{"id":12440,"date":"2025-07-11T22:35:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T15:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/restored-capsule-from-tokyos-nakagin-tower-lands-in-nyc-for-moma-retrospective\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T22:35:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T15:35:27","slug":"restored-capsule-from-tokyos-nakagin-tower-lands-in-nyc-for-moma-retrospective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/restored-capsule-from-tokyos-nakagin-tower-lands-in-nyc-for-moma-retrospective\/","title":{"rendered":"restored capsule from tokyo\u2019s nakagin tower lands in NYC for MoMA retrospective"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wow wow-yellow\">an Architectural Time Capsule revisited in new york<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/nakagin-capsule-tower\/\"><strong>Nakagin Capsule Tower<\/strong><\/a> returns to public view in a new light, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/moma\/\"><strong>MoMA<\/strong><\/a> in New York opens an exhibition centered on its half-century lifespan. Built in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-tokyo\/\"><strong>Tokyo<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s Ginza district in 1972 and dismantled in 2022, the structure was once among the clearest architectural expressions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/metabolism-architecture-movement-in-japan\/\"><strong>Metabolism<\/strong><\/a> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/architecture-in-japan\/\"><strong>Japan<\/strong><\/a>, a movement that sought to mirror natural growth and transformation in the built environment. Now, through a single, fully restored capsule and a constellation of archival materials, MoMA reactivates that legacy with the goal of inspiring inquiry over nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Presented in the exhibition is capsule A1305, originally situated on the uppermost floor. For its display, it has been returned to near-original condition. Fragments of other salvaged units complete the restoration, from its modular furnishings to the audio controls and Sony color TV that defined its compact domesticity. Surrounding the capsule are more than 40 materials drawn from the tower\u2019s five-decade history \u2014 models, promotional leaflets, film reels, and interviews that reveal how these micro-units adapted to lives far beyond their initial purpose. In a city shaped by constant renewal, this retrospective probes what it means to preserve an architectural concept. <strong>The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower is on view at MoMA from July 10th, 2025 until July 12th, 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>installation view of The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, from July 10th, 2025, through July 12th, 2026 | photo by Jonathan Dorado<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wow wow-yellow\">kish\u014d Kurokawa\u2019s Unfolding Vision<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>MoMA exhibits The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower as an investigation into the iconic structure, which was originally imagined by architect Kish\u014d Kurokawa as a machine for living that could regenerate itself. While the concrete towers were to remain as infrastructural anchors, the capsules were intended to be swapped out as needs evolved. While that replacement never came, the life of the tower defied stillness. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.moma.org\/\"><strong>museum<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s curatorial team, led by Evangelos Kotsioris and Paula Vilaplana de Miguel, foregrounds the tower\u2019s informal transformations \u2014 capsules turned into galleries, DJ booths, or quiet spaces of solitude \u2014 bringing a portrait of architecture shaped by use that transcends its intended programming.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By acquiring capsule A1305 in 2023, MoMA ensured a rare physical survival of a building long dismissed as unmaintainable. It is one of just fourteen capsules worldwide to have been carefully reassembled in original form. Visitors will be able to experience the unit in full during selected member activations, reinforcing the tower\u2019s original intent as a space to be inhabited. The Nakagin Capsule Tower\u2019s presence at MoMA sits within the museum\u2019s wider ambition to question permanence, authorship, and the mutable nature of design.<\/p>\n<p>Kish\u014d Kurokawa in front of the completed Nakagin Capsule Tower, 1974. image by Tomio Ohashi<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wow wow-yellow\">Extending the Conversation around nakagin capsule tower<\/h2>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>MoMA\u2019s exhibition The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower extends beyond the gallery. A companion book authored by Kotsioris for the MoMA One on One series explores the structure\u2019s life cycle, from its speculative roots to its final days. With rarely published documents and firsthand accounts from the building\u2019s last residents, the volume deepens the narrative around this experimental habitat. A suite of programs in partnership with Japan Society will also unfold throughout the exhibition\u2019s yearlong run, framing the project within both its original context and its new American audience.