Readers of Brain Sells will know our fascination with all things Japanese, so after writing about Reverse Graffiti we had to share a bit about this construction site in Tokyo that has been turned into a canvas for great illustration.

I've been told that the average life of a building in Tokyo is just 17 years. With that constant redevelopment happening these white walled construction fences -- called karikakoi -- are a common scene. In Japan there is an effort o beautify these urban landscapes and surfaces, using them as canvases for installations, art, and illustrations.

Could brands do more with these spaces beyond plastering up wild postings and billboard ads? Could we create site specific installations that tie into the surrounding space? Could they be interactive in a useful way?

This reminds me of a project Goodby, Silverstein did for HP at the National Galleries in London during its East Wing refurbishment in 2003. Titled "The Adventures of Yellow", HP told the story of Van Gogh's Chair by printing out a massive 60 meter-long piece that was posted to the outside facade of the site. Every few months a new piece was created for another work of art from the Galleries based on a different color.

PingMag has more examples of creative uses of these spaces in Tokyo.

This entry was posted by Hashem Bajwa, on 22 April 2008. You can leave your response.