Planning cultural facilities such as museums. Build a new culture while staying close to the community

Since joining the company in 2009, Kyohei Kishida has been involved in the planning of cultural facilities such as museums. Every day I think about what kind of displays in the facility, how to concept design the space, etc. from concept creation. I want to create a place where people can gather and build a local culture.

``How much can you become a fan of the region?'' Based on the fieldwork, plan

“Through my work, I was able to find my hometown in Japan.”

That's what Kishida from the Creative Headquarters Planning Center says. Kishida has planned numerous facilities such as "Noto Satoyama Satoumi Museum", "Fukui Prefectural Vein Museum", "Tokushima Prefectural Museum", and "Hyogo Prefectural Hyogo Tsu Museum". The themes dealt with are various, but they are all cultural facilities rooted in the region.

Kishida's work begins with experiencing the charm of the region. At one point, he boarded a boat with a fisherman, and at other times, entered a huge underground facility with a scholar... While working closely with the local people, we proceed with the planning of what kind of facilities should be created to convey the appeal of the facility.

Kishida: “The important thing is how much you become a fan of the region. That’s why I go to the site almost every month and have meetings. I'm going.

No matter where I go, there are many people who welcome me, and some of them treat me like a child. While falling in love with the area to the point that it feels like home, we scoop up the questions and surprises that lie in the area. That will be the basis of your plan.

Based on the charm that I sensed from the experience, I will work out a planning policy unique to that space. For example, when I was walking through Satoyama and Satoumi on the Noto Peninsula, the scenery from the mountains to the sea was so magnificent that I wanted to express this wonderful scenery in a museum. So, by combining the front and floor images, we created a dynamic space that makes you feel like you're walking in the air." (Noto Satoyama Satoumi Museum)

Kishida's method is to express such ideas by sketching them with his own hands. While involving the designers, team members, and customers, I gave a presentation on what the essential charm of this area was, and shared their opinions.

Kishida: I'm not an expert on the themes handled by museums. That's why I create facilities while listening to the stories of scholars and curators who are familiar with historical facts.

The important thing is how to convey the theme to children and the general public in an easy-to-understand manner. We make full use of digital technology for displays, and try to make it more accessible to children.

At the museum, which opened in November 2022, visitors wear glasses-shaped devices called Hololens, and the people of that time who appear in the space unfold in a theatrical drama. In addition, we will approach history in various ways, such as expressing history in a way that anyone can enjoy, such as a 'singing and dancing historical drama'." (Hyogo Prefectural Hyogo Tsu Museum)

Over the past few years, Kishida has focused on creating “social good” facilities. While actively adopting "inclusive concept design" that foreigners and people with disabilities can enjoy, we are creating facilities that make the world a better place.

“I want to do work that makes the community happy” ──A college student weighing agriculture and NOMURA

▲When I was a student, I participated in rice harvesting with local elementary school students. Rare rice racks now

In college, Kishida majored in architecture. Although he was absorbed in working on it, he says that he suddenly realized something.

Kishida ``When I thought deeply about 'architecture', I realized that I wanted to concept design the culture and sociality that will be built after building, and the people who spend time there.Kanji for 'architecture' In other words, I was more interested in 'building' than 'building'."

My interest in building culture was evident in my university extracurricular activities. As part of his extracurricular activities, Kishida frequently visited farming villages about 25 kilometers away from the city where his university was located, and stayed at the homes of local grandfathers and grandmothers. What was there was the desire to liven up the area.

Kishida: I was indebted to an old-fashioned house with a Goemon bath and a wood-burning stove. While listening to the stories of the local people, I thought about how I could make this area better.

At that time, my motivation was not so much to create a community, but to entertain and make the people in the community happy. So, after graduating from university, I thought it might be a good idea to continue living in a farming village and make a living as a half-farmer, half-builder.”

