Tsuruta Architects reinvents the exhibition stand

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Ståle Eriksen

Defined by a Japanese folklorist in the 1930s, ‘Hare and Ke’ is a concept of time and space that describes a traditional view of the world, writes Tsuruta Architects. ‘Hare’ is a word for special days and places used for celebratory events, and ‘Ke’ refers to ordinary everyday life. Events like trade shows, should come under ‘Hare’ and materials used for these events should also be equivalent to ‘Hare’ occasions. However these days, trade shows and exhibitions happen every year in the same locations and with similar participants, so they start to feel mundane and could almost fall into ‘Ke’.

The client is a manufacturer of construction materials that are normally hidden behind the surface, such as MDF, chipboard and hollow-core planks. Commonly used on building sites, these materials may be defined as ‘Ke’. The manufacture also makes surface products, including floor finishes, kitchen worktops and decorative surface panels, which are available in thousands of choices and are normally exhibited at ‘Hare’ occasions, like exhibitions and trade shows.

For this project, we challenged the ‘Hare’ occasion with ‘Ke’ materials – not to be cynical, but to stimulate and create a contrast in the context, and importantly to appreciate how materials defined as ‘Ke’ support our everyday life. We created a space that represents a habitable environment with a living room, dining, kitchen and study/bedroom. It is made from materials that are normally hidden behind the surface, such as MDF and chipboard, but left exposed. Other surface products, such as floor finishes, kitchen worktop and decorative panels, are concealed within a digital environment.

The visitor can understand both environments when they wear virtual reality goggles. They can choose from thousands of surfaces and apply them to the virtual living environment, which corresponds to the actual spaces made of exposed materials.

The stand is demountable and can be reassembled in just one-and-half days for a show. The 72 individual pieces are light enough to be handled, transported and erected by two people using simple tools. 11,000 trade shows are held each year in Europe. The majority of them last from three to seven days, with exhibitors typically disposing of their exhibits after one occasion. Considering the amount of wastage this entails, the ‘Ke’ approach may be an alternative to the mundane ‘Hare’ situation of the trade show. Following its recent unveiling in London, the stand will be used for exhibitions in Poland and the Netherlands later this year.

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