The Open Water project is an attempt to reaffirm the role played by Tokyo’s rich vein-like network of waterways in the city’s history, and revitalize Tokyo as a city of water in the 21st century by unearthing the potential of water through the creative power of art.
So far the Open Water project has involved research and art events in Tokyo’s waterfront areas; now organizers are offering a solo exhibition by Akihide Saito called “Tokyo Gravel.” This photography exhibition reexamines the Tokyo area as a plain created by water by focusing on two elements: recurring changes in the flow path of the Tama River over some 80,000 years, and the layer known as the “Tokyo Gravel Strata” supporting the city’s skyscrapers. The project will trace the flow of the rivers that created Tokyo, researching former flow paths that can now no longer be seen, and uncovering a hidden, underground side to the city in photographs and video works. An additional artist’s talk will be made available online at a later date.