A House In the Garden:
Shofuso & Modernism
2020, 4K video, 36:00
Directed by Nadia Hironaka
Produced by Matthew Suib & Aaron Igler of Greenhouse Media in association with Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia
Music by John Carroll Kirby, courtesy Stones Throw Records
Distinctive architecture, close connection to land and nature, deep respect for the architecture and craft traditions of Japan, as well as the early buildings and landscapes of Pennsylvania — this was the common ground for a tight-knit circle of artists and architects who expanded the parameters of modernism in the Philadelphia region and beyond. A House in the Garden: Shofuso and Modernism focuses on the personal, professional and artistic interconnections between renowned woodworker and architect George Nakashima, the husband and wife design team of Antonin Raymond and Noémi Pernessin Raymond, and Junzo Yoshimura — the first in a line of Japanese architects to find success in both Japan and in the United States.
Through slowly unfolding visual explorations of three architecturally significant sites in the Philadelphia region, the film explores this circle's connections with Japan and the translation of their cross-cultural experiences and influences into design and built architectural work during the middle years of the twentieth century. Together, their environmentally and culturally sensitive design philosophies resonated globally and continue to influence architecture and design today.
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Directed by Nadia Hironaka
Produced by Matthew Suib & Aaron Igler of Greenhouse Media in association with Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia
Music by John Carroll Kirby, courtesy Stones Throw Records
Distinctive architecture, close connection to land and nature, deep respect for the architecture and craft traditions of Japan, as well as the early buildings and landscapes of Pennsylvania — this was the common ground for a tight-knit circle of artists and architects who expanded the parameters of modernism in the Philadelphia region and beyond. A House in the Garden: Shofuso and Modernism focuses on the personal, professional and artistic interconnections between renowned woodworker and architect George Nakashima, the husband and wife design team of Antonin Raymond and Noémi Pernessin Raymond, and Junzo Yoshimura — the first in a line of Japanese architects to find success in both Japan and in the United States.
Through slowly unfolding visual explorations of three architecturally significant sites in the Philadelphia region, the film explores this circle's connections with Japan and the translation of their cross-cultural experiences and influences into design and built architectural work during the middle years of the twentieth century. Together, their environmentally and culturally sensitive design philosophies resonated globally and continue to influence architecture and design today.
>> TRAILER
>> PORTFOLIO
>> HOME