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from the "too good not to share" department ...
Almost Perfect:
100-Year Old Tokyo Rice Shop Converted to a Space for Creatives
all photos by Brian Scott Peterson
Tokyo based illustrator Luis Mendo would often travel to the neighborhood of Asakusabashi to pick up sketchbooks. And over time he began falling in love with the creative and artistic vibe of the town. He and his wife Yuka were weary of feeling isolated in Shinjuku. Their tight apartment was putting a strain on their love for hosting artist friends from overseas. So when they stumbled onto a 100-Year old building that formerly housed a rice shop, it immediately checked so many boxes for them.
It was almost perfect.
After some renovations, Almost Perfect opened in Octobe 2018.
An essentially a short-term residency program for foreign creatives who want to come to Japan to learn, be inspired and display their work. The 1st floor serves as a gallery and cafe space. Luis & Yuka added a wall to showcase art and kept the old rice machines in place as a tribute to the owner’s past hours of labor.
the 1st floor exhibition and cafe space
The 2nd floor has been completely renovated and now functions as a sleeping quarters for the resident artist, as well as a shared office space. The top and 3rd floor is where Luis and Yuka reside.
Built right after the 1923 Kanto earthquake, the 100-year old building survived the WWII bombings and is in surprisingly great shape with lots of old elements remaining as a nod to its past. Almost Perfect has already completed its 1st residency with French comic artist Charles Berberian and is currently hosting their 2nd creative resident, British photographer Hugo Tillman.
the resident creative’s sleeping quarters
the 2nd floor residency and studio
In case you’re interested in becoming a resident,
check out their website.
How cool is that?
Step by step ...
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| 1. |
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| 2 & 3 |
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
White ink, tissue, sewing pattern.
It always surprises me how forgiving collage can be.
Just because ...
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| Tricolored Blackbird |
Sunday's Smiles ...
2 comments:
What a wonderful renovation! If only I were 25 again! But when I caught a bit of the stairway, sans handrails, I knew this space was not designed for eighty year olds.
Why do you keep your art step by steps in the later part of the blog? They are so inspiring. Thank you, Jacki, once again for always creating a bright spot to start a day.
Jacki, I totally agree with everything Carrol wrote except one thing - for me your blog is a bright spot not in the morning but in the evening. But I think this fact doesn't matter at all. It's good to go to bed with such lovely stories in my head. Thanks, Jacki!
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