, Kelly Mutch, John Nebendahl, John Vierra and Phil Turner.

TOTO GALLERY・MA’s 25th anniversary commemorative exhibition, GLOBAL ENDS—towards the beginning, presented seven practices from five continents whose work remains locally-based and personally inflected while drawing inspiration from the broader world. This group represented a constellation of multiple trajectories expanding from Tokyo around the globe, from Melbourne to Madeira, Santiago and Seattle to Singapore and Olot, Spain. The exhibition juxtaposed each architect’s local standard of design with his or her own particular characteristics.

The tactile, material sensibilities of each architect’s work were highlighted by large- and small- scaled models, drawings, photographs and videos specially prepared for this exhibition. Ken Tadashi Oshima, an architectural historian and associate professor of the University of Washington, served as guest curator.

Tom Kundig’s portion of the exhibition included three discrete pieces:• Object exhibit: The concept of “hot rodding” defines the Object exhibit, featuring an interactive gizmo handcrank that allows visitors to transform a static pedestal into a dynamic armature for viewing study models and drawings.

• Work exhibit: Much of Tom’s residential work distills the essentials of living against the vast backdrop of the natural landscape. This exhibit illustrates the theme of “small building, big landscape” by using a wooden screen as an undulating landscape beneath twelve monitors, each depicting a project through images, video and small-scale models. The videos feature aerial photography transitioning from a global to local scale, where a small red marker indicates the building site.

• Wall Display exhibit:  Two-dimensional graphics become a three-dimensional interactive display. Six projects are exhibited on a series of stacked operable wall panels, each reflecting a kinetic aspect of the work. The outer panels describe the design process through sketches and drawings, while the inner panels feature final photography and renderings.

Other architects featured: Paulo David (Portugal), Sean Godsell (Australia), Kerry Hill (Singapore), Junya Ishigami (Japan), Smiljan Radic (Chile) and RCR Adanda Pigem Vilalta Arquitectes (Spain.)

More information can be found at the TOTO GALLERY・MA website.