Ryo Sawada | The Existence of the Technical Director in Museums and the Hiroshi Sugito Exhibition
The Technical Director at Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art details the role of in-house installation staff and the behind-the-scenes process of realizing the Hiroshi Sugito exhibition.Summary
The author, working as a Technical Director at the Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art, discusses the rare presence of permanently stationed installation staff in Japanese museums, contrasting it with international examples like ZKM. The article then focuses on the realization of the current exhibition, "Hiroshi Sugito Exhibition: flyleaf and liner," detailing the collaborative process with artist Hiroshi Sugito and graphic designer Kazunari Hattori. This involved initial site visits, using physical models for spatial planning, translating concepts into technical drawings considering budget and material constraints, and creatively reusing materials from previous exhibitions, such as repainting walls or utilizing existing structures. The installation process itself was highly collaborative, with the exhibition space temporarily becoming Sugito's studio, where elements like custom wallpaper and even the construction debris were integrated into the final display. The author concludes by emphasizing the privilege of being a Technical Director who can be involved in the exhibition until the very last detail.
(Source：artscape)