A performance-based restaurant was improvised for 2 weeks at the former Kabukicho Book Center Building which was demolished in 2018. Osamu Matsuda,
Yuka Seki, Arata Mino, Aokid, and Ellie produced daily performances, while artists like Yasumasa Morimura, Fuyuki Yamakawa, and musicians like Seppuku Pistols were invited to hold 6 events during the exhibition period. Works by Hermann Nitsch, Yasuyuki Nishio, and Chim↑Pom were also displayed at the venue. Public spaces in cities around the world are now designed and themed, but under the name of “public,” only those who are chosen are allowed to enter. “Ningen Restaurant” began as one of Chim↑Pom’s urban theory practice. The project criticizes the idea of an “entertainment city,” which is used as a catchphrase for redevelopment in various parts of Japan.
The event title “Ningen Restaurant” was adopted from the name of a new bar that opened in 2018 in front of Robot Restaurant by Smappa! Group, who also lent the venue to Chim↑Pom. The head of Smappa! Group is Maki Tezuka, Ellie’s husband. The building of the bar was rented from Shinjuku Soft, a company that owns “Robot Restaurant.”
“Ningen Restaurant” opened as a 2 week-only show and the bar Ningen Restaurant carries its spirit up until this day.
--- Media open/close
ウェブ版美術手帖The Public Times vol.1〜Chim↑Pom卯城竜太 with 松田修による「公の時代のアーティスト論」〜 24/12/2018PDF ウェブ版美術手帖The Public Times vol.2〜Chim↑Pom卯城竜太 with 松田修による「公の時代のアーティスト論」〜 23/12/2018PDF ウェブ版美術手帖The Public Times vol.3〜Chim↑Pom卯城竜太 with 松田修による「公の時代のアーティスト論」〜 22/12/2018PDF ウェブ版美術手帖The Public Times vol.4〜Chim↑Pom卯城竜太 with 松田修による「公の時代のアーティスト論」〜 21/12/2018PDF CINRA.NETChim↑Pomが、「ロボット」でなく「人間」レストランを開く理由 17/10/2018PDF
会場内は、屋上、3階と2階の床に開けられた穴によって青空レストランの様相を呈し、切り取られたフロアは1階に積み上がり、ステージやテーブルとして使用され、縦穴は作品として公開された。一方、会期となった2018年10月の1カ月間で、半径 100メートルの周辺で飛び降り自殺が8件相次ぐという異例の事態も発生した。「にんげんレストラン」のオープン時には、穴の構造を内装として活用しようと考えていたが、多発する近隣の飛び降り自殺を受けて、それ以上の意味合いを感じるようになった。
The venue resembled a sky-view restaurant: holes opened on the rooftop, 3rd floor, and 2nd floor. The debris from those holes were all stacked on the ground floor and used as a stage and table. This vertical hole was presented as an artwork to the public. Meanwhile, eight suicide cases occurred within a radius of 100-meter from the venue during the event in October 2018. Initially, the hole structure was made to be utilized as an interior space, but the increasing number of suicides in the area enhanced the meaning of its central hole.
内装「1階」 撮影:仙波理 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionInterior decoration "1st floor" photo: Satoru Senba Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
内装「1階」 撮影:石原慎一郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionInterior decoration "1st floor" photo: Shinichiro Ishihara Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
内装「2階」 撮影:ナカヤケイスケ Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionInterior decoration "2nd floor" photo: Keisuke Nakaya Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
内装「2階」 撮影:ナカヤケイスケ Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionInterior decoration "2nd floor" photo: Keisuke Nakaya Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
鶏 撮影:井手康郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionchicken photo: Yasuro Ide Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
鶏 撮影:中村奈央 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionchicken photo: Nao Nakamura Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
西尾康之 「稲岡展示居士」 2009 撮影:石原慎一郎 Courtesy of ANOMALYYasuyuki Nishio "Inaoka Exhibition Sanitation" 2009 photo: Shinichiro Ishihara Courtesy of ANOMALY
--- 第7トーア(仮題)The 7th Toa (TBC) open/close
Chim↑Pom 「第7トーア(仮題)」 2018 穴(4フロア分)、空、ビル 撮影:石原慎一郎 「第7トーア(仮題)」には以下のようなキャプションが展示された。
(以降、飛び降りが発生されるたびにキャプションには手書きで更新の記述が書き込まれていった)
「にんげんレストラン」を青空レストランとして内装するために開けた穴。天井も開けることで、空と一階までを空間として繋げ、闇市だった歴史との接続をも時間的にはかる。にんげんレストランオープン時には、この構造は作品というより内装と捉えられていたが、多発する近隣の飛び降り自殺を受けて、それ以上の意味合いを感じるようになった。
昨日(2018.10/17)もここから100mに位置する第6トーアビルで飛び降りが発生。命は助かったとのことだが、今月だけで歌舞伎町ではすでに4件の飛び降りが発生。第6トーアビルだけで、未遂を含め今年に入って約6件。10/2、歌舞伎町ブックセンター(当ビル)での取材時には目の前の三経20ビルにて発生。下の通行人に衝突するという事件となった。同三経20ビルでは、にんげんレストラン設営時の10/12にも発生。 歌舞伎町を取材し続けているジャーナリストの知人は、「あまりにおかしい。通常は2〜3年に一件だったように思う。街の安心安全が謳われだしてから、リスク管理の必要を感じない子たちが来るようになったのでは。」と、Chim↑Pomとの会話の中で推測を語る。」(2018年10月18日Chim↑Pom) Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionChim↑Pom The 7th Toa (TBC) 2018 hole(fourth floor)、sky、building photo: Shinichiro Ishihara The following caption was added to “The 7th Toa (TBC),” and the text continued to be updated in handwriting whenever another death leap occurred.
