The experiential event "SHIBUYA WANDERING CRAFT 2026" began on August 22nd at "Creative Space 8/" on the 8th floor Shibuya Hikarie.

This event is an annual tradition that has been running since 2014. Each facility on the 8th floor will present exhibitions, talks, workshops, and more, all based on a common theme. This year's theme is "Stay and Belonging," and it will explore the question, "What kind of place allows you to be yourself, born from a fulfilling stay?"

The main event is "Hara Rintaro + Hara Yu Interactive Art 'Summer Kids are Like Bees. City Kids are Like Spheres!'" held at the event space "8/COURT" and the adjacent gallery "CUBE". Artist unit Hara Rintaro + Hara Yu will present interactive works such as a giant board game and a ping pong table.

原さんらは17～8年前からユニットで活動。越後妻有「大地の芸術祭」や瀬戸内国際芸術祭など国内外で体験型作品を発表してきた。倫太郎さんはモーターや光を使ったキネティックアート、游さんは絵画をそれぞれ制作していたが、大規模な空間での作品制作をきっかけに互いの技術を組み合わせるようになった。現在は「遊び」を軸に、その土地の文化や歴史を取り込んだ作品を多く手がける。

"Hachi no Ji Sugoroku" - a board game played in the streets of Shibuya

The latest creation is "Shibuya Hachi no Ji Sugoroku (a type of board game)." It's a giant board game where players place squares on the floor and move around on them like game pieces.

「すごろく」で遊ぶ子どもたち

When asked why he chose "8 (hachi)" as the motif, Rintaro said, "This is on the 8th floor and it's called 'Creative Space 8/', and Hachiko is also nearby. If you turn 8 on its side it becomes infinity, and there's also the insect bee. When I was thinking about a board game in Shibuya, it just popped into my head."

渋谷にちなんだ内容や指令が書かれたすごろくのコマ

The game incorporates approximately 20 instructions related to Shibuya, such as the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Spanish Hill, and the Hachiko statue. In addition to content that teaches about the city, there are also activities that involve physical movement, such as hula hoops and kendama (cup-and-ball game).

コマとして使うのは、アリやハクビシン、犬、猫など東京に生息する生き物を描いた小さな絵画作品。参加者が生物の引き紐（リード）を持ち、サイコロの目に従って「散歩」させながら進む。

Rintaro said, "If someone suddenly asked me to do a hula hoop in a normal place, I'd be embarrassed. But within the rules of a board game, I can do it naturally."

親子のコミュニケーションが自然に生まれる

He says that what he aims for with his work is not so much winning or losing, but the time that is created between people. "Whether it's between parents and children or friends, I hope that people will communicate with each other there. I hope that not only the artwork itself, but also the atmosphere and scenery created in that space will become art."

Table tennis with the sound of a pot banging, table tennis played by three people.

The venue also features table tennis artworks representative of Hara and his colleagues. The series began in 2019 when they were asked to "create a table tennis hall" on Megijima Island in Kagawa Prefecture for the Setouchi Triennale, and they have since created more than a dozen pieces.

ポップアートのような大小カラフルな鍋を埋め込んだ「ピンポンパン」

"Ping Pong Pan" is a piece of artwork that involves attaching various sizes of pots to a ping pong table. When the ball hits a pot, it makes a different sound depending on the material and size of the pot.

「いろんな鍋トライしてホーローが一番いいですね。 アルミとかはね、あまりいい音がしなくて」と説明する倫太郎さん

「鍋屋さんに卓球のボールを持っていって、一つずつ音を確かめました。不審者に間違えられましたけど（笑）」（倫太郎さん）といい、この作品には20個以上の鍋を取り付けた。

ブラックライトを当てると光る卓球台

The ping pong table next to it is a work created for "Roppongi Art Night" in 2020. It couldn't be displayed at the time due to the cancellation of the event because of the spread of the coronavirus, but it uses fluorescent paint, and when a black light is shone on it, geometric patterns appear. The polygon-shaped net in the center is designed so that the ball can be passed through both the top and the middle.

左＝ピンポンとエアホッケーを交互に楽しめる卓球台。オランダの芸術運動「デ・ステイル」の原則に基づき、赤、黒、青、黄のみでデザインされている。右＝板の長さによって異なる音を奏でる「マリンバピンポン」。台の下にコンタクトマイクを取り付け、球が木琴に当たるたびに音が響く

Furthermore, Gallery CUBE also features works such as "Marimba Ping Pong," which produces sounds like a xylophone, and pieces that allow you to enjoy air hockey and table tennis alternately.