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Kisho Kurokawa, Architect &amp; Associates (Tokyo, est. 1962). Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo. 1970\u201372. exterior view. 1972. image by Tomio Ohashi<\/p>\n<p>installation view of The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, from July 10th, 2025, through July 12th, 2026 | photo by Jonathan Dorado<\/p>\n<p>installation view of The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, from July 10th, 2025, through July 12th, 2026 | photo by Jonathan Dorado<\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- CLOSE ARTICLE CONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"fullwidth-image\">\n<div class=\"layout-box\">\n<div class=\"page-content\">\n<p>images from Nakagin Capsule Style (Tokyo: Soshisha, 2020), showing Wakana Nitta (aka Cosplay Koe-chan) in her capsule, which she uses as a DJ-booth. courtesy Tatsuyuki Maeda \/ The Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\t<!-- OPEN ARTICLE CONTENT -->\t<\/p>\n<p>night time at the Nakagin Capsule Tower, with Mr. Takayuki Sekine seen through the window of capsule B1004, 2016. image \u00a9 Jeremie Souteyrat<\/p>\n<p>Kisho Kurokawa, Architect &amp; Associates (Tokyo, est. 1962). Capsule A1305 from the Nakagin Capsule Tower. 1970\u201372; restored 2022\u201323. Steel, wood, paint, plastics, cloth, polyurethane, glass, ceramic, and electronics, 8\u2032 4 3\/8\u2033 \u00d7 8\u2032 10 5\/16\u2033 \u00d7 13\u2032 10 9\/16\u2033 (255 \u00d7 270 \u00d7423 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder, Alice and Tom Tisch, and the Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, Tokyo<\/p>\n<p>\t<!-- CLOSE ARTICLE CONTENT --><\/p>\n<div class=\"fullwidth-image\">\n<div class=\"layout-box\">\n<div class=\"page-content\">\n<p>installation view of The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, from July 10th, 2025, through July 12th, 2026 | photo by Jonathan Dorado<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\t<!-- OPEN ARTICLE CONTENT -->\t<\/p>\n<p>Noritaka Minami. B1004 I, from the series 1972 (2010\u201322). 2011. archival pigment print, 20 \u00d7 25\u2033 (101.6 \u00d7 127 cm) image \u00a9 Noritaka Minami<\/p>\n<p>Noritaka Minami. A503 I, from the series 1972 (2010\u201322). 2017. archival pigment print, 20 \u00d7 25\u2033 (101.6 \u00d7 127 cm) image \u00a9 Noritaka Minami<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A twenty-first century home that thoroughly pursues functionality: Nakagin Capsule Manshon (Ginza),\u2019 cover of promotional brochure for the Nakagin Company, 1971. image courtesy Tatsuyuki Maeda \/ The Nakagin Capsule Tower Preservation and Restoration Project, Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n<p>Kiyoshi Awazu. poster included with Kurokawa Kish\u014d no sakuhin (Kisho Kurokawa\u2019s work) (Tokyo: Bijutsu shuppan-sha, 1970). 1970. screenprint, 40 3\/16 \u00d7 28 9\/16\u2033 (102 \u00d7 72.5 cm). image \u00a9 Kiyoshi Awazu<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>name:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/press.moma.org\/exhibition\/nakagin-capsule-tower\/\">The Many Lives of the Nakagin Capsule Tower<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>museum:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moma.org\/\">Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/themuseumofmodernart\">@themuseumofmodernart<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>on view: <\/strong>July 10th, 2025 \u2014 July 12th, 2026<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/architecture\/moma-nakagin-capsule-tower-exhibition-many-lives-museum-modern-art-new-york-05-23-2025\/\">restored capsule from tokyo\u2019s nakagin tower lands in NYC for MoMA retrospective<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/\">designboom | architecture &amp; design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>an Architectural Time Capsule revisited in new york \u00a0 The Nakagin Capsule Tower returns to public view in a new light, as MoMA in New York opens an exhibition centered on its half-century lifespan. Built &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[142],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>restored capsule from tokyo\u2019s nakagin tower lands in NYC for MoMA retrospective - Blog TSK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/restored-capsule-from-tokyos-nakagin-tower-lands-in-nyc-for-moma-retrospective\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"restored capsule from tokyo\u2019s nakagin tower lands in NYC for MoMA retrospective - Blog TSK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"an Architectural Time Capsule revisited in new york \u00a0 The Nakagin Capsule Tower returns to public view in a new light, as MoMA in New York opens an exhibition centered on its half-century lifespan. 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