Inujima Academy
Ryan Teo Jun Yan
Inujima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea is currently facing a silver tsunami, with a dwindling population of about 37 elderly residents with an average age of 75. An attempt has been made in recent years in order to revitalise the island by incorporating it into the Setouchi Triennale, with art installations constructed throughout the island by various renowned artists and architects such as Kazuyo Sejima from SANAA.
INUJIMA ACADEMY was created in order to create an environment which could serve as an epicenter for innovation and dialogue between schools from various different countries to transform the island into a place where we can create art instead of mainly consuming it. Moreover, due to the many strong naturalistic elements present in the site such as the Inujima Life Garden and stone quarries, it affords the students of the programme a respite from the rigors and stress of the mainland in Japan. The traditional elements of the previously abandoned house have been reinterpreted, with a second underground level having been carved out and programmatically allocated using the unit of a tatami mat as a unit of measure for the human scale.
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