The work consists of a hole that was opened as part of the interior design of Ningen Restaurant’s sky view.
By opening up the ceiling, the work connects the space between the first floor and the sky and temporally seeks to link with the city’s black market history.
When Ningen Restaurant first opened, this structure served more as interior design rather than artwork. The numerous death leaps that occurred in the neighborhood gave way to deeper meaning.
Even yesterday, October 17, 2018, a person jumped off of the 6th Toa building, located 100 meters away. Fortunately, their life was saved, but there have already been four such cases this month in Kabukicho. Just the 6th Toa building alone has seen six cases this year, including suicide attempts.
On October 2, during an interview at this building, Kabukicho Book Center, a death leap occurred at the building across the street, Sankei 20. The person fell on a passerby below, which caused an accident. Another person jumped off of this Sankei 20 building on October 12 while Chim↑Pom was installing Ningen Restaurant. A journalist who has been researching Kabukicho gave their own reading during a conversation with Chim↑Pom: “This is just too strange. I think usually there is maybe one case in two to three years. Maybe young kids who don’t feel the need to manage their own risks started to gather, ever since the city started to advocate for its safety so much.”
(October 18, 2019, Chim↑Pom)
Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
内装「3階」 撮影:コジマユウ Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionInterior decoration "3rd floor" photo: YU KOJIMA Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
内装「3階」 撮影:石原慎一郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionInterior decoration "3rd floor" photo: Shinichiro Ishihara Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
パフォーマンス「第7トーア」 撮影:中村奈央 会期終了1日前の10月27日には、ChimPomによるパフォーマンスとして、屋上の残留物を穴に投げ込み1階に落としていくドロッピングイベント「第7トーア」が上演された。2階の穴から見たパフォーマンス風景。 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionperformance "TOA Dai-nana Bldg." photo: Nao Nakamura On October 27, a day before the exhibition’s closing, Chim↑Pom staged “The 7th Toa,” a dropping performance event in which they threw remnants left on the rooftop from the hole to the first floor. Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
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Chim↑Pom 「ひとかけら」 2018 凍らせた遺族の涙、冷凍コンテナ、ガラスケース 撮影:石原慎一郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionChim↑Pom "HITOKAKERA" 2018 Frozen tears of survivors,deep-cooling containers,Glass case photo: Shinichiro Ishihara Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
The food menu served at “Ningen Restaurant” was selected from real last meals ordered by death row prisoners. Each meal was listed under the name of the inmate who ordered it. Similarly, the artists’ names were displayed instead of their programs’ titles. The Meal Ticket Machines that were placed in “Ningen Restaurant” also displayed the names of those individuals, and attendees could experience the act of “purchasing another human being” by pressing a button.
In addition, Yumiko Shinozaki created “debris plates” using the debris from the venue’s demolition. These plates were used for the restaurant’s dishes and also sold.
