As the fourth installment of “ReseArchi,” where our staff explores outstanding design hidden in everyday architecture and delivers stories based on daily insights and discoveries, we present the Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art in Aomori Prefecture.
Aomori Museum of Art（Website）
Location：185 Yasuda Aza Chikano, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, Japan
Architect：Jun Aoki, Jun Aoki & Associates
Opening Year：2006
The Aomori Museum of Art was designed inspired by the excavation site of the adjacent Sannai-Maruyama Jomon Site. Like the trenches seen at the excavation site, the ground is deeply cut in geometric patterns, with a mass of white-painted bricks overhanging and covering it.
The lower section of the mass exhibits significant irregularities, designed to interlock with the undulating terrain below. Its appearance resembles a row of teeth arranged freely rather than in alignment, imparting a unique rhythm and tension to the entire structure. Through this bold composition, the museum has gained a new exhibition space previously unattainable.
The stark white cube exhibition room within the mass and the “Earth” exhibition room with exposed earthen floors and walls stand in opposition yet coexist, creating a powerful contrast and a rich spatial experience. Furthermore, within this “Earth” exhibition space, an experiment incorporating the passage of time is conducted: the earthen floors and walls are partially damaged and repeatedly repaired in accordance with the schedule of exhibitions.
Much like the cyclical process of excavating and maintaining an archaeological site, the architecture itself functions as a living exhibition apparatus.
If you ever have the opportunity to visit Aomori, I highly recommend paying it a visit.
You should be able to experience a truly unique spatial encounter where the architecture and the land’s memories overlap.