Isamu Noguchi — A Space of Life.
Papersky Japan Story
Outdoors & Design 04
Isamu Noguchi
A Space of Life.
“Everything is sculpture. Any material, any idea without hindrance born into space, I consider sculpture.”
It’s not the stone sculptures which bring me back to The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum. It’s the design of the space as a whole and the personal relationships who brought this space —and artist— to life. My journey to discover a little more about Isamu Noguchi’s home in Japan and how it helped him become the renowned artist we all know.
We must all be familiar with Isamu Noguchi, whether through his sculptures, paper lanterns, furniture designs, parks & gardens. But I suspect most of you —myself included— are not so familiar with his life in Japan?
Reading about his adventures, love affairs, friendships and the chaos in-between, I was surprised by the vast interconnected community of artists, designers and patrons who made it possible for this son of a Japanese poet and American writer to become the singular Isamu Noguchi we know today.
I was fascinated to learn about his many relationships from all over the world, some fleeting, others lasting a lifetime. You may be surprised to hear —I know I was— of his romantic fling with Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The story goes, leaving behind only a sock to incriminate himself, he barely escaped Frida’s bedroom before her husband burst in with a gun! I was also surprised to learn that he was lifelong friends with the architect Buckminster Fuller. Fuller’s Dymaxion map is on every cover of Papersky magazine — take a look. He also designed the Dymaxion Car, in which he, Noguchi and friends took road-trips throughout Connecticut, USA.
The list goes on, architect; Frank Lloyd Wright, musician; John Cage, choreographer; Martha Graham and fashion designer; Issey Miyake to name a few. However, as I focused closer to home, there are two names intrinsic to Noguchi’s life here in Japan.
To tell this story we must travel to Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku. Visiting The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum and a few of his sculptures situated throughout the landscape of Kagawa. If you’ve ever traveled to Takamatsu —perhaps on the way to the art island of Naoshima— you, like myself, may have been surprised by the number of modernist architecture to be found. Buildings like the Kagawa Prefectural Office (remastered) and Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium (closed) by the architect Kenzo Tange or the Hyakujushi Bank Head Office by Nikken Sekkei Ltd. Yet it wasn’t one of these monumental buildings which was my first port of call.
Stopping at the unassuming Tsuda-no-matsubara highway service area on the outskirts of Takamatsu. I’d heard there was a Noguchi sculpture on the westbound side, and sure enough there it was. A bright red Octetra Play Sculpture in a small park beside the parking area. What a strange place for a sculpture I thought? Somewhat neglected and completely overlooked by the visitors busily on their way to somewhere else. With an appointment at the Garden Museum to make, I too had no time to linger. After taking a few photographs of this more —Buckminster inspired?— design than sculpture, I was on my way.
An excerpt from my Papersky Japan Story, please visit the Papersky homepage to finish reading.