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10 Oct
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West of Japan, East of Europe Exhibit in Suzhou, China

djclough / Architectural, China, News, Travel / / 0 Comments

Rockland Photographer Dave Clough to Exhibit in China

ROCKLAND, Maine – October 10, 2017 – Rockland-based architectural photographer Dave Clough is traveling to Suzhou, China, this month to display his photographs of German architect Bruno Taut’s Kyu Hyuga Bettei  — a renowned villa in Japan.

New, complete drawings of Taut’s design by Italian architect Marco Capitanio will be displayed with Clough’s images during the “West of Japan / East of Europe” exhibition organized and hosted by Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University on October 18. 

Curated by Capitanio, the exhibit reveals how the villa blends Taut’s personal reflection on Japanese architecture with his European sensibility. Juxtaposed drawings and pictures help visitors compare the project’s form and proportion with its appearance.

The exhibition is a collaboration of co+labo Radović at Keio University in Tokyo and the Formwork cultural association, with assistance from Professor Darko Radović and Professor Marko Pogacnik from the Formwork cultural association at the University of Venice in Italy.

The exhibit will take place in conjunction with an international symposium about Kyu Hyuga Bettei and other projects that relate to designing for and within a foreign culture. Clough and Capitanio will be among the symposium’s presenters. The exhibit will then open on November 23 at Milan Politecnico in Italy as part of another symposium on Bruno Taut.

Samples of Clough and Capitanio’s work were published in the 21st Edition of Sir Banister Fletcher’s World History of Architecture, and Clough is currently photographing for a new book, “Restoring Your Historic Home – A Comprehensive Guide,” by Scott T. Hanson, due out in 2018.

For more information on the West of Japan, East of Europe exhibit…Venice, Italy 2016 is here. Yokohama, Japan 2017 is here. Pecha Kucha, Tokyo presentation is here. The exhibit next opens in Milan, Italy in December 2017. 

Images from the exhibit, symposium participants and Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University campus follow. A special thank you to the University Architecture Department and  all at XJTLU for a fantastic exhibit and symposium.

 

 

01 May
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Water/Glass in Atami

djclough / Architectural, Commercial, Japan, Travel / / 0 Comments

Kengo Kuma’s famed Water/Glass project is positioned on a steep hillside in the resort city of Atami in Shizuoka. Sitting directly above Bruno Taut’s Kyu Hyuga Bettei, the contrast between the old and new could not be more distinct, and yet…

As noted on Kengo Kuma and Associates website,  “The design of this villa was influenced greatly by “Hyuga” Villa, the sole project which Bruno Taut had left in Japan. The design also gained influences by the philosophies of Taut. Taut’s stay in Japan lasted from 1933 until 1936. Meanwhile, his praise over Katsura Palace was ever-lasting. The reasoning for his commendation lied in the fact that the Palace frames the nature yet frames by being one with nature.

Taut specifically paid attention to mechanisms in Katsura Palace that provoked the framing of nature with nature: the eaves and the bamboo verandas. Thus, in our villa, a layer of water which gently covers the building edges signified bamboo verandas in Katsura. Moreover, a stainless louver that roofs the water signified the eaves. The water surface stretches further out and unites the surface with the Pacific Ocean. And on top of the joined surface, a glass box floats. As the box is super-imposed numerous times, refraction of materials brings in reflections of sorts. The relationship between the subject and the environment is challenged upon in various manners by re-defining and re-shaping the Katsura philosophy, yet always maintaining its fundamental essence.”

Originally built as a private guest house, it is now the ATAMI Kaihourou, a luxury hotel. A rare opportunity was recently presented to photograph its famed Water Balcony, but what I discovered was that from the ground on up, the structure was amazing … and photogenic.

 

28 Apr
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PechaKucha, Tokyo #146

djclough / Architectural, Japan, News, Travel / / 0 Comments

Roppongi was buzzing when Marco Capitanio and I arrived at SuperDeluxe for our joint PechaKucha presentation on Bruno Taut in Japan on April 26th. Here we were to present at THE birthplace of PechaKucha!  Great to be introduced and interviewed by co-founders Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein of Klein Dytham architecture. Many thanks to PechaKucha for the images documenting the evening.

To view our six minute and forty second presentation, just click here.

 

Needless to say it was a blast!

 

 

 

26 Apr
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West of Japan, East of Europe Exhibit and Symposium at Keio University, Hiyoshi Campus

djclough / Architectural, Japan, News, Travel / / 0 Comments

Renowned German architect Bruno Taut lived in Japan in the 1930’s. His only extant project there is the Kyu Hyuga Bettei on a steep hillside overlooking the ocean in the resort city of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture. I was privileged to have had the opportunity to photograph the villa and subsequently have partnered with Italian architect, Marco Capitanio, to exhibit our collaborative project and present our work at international symposiums. The first was at the University of Venice in 2016, and the second took place in Yokohama, Japan at Keio University’s Hiyoshi Campus. The project is sponsored by co+labo at Keio University and The Formwork at the University of Venice. The Keio students were instrumental in setting up the exhibit and the hanging panels provided a unique visual platform to pair Marco’s drawings and my images. A new addition to the exhibit was a model of the villa at 1:50 scale made by the Keio students.

