*updatemag

Issue #1
Who let my fish loose?
in contemporary architecture, and their
focus is the cinematic exploration of contemporary
architecture. Through the film
Moryama-San, we follow the touching story
behind Ryue Nishizawa’s masterpiece.
The story went something like this: After
his mother has died, our protagonist, Mr.
Moriyama wanted to tear down their family
house and build a new one, so he wrote
a letter to the architect. “You don’t need a
house, you need your own village”- said the
architect.
A small village inside a forest
The Moriyama house itself is an archipelago
of ten units. These can be used
by the resident himself, or, rented out.
Ryue Nishizawa focuses on creating the
environment that fits within the existing
landscape. In the suburbs where
Mr. Moriyama resides, everybody has
known each other for dedicates, and
the street is often used as a shared
communal area. Nishizawa wanted to
create an unrestricted part of this landscape
that is still unique. He does not
use fences, and uses large transparent
windows and even a glass corridor in
one of the blocks, in order to not create
isolation from the natural landscape,
as well as the communal feeling of this
Tokyo neighbourhood. He also highlights
the importance of soil in a concrete
city like Tokyo. Having soil in his
garden, allowed Moriyama to keep one
of his mothers trees after her passing,
and also use the trees for the utilities
they provide, often using them for drying
his clothes.
We see the intimate, organic relationship
between the house and it’s
inhibitor unfold in a dainty, spontaneous
film by the iconic duo Ila Bêka
and Louise Lemonie, also known as
“Bêka&Lemonie”. Bêka and Lemonie
are considered to be the cult figures
Moriyama-san is a man of exquisite taste
and character. Bêka stumbled into him
spontaneously, and they started talking
about music, which resulted in mr. Moriyama
inviting him to the basement of his house
where he kept his extensive record collection
(parts of which can be found scattered
around the exhibition units) and they
bonded over their liking of Otomo Yoshihide,
one of the pioneers of “noise music”
which Moriyama is very fond of. There is a
line in the film that explains that Moriyama
likes music and film, but he loves reading.
Much of the film is spontaneous, but it is an
interesting, unique portrait of a man and
his house, which seem to have become one.
They cannot exist without each-other. The
visitors feel the closeness and seem to be
very touched by Moriyama’s character. It is
interesting to be able to get to know a man’s
character based on his home. The film features
shots of small collectable sculptures,
that are also displayed in the exhibition
which only intensifies the feeling of familiarity.
This is why, it can be said that Moriyama
House is not a building. It is an immaterial
and material portrait of the man and his
spirit coming together in perfect balance
with the surroundings that make this building
Moriyama’s home, and an absolute architectural
masterpiece.
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