Is it architectural concept design? Agriculture? or both? What makes life fun? Kishida said he was worried. However, one day, I came across an article by the Research Institute for Cultural Environment, a think tank of NOMURA Through his thesis, he learned that NOMURA NOMURA in charge of concept design and operation of the museum, and the next day he immediately went to visit the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture.

Kishida: I spoke with the person in charge of the museum and asked him about the intention behind concept design of the museum. I remember being surprised."

Kishida thinks, "If it's farming, you can do it even after you're older." ``Then, let's join NOMURA first and absorb the methods to make the area lively,'' I thought.

Kishida: I chose to become a planner rather than a designer because I wanted to be involved in the phase of thinking about the essence of a facility. I got a job offer without any problems, and I'm here now."

Aiming for displays that can be understood by anyone, a strong awareness of "inclusive concept design"

▲Fukui Prefectural Varve Museum. A 45-meter varve for 70,000 years is displayed in the gallery as it is

In 2018, Kishida served as the main planner for the Fukui Prefectural Veiled Museum project for the first time.

Kishida: The varve museum is a museum with the theme of ``striped soil'' collected from a miraculous lake in Fukui Prefecture. The history of each season is accumulated in striped patterns, such as yellow sand and iron content.There are striped patterns for 70,000 years.Such a striped pattern drawn by nature. The patterns are called varves.In addition, coral reefs, annual rings of trees, and ice sheets in the North and South Poles can also be called varves, so we decided to displays them at the varves museum.

First, I went to meet researchers in each field and collected various materials. At first, it was a project without a curator, so I sorted out the information and worked with customers and researchers to create a facility.”

Looking back, this experience at the Veiled Museum solidified Kishida's style as a planner.

Kishida: Each person has a different style of planner. Some planners have a style of creating a concept and leaving it to the designer. , I want to make it while drawing a picture of the displays image by myself.I will also mention the specific concept design and make it together while colliding with the designer.While enjoying repeated trial and error, there is no relationship between age and position. It was a project where I found the core of my work, exchanging flat opinions with designers.”

​The Tokushima Prefectural Museum project in 2021 is also impressive for Kishida.

Kishida: In this project, we actively adopted the so-called displays concept design that considers people with disabilities and displays. In this project, we held many inclusive concept design workshops in which we designed together with people with disabilities and foreigners, etc. Through these workshops, we made many discoveries that we would not have been able to discover on our own. Regardless of presence or absence, we worked hard to create displays that everyone can enjoy.

For example, when I proposed a commentary text packed with text information for people with hearing impairments, the people involved said that a short amount of text like the message used on SNS would be appropriate. I improved my writing style. In addition, we discussed how to effectively displays together with people with visual impairments while communicating with them, such as having them actually touch displays.

When creating a facility, we will design and concept design so that as many people as possible can use it easily. However, there are some things that we cannot understand on our own, so by having various people experience 'how they actually feel' together, we will complete displays that will reach many people."

I want to pursue the possibilities as a "place" that transcends the framework of the museum.

Kishida would like to continue to focus on the area of inclusive concept design.

Kishida displays I think there are many new concept design displays can do, such as thinking about displays together with LGBTQ+ people, people with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and mental disabilities. I want to expand the width of the space and create an attractive space.

I hope that every project can work towards inclusive concept design somewhere. For that reason, I would be happy if I could create a facility with various people in the area. Building a museum is a lot of fun from an educational point of view. I hope to involve many people in the process.”

In recent years, the definition of a museum proposed by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has changed. The definition added that museums should be “inclusive places” and “places where citizens can communicate and participate”. Kishida's vision is aligned with these two new definitions.

Kishida: I would like to actively adopt new methods without being bound by the conventional framework of museums. People are refraining from going out, and opportunities to meet people have decreased, but even in such times, museums convey the joy of interacting with people in real life. is providing value.

I believe that new and unknown things will continue to happen in the future. There will also be things that change culture and society completely. At such times, what kind of value can museums create in each era? With high expectations in mind, we will continue to work hard.”

Kishida pursues the possibilities of museums as a place. We will continue to build a new culture while conveying the charm of each region.