SoHoKo were commissioned by Japan House London to design their recent exhibition, Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River, which ran from November 2023 to April 2024.
The Ainu Stories exhibition was a significant milestone in the recognition and representation of indigenous Ainu culture and decolonialisation in Japan. It focused on contemporary lives and over 200 works, many never seen outside Japan. This was important both within Europe and also for Japan’s domestic audience where it had widespread impact. This project challenged traditional museum approaches to indigenous cultural representation, involving extensive co-design and engagement with the 300 person community of Nibutani to explore contemporary Ainu identity and not simply traditional narratives of what has been lost. Combining photography, 12 video interviews and hundreds of objects, the exhibition was situated in the present and operates as a landscape of relationships and connections without dictating a specific order.
The design of the exhibition was inspired by the traditional Ainu craft of woodcarving, employing a subtractive process that creates pockets of space to showcase artefacts. A rectangular plinth is the central starting point – it is carved away strategically to form intimate spaces, each one focusing on a key theme in Ainu culture, ranging from Ainu language to politics, rituals, clothing and food, to name but a few. Floating rings, aligned to the circular cut-out spaces, emphasise the different zones, and are reminiscent of traditional Ainu pattern motifs found in textiles and woodcarving.
The arrangement of objects and images within the space was meticulously curated and designed, establishing spatial and narrative links that captivated visitors as they explored the exhibition. Visual links to different aspects of Ainu culture were created through the layering of exhibits in space. The exhibition had no prescribed route – visitors were free to explore different thematic areas as they desired.
The display plinth was wrapped on all outer sides by a long bench, encouraging visitors to take a seat and watch the twelve interview films on the outer walls of the exhibition. These interviews were with members of the Biratori Ainu community, providing an intimate look into their lives and stories and giving the exhibition a real feel of Biratori. The films ran in sequence around the space, ensuing that multiple films could be running without being indistinct or needing headphones. At certain moments, the films align, showing portraits of the Ainu community with brightly coloured backgrounds. A timeline of key events in Ainu history runs around the bench for chance discovery, creating a cohesive narrative that complements the exhibition.
SoHoKo had a very extensive scope in both 3D and 2D, designing and detailing the entire exhibition, including a glass display booth at the entrance of Japan House. The process involved working with multiple contributors including photographer Ogawa Masaki and videographer Murase Kenichi, with support in Japan provided by method inc.
Commissioned by: Japan House London
Purpose: Exhibition
Scope: Exhibition design & graphic design
Curation: Japan House London and the people of Biratori
Videography: Murase Kenichi
Photography: Ogawa Masaki
Project management support (Japan): method Inc
Exhibition build: Sam Forster & Associates
Art handling: Patrick Lears & team