Tokyo 1964: Designing Tomorrow, an exhibition exploring the cultural and design legacy behind the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, will open at Japan House London on 5 August 2021. Sharing stories and artefacts never seen before in the UK, the exhibition will run until 7 November.
The 1964 Games were Japan’s first, large-scale engagement with the world after the Second World War. They presented a chance to tell a fresh story and showcase Japanese creativity and design thinking across the globe, an opportunity elevated by the 1964 Games being the first to be broadcast in colour on TV to a world-wide audience via satellite.
Exhibits on display include:
- Original 1964 posters designed by Kamekura Yūsaku and the award-winning team of post-war designers, marking the first time that photography was used to promote an Olympic Games.
- Tickets (pictured), posters and the design guide itself which, for the first time in a worldwide sporting event, set out the visual brand including logotype, typography and the set of newly-created pictograms.
- Architectural models showcasing the pioneering design of buildings such as the Olympic Memorial Tower by Ashihara Yoshinobu and the Yoyogi National Gymnasium by Tange Kenzō, the latter gaining the coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize for its vast suspension roof design.
- Uniform designs from the Games, including a crafted furisode kimono with obi that were worn by those presenting medals at the awards ceremonies.
The majority of objects in the exhibition are loaned from the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum & Library in Japan – many of which will be displayed for the first time in the UK.
Kawamura Hiroyuki, director of the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum, said: “I am very pleased that we have this opportunity to share our collection in the UK in partnership with Japan House London. Please enjoy our major exhibits including the original posters designed by Kamekura Yūsaku and the models of Yoyogi National Gymnasium designed by Tange Kenzō.”
Simon Wright, director of programming at Japan House London, added: “This exhibition shows how the design project for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games, the first to be held in Asia, was revolutionary in creating a unified language by which to communicate the Games. It became the blueprint for subsequent major international sporting events. It illustrates Japan’s powerful emergence on the world stage after the dark years of the Second World War and how this Japanese design vision has influenced, and still influences, so much of what is now.”
A dedicated programme of events accompanies the exhibition including a look at the remarkable volleyball win by the “Witches of the Orient”. Tickets must be pre-booked online via japanhouselondon.uk
Tokyo 1964: Designing Tomorrow
- When: 5 August to 7 November 2021
- Where: Japan House London, 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA
- Website: japanhouselondon.uk