The first exhibit was "Whose place is this?" Set up with kids in mind to get them to think about their environment, 4 artists had contributed and it was pretty cool!
Sorry, photo overload but I absolutely LOVED this room. The walls were all mirrored and the lamps all made from plastic that was washed up on the beach. The German artist Jurgen Lehl had collected all the debris from the island he lives on in Japan. This was great timing for us after just visiting Tamagashima, where there was a lot of rubbish on the beaches.
It's amazing how this rubbish can be turned into something so beautiful, and got us thinking about the rubbish we generate as a family, and how that can be recycled in a better way.
These hoops of light were my favourite. I'm not plotting a way to make something similar!
There is an area I have no photos of because only elementary and JH school kids were allowed in! According to Ebi-kun, inside there were several paintings and sculptures and the helpers would ask questions about how the art made you feel, stressing there is no right or wrong answer and we all interpret art in a different way. Pretty cool but the should have let me in too, I look 13 don't I?
The final room was a cardboard city, lots of tiny cardboard houses stacked up high, they must have been about 4m tall. They also have papers to fill in where you could design your own dream home. I love how they try and involve the kids in the art at such a young age.
The second exhibit was all about the architect Oscar Niemeyer, Ebi-kun wants to be an architect after he has finished being a pro footballer! It was interesting too but not really a kids exhibit. They do have a Thomas the Tank Engine exhibit on at the moment too but neither of us were interested in that.
One cool section was this, it was an aerial view of one of his designs, a uni I think, made into a carpet. You can see the whole thing from the other exhibit then go down and check it out on ground level.
They also had a video playing showing the actual place in use, very cool but not suitable for little ones as it is all quite delicate!
We had a quick look around the shop then headed into the permanent exhibit hall, Ebi-kun was quite taken with this enormous counter, we checked out the rest of the art, some of it we had seen before. Then went outside to look around.
One of the things I like about this place is the actual building, it is so beautifully designed, makes great use of lines, light and water.
Having fun with the shadows...
Taking a rest...
We finished off by stopping at a cafe just across the road from the museum (they have an English menu too). We just got drinks and a parfait to share before heading back, it take and hour and a half if we are lucky with the train connections!
There is a park right next door to the museum, so if your kids need to run off some enegy first, it is perfect! Check out more info HERE
And if you are worried about taking your kids to museums and galleries, you need this book! It doesn't have to be scary...
