Time space existence: Arata Isozaki

From his woodland studio, Japanese architect Arata Isozaki opens up about time, space and the extravagance of silence

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Since its inception in 2014, the Time-Space-Existence satellite event has become one of the most highly anticipated showcases at the Venice Architecture Biennale, bringing together over 100 established and emerging architects. Ahead of the next edition – opening in May next year – the GAA Foundation with the support of the European Cultural Centre (ECC) is putting architecture icons and their practices in the frame with a new video series.

The first film from the series focuses on Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, offering a glimpse into his life and working environment from his verdant woodland studio. ‘Extravagance for me is complete silence – nothing less,’ says Isozaki. Integral to the 86-year-old’s architectural legacy is the Japanese concept of ma – the void and time that lies between all things – which has had a profound influenced on his work. Here, the pioneer of the 1960s avant-garde movement of Metabolism reflects on his practice and Japanese architectural identity as a whole, musing, ‘Japan is just an island with no real boundaries.’§

See each film in the ‘Time-Space-Existence’ video series first exclusively on Wallpaper.com. ‘Time-Space-Existence’ opens at the Venice Architecture Biennale in May 2018. For more information, visit the Arata Isozaki website, the GAA Foundation website, the European Cultural Centre website and the PLANE–SITE website

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Ellie Stathaki
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).