メニューと食券 撮影:中村奈央 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu and tickets photo: Nao Nakamura Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
券売機 撮影:石原慎一郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionvending machine photo: Shinichiro Ishihara Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
メニュー 「ラストミール」 撮影:岡田哲昇 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Productionmenu "Last meal" photo: Tetsunobu Okada Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
Chim↑Pom 「千円札の天ぷら」 2018 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionChim↑Pom "1,000 yen bill tempura" 2018 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
オープニングレセプションの様子 撮影:井手康郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionOpening Reception photo: Yasuro Ide Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
オープニングレセプションの様子 撮影:井手康郎 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionOpening Reception photo: Yasuro Ide Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
Chim↑Pom ドロッピングイベント「第7トーア」 撮影:中村奈央 Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO ProductionChim↑Pom Dropping event "TOA Dai-nana Bldg." photo: Nao Nakamura Courtesy of the artist, ANOMALY and MUJIN-TO Production
Aokid「HUMAN,human,ヒューマン」
全6回(10月16日「HUMAN,human,ヒューマン」、10月17日「進歩」、10月18日「発見」、10月21日「想像と走造」、10月23日「伝説」、10月25日「未定」)の演目のうちの5回目「伝説」は、急遽Aokidによるキュレーションが行われた。
出演した、たくみちゃん、村上裕、ハラサオリ、米澤一平、荘子it、酒井直之の面々が、観客がいない場所も含めた全フロアを隅々まで使い、数時間に渡り即興でダンスや音楽を披露した。>Aokid “Human. human. human”
A total of six performances (including “Human, human, human” on October 16, “Advancement” on October 17, “Discovery” on October 18, “Imagination and Creativity” on October 21, “Legend” on October 23, “TBC” on October 25) took place, and the 5th performance “Legend” was an impromptu curation by Aokid. Performers included Takumi-chan, Yu Murakami, Saori Hara, Ippei Yonezawa, Motoko it, Naoyuki Sakai and more. They used all floors including areas without an audience and performed improvisational dance and music for several hours.
関優花 「≒(nearly equal)」、「おにぎりを解体する」、「元に還していく」
関優花は初日から最終日まで、100キロのチョコレートを自身の体重と同じ重さになるまで舐め溶かした《≒》と、おにぎりを一粒一粒の米に解体していく《おにぎりを解体する》という二つのパフォーマンスをし続けた。Yuka Seki "≒(nearly equal)", "Dismantling an Onigiri" and "Undoing"
Yuka Seki also continued to perform from the first till the very last day. She licked a 100 kg chocolate block until it equaled to about her own weight. She also “dissected” an onigiri rice ball by pulling out each grain of rice one by one.
三野新 「『息』をし続けている」
舞台作家の三野新は、サミュエル・ベケットによる『息』という戯曲をベースにしながら、録音された観客や自身の息を会場内の4 カ所に配置したスピーカーから流し、《『息』をし続けている》を毎日、上演した。 さらに、会期中に出演者や友人が次々とアドリブでキュレーションを展開し、演目やイベントが日々追加されるカオティックな状況となった。Arata Mino "Keep Breathing"
Arata Mino did a daily performance based on Samuel Beckett’s play “Breath.” The breathing noises of the audience and Mino’s own breath were recorded and played from the speakers arranged at four locations in the venue. Moreover, other performers and friends took turns in improvising the exhibition curation, adding to the creative mess.
伊東宣明 「生きている / 生きていない」
自身の心臓の鼓動を聴きながらそのリズムで生肉を叩き続けるパフォーマンスNobuaki Ito "Living / Not Living" This is a performance in which the artist listens to his own heartbeat and continues to hit a raw piece of meat with that rhythm.
松田修 「人間の証明 1」
松田修は会場内で鎖につながれたまま9日間を過ごした。全裸から開始し、観客から与えられる飲食物や衣服だけで生活できたが、3日目からは物が溢れてしまい、観客を相手に商売を開始。最終日には稼いだ 4万円強をステージから観客に投げ込んだ。Osamu Matsuda "Proof of the Human 1"
Osamu Matsuda spent nine days chained to the venue while other performances happened. He started out naked and lived only with food and clothes provided by the spectators, but by the third day, he already had too many possessions and started selling them his visitors. On the last day, he threw over 40,000 yen he managed to earn from the stage to the audience.
エリイ 「新作パフォーマンス 家出」
にんげんレストランに家から通う面倒を省くため、会期中会場に泊まり込み寝起きした。Ellie “New Performance: Runaway”
To save herself from the trouble of commuting to Ningen Restaurant everyday, Ellie stayed and slept over at the venue during the exhibition period.
松村宗亮 「にんげん茶会」
茶道家・松村宗亮による茶会。にんげん茶会と名付けられた回は、松村含め客人も裸、茶器を一切使わずに、手で茶をすくい飲むパフォーマンスとなった。 にんげんレストラン最終日には、1階のフロアにハツリ機で開けた穴を茶器とすることで、ビル全体を茶碗に見立てた。Souryou Matsumura "Ningen Tea Ceremony"
Tea ceremony by Souryou Matsumura. Named Ningen tea ceremony, this performance included Matsumura and customers participating without clothes or tea ware and using just their hands to scoop tea.
On the last day of Ningen Restaurant, they used a hole on the first floor drilled by a chipper as tea ware, portraying the entire building as a teacup.