「武蔵野3人卓球」は、3人で一つのボールをつなぐ卓球台。国木田独歩の『武蔵野』を題材に、タヌキや猫など身近な動物を描いた。游さんは「3人なので、勝ち負けというより協力してボールをつなげる遊び。台も低くして、子どもでも参加しやすくしている」と話す。

大人も子どもも一緒に楽しめる「武蔵野3人卓球」。武蔵野の森に暮らす動物たちが、湖面に映っているようにも、湖の底から見上げているようにも見えるトリックを取り入れた作品

An interactive art space to explore while playing.

This exhibition also incorporates ingenious methods to create a continuous space between "8/COURT" and "CUBE." Upon seeing the green floor of 8/COURT, Rintaro said, "I thought it would become a space that's a little like a forest," and he placed tree-like objects and artworks there. This creates a flow that allows visitors to wander around playfully and naturally enter the adjacent gallery.

2つの会場を双六（すごろく）でつなぎ、来場者の自然な回遊を促す会場構成

紙を組み合わせて昆虫を作り、粘着材「ひっつき虫」で木に貼り付けるセルフワークショップ「ひっつき虫ツリーを作ろう」も展開。参加者が増えるほど、木に色とりどりの虫が加わっていく。

セルフワークショップ「ひっつき虫ツリー」。参加者が作った虫が増えるほど、木が色鮮やかに

「（ワークショップは）子ども向けに考えましたが、大人もかなり楽しんでいる」と游さん。

Further inside the space, there will be an exhibit called "Logos Garden," which uses approximately 500 building blocks.

「言葉の積み木」を自由に組み合わせて楽しむ体験型作品 「ロゴスの庭」

The building blocks are inscribed with words picked up from movies, books, and radio, as well as everyday words seen in the city, such as "parking lot" and "lunchtime." Participants freely combine the blocks to create sentences and towers of words.

The artwork was born from a solo exhibition inspired by the "Tower of Babel" from the Old Testament. Rintaro explains, "When you combine words, surreal or unexpected meanings emerge. It's a work that people can not only look at, but also play with by combining the words themselves."

Showcasing rural experiences in the "urban heart of the city"

For Hara and his friends, Shibuya is a familiar place. Yu has been visiting since childhood because her parents' company was located in Shibuya, and Rintaro also commuted to Shibuya from Yokohama on the Tokyu Toyoko Line. "Watching movies at the Tokyu Culture Hall, going around to independent theaters, and visiting Tower Records and Parco Book Center was our regular routine," he recalls.

In recent years, he has been active mostly in rural areas such as Echigo-Tsumari and Setouchi, so he says about this exhibition, "It's challenging to be able to showcase the experiences I've cultivated in rural areas in the heart of the city."

Rintaro says he sees potential in developing his work in commercial facilities. "The playgrounds that companies usually create within facilities are designed for 'playing,' so the starting point is different. We start from the context of art and incorporate play into it. Unlike functional and highly polished play equipment, ours are a little looser and have some room for error. That's where the diversity and flexibility unique to art comes in," says Rintaro.

左から原倫太郎さん、原游さん

各作品には、文化や歴史、文学などにつながる要素が随所に盛り込まれている。アーティストの手仕事による、少し不均一で余白のある「遊び場」が、一般的なプレイグラウンドとの違いだという。「今、私たちは台湾でも商業施設の中で、水を使った全長15メートルほどの作品を展示している。都市の商業施設の中に、こうした体験型のアートが入っていく機会は、これからさらに増えていくのではないか」と期待を寄せる。

Finally, Rintaro said, "Our work has a very broad appeal, from preschoolers to adults. Parents and children can play together, and sometimes strangers meet through three-person table tennis. We want people of all generations to experience it." Yu added, "It's too hot to play outside right now, so I think it would be good to have more places like this in the city," urging people to come.

Beyond simply "looking" at the artwork, Hara and his colleagues view the temporary landscapes that emerge from these interactions—the connections between people—as art itself.

The event runs until August 30th. Participation is free.

Venue

Interviews and writing

Editorial Department: Takashi Fujii

Shibuya registrar. In addition to Shibuya of Culture information, seasonal news and topics, it will spell write that feel every day.