The MAEDA Laboratory of the Department of Architecture at Toyota KOSEN has been working with Toyota City and Nantsuna LLC, the designated administrator, in a three-way collaboration since 2024 to create a space that fosters “connections” by utilizing the exchange corner in the “Toyota Citizen Activity Center,” a Toyota City facility. Last year, we renewed the existing round tables using Toyota City-produced wood.
This year, we are planning to update the wallpaper in the exchange corner, and we held a workshop to create graffiti art on the wall before the update. We drew creatures from the Yahagi River, which flows through Toyota City, to promote interaction among participants and between related organizations and students.
We had the “Yahagi River Aquarium,” a registered organization of the Toyota Citizen Activity Center, give a lecture on the creatures of the Yahagi River, and we also cleaned the aquarium installed in the Toyota City Museum together. We structured the workshop based on that experience. The day before, we drew mountains, rivers, and buildings of Toyota City on the wall.
On the day of the workshop, 11 elementary school students and their families participated, drawing creatures from the Yahagi River and imaginary creatures, and pasted them on the mural. At the event held after the workshop, we were able to see participants announcing what they wanted to do next year with the mural as a backdrop.
[Students project the original drawing onto the wall with a projector to create a rough sketch]
[Painting the green of the mountains and the blue of the river directly on the wall]
[Toyota City Mural, Completed]
[Yahagi River Lecture by Students]
[Participants’ works were pasted on the mural]
[Imaginary creatures drawn by participants]
[Participants drawing imaginary creatures directly on the wall]