Futures of the Future: renowned architect Sou Fujimoto is the first to exhibit at Japan House London

On show for the first time in the UK, Futures of the Future explores the innovative works of one of Japan’s most influential contemporary architects. Fujimoto’s vision of the future is not a fully imagined set of assumptions but is to plant the seeds of inspiration and potential. This exhibition looks at not only current projects but also Fujimoto’s architectural experiments for the future.

"Creating architecture is like planting seeds of the future," says Fujimoto. "When we design, we pay close attention to the context of the site, the requests of our clients, and the cultural and historical backgrounds of each local community.

"Our dialogues with a variety of such factors inspire us to create actual places. In other words, it might be the kind of work to give forms to latent possibilities that remain hidden in the real society. Therefore, if what we call the future is defined as a series of possibilities, I would say those small architectural proposals that stimulate them are seeds of the future."

Meanwhile, in The Shop at Japan House London, Fujimoto also presents 'Architecture is Everywhere' which illustrates the concept of discovering architecture within the forms of everyday objects: the serendipity of finding numerous possibilities for new architecture. "Architecture, I think, is something that is first found and then made," he adds. "Just as our ancestors found their habitat in caves and woods, in modern times we discover ours among the many things we encounter in this immense built jungle. And it is a discovery like this that leads us to conceive new architecture.

"Here at this exhibition, I'm presenting this concept of what I call 'Found Architecture'. By placing scale human figures next to the ordinary objects found in everyday life or in contexts that might first seem coincidental, if not fortuitous, we would soon start to read these objects as architectural spaces. The discrepancy in scale in these pairings is serendipitous, and what lies beyond them is a prelude new architecture.

"Within this concept should underlie the question of discovery by chance versus creation with intent. Architecture could come into being from anywhere. I believe fostering that architecture-to-be into real architecture itself is also architecture. Onward architecture continues."

Sou Fujimoto: Futures of the Future is on show at Japan House London from 22 June until Sunday 5 August 2018. Find out more at japanhouselondon.uk.