I was honored to present at the accompanying symposium with distinguished guests…Bruno Taut scholars, Professor Manfred Speidel and Professor Tatsuaki Tanaka, Yoshihiro Takishita (President of The Association for Preserving Old Japanese Farmhouses), Sumiko Enbutsu, author and member of the Bunkyo Link for Architectural Preservation, along with Marco Capitanio and Professor Darko Radovic of co+labo at Keio University.

Next up are two more exhibits … Suzhou, China and Milan, Italy in the fall…stay tuned.

 

 

15 Apr
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Presentation in Yokohama, Japan

djclough / Architectural, Japan, Travel / / 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rockland Photographer Dave Clough to Exhibit in Japan, China and Italy

Encore show focuses on renowned Japanese villa

ROCKLAND, Maine – April 17, 2017 – Images by Rockland-based architectural photographer Dave Clough of German architect Bruno Taut’s Kyu Hyuga Bettei in Japan will come full circle when Clough displays them at a public exhibition on Keio University’s Hiyoshi Campus in Yokohama later this month.

Clough’s images of Taut’s renowned villa were featured at an exhibition in Venice last fall alongside new, complete drawings of Taut’s design by Italian architect Marco Capitanio.

The Venice show, titled West of Japan / East of Europe, received such an enthusiastic response that it will be mounted again not only in Yokohama April 26 through May 2 but also in Suzhou, China, and Milan, Italy, this fall.

Curated by Capitanio, the exhibit reveals how the villa, located in Atami, marries Taut’s personal reflection on Japanese architecture with his European sensibility. Juxtaposed drawings and pictures help visitors distinguish between the project’s form and proportion and its materials, textures and colors.

The exhibition is being organized by co+labo Radović at Keio University, where Capitanio is a PhD candidate, and the Formwork cultural association, with assistance from Professor Darko Radović and professor Marko Pogacnik from the Formwork / IUAV.

As in Venice, the exhibit will be accompanied by an international symposium about Kyu Hyuga Bettei and other projects that relate to designing for and within a foreign culture. Clough and Capitanio will be among the symposium’s presenters, along with Taut scholars Professor Manfred Speidel from Germany and Professor Tatsuaki Tanaka from Japan, as well as Yoshihiro Takishita, president of the Association Preserving Old Japanese Farmhouses, and Sumiko Enbutsu, an author who belongs to the Bunkyo Link for Architectural Preservation.

“It has been amazing to connect with these experts on Japanese architecture and to learn how much they respect Bruno Taut’s legacy,” says Clough, who became fascinated with traditional architecture in Japan while living there for 10 years. “Through my collaboration with Marco I have discovered the deep respect scholars have for Taut’s work in general and Kyu Hyuga Bettei in particular. As a unique blend of Japanese and German sensibilities it doesn’t attract everyone’s interest, but those in the know are very supportive of our efforts to make more people aware of it.”

Clough and Capitanio’s work has drawn attention from the Royal Institute of British Architects, which will include one of Clough’s photos and a drawing by Capitanio in the 21st Edition of Sir Banister Fletcher’s World History of Architecture, which the Institute is publishing in partnership with the University of London.

About Dave Clough

Dave Clough provided all the color photography for Homes Down East: Classic Maine Coastal Cottages, released by Tilbury House Publishers in 2014.  He is currently taking photographs for a second Tilbury House publication, a how-to book by Scott T. Hanson on rehabilitating historic homes to function in the 21st century while retaining their historic character. Clough also photographs for Mainebiz publications and serves commercial clients including architects, designers, builders, hotels, restaurants, real estate firms, and homeowners.

About Marco Capitanio

Marco Capitanio studied architecture at the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture (CH) and urban design at TU Berlin and at Tongji University Shanghai, where he completed his master’s degree in 2012. His professional experiences span from the architectural scale (construction drawings and detailed design in Switzerland and Japan) to the urban dimension (large developments and masterplans in China). Marco is a research assistant and PhD candidate at Keio University. His work focuses on liveability of the built environment, especially at the neighborhood scale, a topic he has investigated in Europe and China.

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For more information on West of Japan, East of Europe exhibit in Venice, click here.

 

 

01 Apr
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Backyard Farms for Mainebiz

djclough / Architectural, News / / 0 Comments

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Backyard Farms in Madison, Maine for Mainebiz. I was asked to get some shots in the greenhouse…little did I know that the greenhouse would turn out to be the largest building in the state of Maine – forty-two acres under a glass roof!

A fantastic operation producing, as the name implies, tomatoes just as good as the ones in your backyard in August, but available in supermarkets year round. In answer to the question on many people’s minds of how many tomatoes can be grown in a forty-two acre facility….90 million…and every one of them delicious.

Seen in the gallery are Stuart Jablon, president and COO, Tony Stevens, head grower, and employee Kelsey Brown.

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Backyard Farms in Madison, Maine for Mainebiz. I was asked to get some shots in the greenhouse…little did I know that the greenhouse would turn out to be the largest building in the state of Maine – forty-two acres under a glass roof!

A fantastic operation producing, as the name implies, tomatoes just as good as the ones in your backyard in August, but available in supermarkets year round. In answer to the question on many people’s minds of how many tomatoes can be grown in a forty-two acre facility….90 million…and every one of them delicious.

Seen in the gallery are Stuart Jablon, president and COO, Tony Stevens, head grower, and employee Kelsey Brown.