Activating Collaboration: KeMCo Grand Opening Project "Cross-scape"

Image: Scene from the Chutobu Junior High School workshop

On June 18, 2021, the grand opening project of the Keio Museum Commons (Keio Museum Commons), "Cross-scape," came to a close. In "Moji-kei: Writing and Imagery in Masterpieces from the Century Akao Collection," the development of writing culture was traced by combining newly donated masterpieces from the Century Akao Collection with rare books held by the Juku. In "Shu-kei: Gathering Landscapes from the Cultural Properties of Keio University," masterpieces from the art collection held by the Juku were selected and introduced based on the background of human connections. Centered on these two exhibitions and the international symposium "Hon-kei: Associative Landscapes Created by Book Culture," various experiments exploring the possibilities of the museum were developed in collaboration with teams from both within Keio and outside. The mission of Keio Museum Commons is to serve as a "hub" for the decentralized museums at Keio University and to create interaction surrounding cultural properties. We believe we were able to present one form of that practice through this project. In this article, I would like to report on the grand opening project from the perspective of collaboration.

In conjunction with the grand opening of Keio Museum Commons, exhibitions were held on the Mita Campus at the Art Space (South Annex) of the Keio University Art Center (KUAC) and the Mita Media Center exhibition room (Keio University Library (New Building)). The exhibition at the Art Space was "Artist Voice I: Tatsuo Kawaguchi - Apnea." It focused on new works by Tatsuo Kawaguchi, who practiced art production while facing the COVID-19 situation head-on. At the Mita Media Center, as a counterpart to "Moji-kei," "(Western) Moji-kei: Typefaces and Movable Type in Western Rare Books from the Mita Media Center (Keio University Library)" was held under the supervision of Takami Matsuda (Professor, Faculty of Letters / Director, Keio Museum Commons).

Keio Museum Commons planned the "Keio Culture Pass," a common ticket for visiting the three venues. This was an attempt to link the exhibitions and highlight the hubs of art and culture scattered across the Mita Campus.

On April 14, prior to the opening, the "Keio Object Hub (KOH)" was released. KOH is a website that provides an overview of the cultural collections of Keio University. At the time of release, approximately 11,500 cultural properties were registered in cooperation with the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies, the Faculty of Letters Major in Archaeology and Ethnology, the Mita Media Center, and the Committee for the Management and Utilization of Art Objects. Furthermore, in May, collaboration began with "Japan Search," the national cross-disciplinary integrated portal. This established the basic framework for connecting Keio University and cultural properties nationwide in a digital environment. We encourage everyone to try searching for "Yukichi Fukuzawa" on Japan Search.

The transcription of "kuzushiji" (cursive script) necessary for deciphering historical materials is undergoing a major period of transformation due to AI technology. In the "Moji-kei" exhibition, with the cooperation of the Center for Open Data in the Humanities (CODH), CODH's mobile app "miwo," which is equipped with kuzushiji recognition AI, was released to the public for the first time. A workshop using the app was held with students from the calligraphy and art clubs of Keio Chutobu Junior High School. The workshop was designed so that after viewing the works while learning about kuzushiji through experience, students would use the fabrication equipment at KeMCo StudI/O to create secondary works based on their favorite exhibition pieces. The works by the Chutobu students were all masterpieces, and we were surprised by their imagination and creative power.

"KeMCoM," which operates out of the KeMCo StudI/O on the 8th floor, played a major role in connecting the exhibitions and events with various people. KeMCoM is a team of Keio students who work across majors and campuses, exploring new possibilities for culture, art, and fabrication from perspectives and contexts unique to Keio students. For the grand opening, they presented three projects: "Kawaiinfo" (sharing art that can be easily felt from a "kawaii" perspective on social media), "3D Virtual Exhibitions" (a Keio Museum Commons experience in virtual space), and "Augmented Aesthetics" (expanding aesthetic "senses"). The Keio students spent every single day at KeMCo StudI/O, explaining not only their own projects but also the studio's concept and the highlights of the exhibitions. They also served as tutors for the workshop with the Chutobu Junior High School and handled the program composition and appearances for the "Shu-kei" gallery talk.

Looking back quickly at the grand opening, these two months made me realize that Keio Museum Commons is a place where exhibitions and their related programs work together to activate dynamic collaborations. The next project is "Object Reading: Eight Views of Close Reading." This exhibition, a collaboration between eight departments on the Mita Campus, will be held starting August 16.