FIXES

Non-Intentional Design: Investigating alterations of space/objects at the public/private boundary in suburban Tokyo, Japan. A resource by a-small-lab.com. Contact: Chris Berthelsen chris@a-small-lab.com

Annotated Map

Street map in Shibuya annotated with print labels.

Annotated Map
Annotated Map

Materials: Print Labels
Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Lost and Found

Impromptu and hard to miss lost and found repository.

Lost and Found
Lost and Found

Materials: Post
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Train Timetable in Bar

Train timetable on small izakaya wall helps patrons get home in timely fashion, saving them taxi fare and saving the bar staff from having to deal with stragglers.

Train Timetable in Bar
Train Timetable in Bar

Materials: Paper
Location: Akishima-shi, Tokyo

Street Marketing Stabilization in PET Bottle

Sign stabilized against wind with water filled PET bottle.

Street Marketing Stabilization in PET Bottle
Street Marketing Stabilization in PET Bottle

Materials: PET Bottle
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Weird DIY-style Cigarette Marketing

Cigarette marketing in a DIY/guerilla style outside a convenience store.

Weird DIY-style Cigarette Marketing
Weird DIY-style Cigarette Marketing

Materials: Paper
Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo

Park Sound Restrictions in Laminated Paper

Signage requesting low volume usage of radio/CD players in the park.

Park Sound Restrictions in Laminated A4
Park Sound Restrictions in Laminated A4

Materials: Laminated A3
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Watch out for purse-snatchers in laminated A4

Signage in subway station warning of purse-snatchers.

Watch out for purse-snatchers in laminated A4
Watch out for purse-snatchers in laminated A4

Materials: Duct Tape, Laminated A4
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Community Safety Signage

Community saftey signage in subway station – watch out for purse snatchers, “Ore Ore” sagi, and break-ins.

Community Safety Signage

Materials: Duct Tape, Laminated A4
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

Parking Signage Cone

Traffic coat modified with laminated poster as a barrier to entry and informative sign.


Material: Traffic Cone, Laminated Paper
Location: Akishima, Tokyo

Station Signage

Makeshift station signage constructed from a plastic plate and wire. Attached to existing signpost.



Material: Plastic Plate, Wire
Location: Ome, Tokyo

Tokyo Tower Direction Collage 2

Direction sign for Tokyo Tower at Akabanebashi Subway Station. Constructed of tourist brochure cut-outs and classic Tokyo public trasport duct tape lettering.

Tokyo Tower Direction Collage
Tokyo Tower Direction Collage
Tokyo Tower Direction Collage
Tokyo Tower Direction Collage
Tokyo Tower Direction Collage

Materials: Duct Tape, Tourist Brochure
Location: Akabanebashi, Tokyo

A3 Station Signage

Clarification signage in laminated A4.

Bilingual Station Signage

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Shinjuku Station, Tokyo

Tokyo Tower Direction Collage

Felt tipped pens, photocopied map, and tourist brochure combined to form an official information sign in a subway station near Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo Tower Direction Collage

Materials: Felt Tipped Pens, Tourist Brochure, Photocopied Map
Location: Akabanebashi Subway Station, Tokyo

Bilingual Station Signage

Shinjuku station signage, bilingual in all the important places.

Bilingual Station Signage
Bilingual Station Signage
Bilingual Station Signage

Materials: Tape, Printed Labels
Location: Shinjuku Station, Tokyo

No Smoking, No Parking

No parking, no smoking signage in laminated paper and duct tape. Interesting triangular folded signage on corner.

No Smoking, No Parking
No Smoking, No Parking
No Smoking, No Parking
No Smoking, No Parking

Materials: Laminated Paper, Duct Tape
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Laminated Station Information

Various laminated station posters.

Laminated Station Information
Laminated Station Information
Laminated Station Information
Laminated Station Information
Laminated Station Information
Laminated Station Information

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Shibuya, Tokyo

Station Notification in MS Office

Signage warning of possible platform dangers – created in MS Office.

Station Notification in MS Office

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Nagoya, Aichi

Station Notification in Laminated Paper

Laminated paper sign notifying passengers of a service that allows you to search train timetables on your mobile phone.

Station Notification in Laminated Paper
Station Notification in Laminated Paper

Materials: Laminated Paper
Location: Nagoya, Aichi

Yaki-imo Lamppost Signage

Yaki-imo (roasted sweet potato) advertisement on lamppost. Constructed of a cardboard box, plastic twine, and wire ties.

Yaki-imo Lampost Signage
Yaki-imo Lampost Signage
Yaki-imo Lampost Signage
Yaki-imo Lampost Signage
Yaki-imo Lampost Signage

Materials: Cardboard Box, Plastic Twine, Wire
Location: Kunitachi, Tokyo

Park Map Notifications

Park map amended with laminated signs notifying users of changes to park access during park renovations.

Park Map Notifications

Park Map Notifications

Materials:
Laminated Paper
Location: Higashimurayama, Tokyo

Mega-Cities: Design Anthropology and Urban Landscapes
I'm delighted and honoured to have my FIXES work included in Jared Braiterman's Tokyo University graduate seminar on mega-cities.
You can download the syllabus [HERE]


Thanks to the URBAN DESIGN Lab 西村・北沢・窪田 都市デザイン研究室, Department of Urban Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo for making this a featured resource of their lab [LINK]

Vision Plus 2010
Thanks to the organizers of the conference for selecting this project as a featured resource, even though I was not able to attend.




Article: Small Places of Anarchy in the City: Three Investigations in Tokyo on This Big City

Article: The Non-Intentional Landscape of Tokyo - read at This Big City

Article: Framework for Neighbourhood Creative Climate - read at This Big City

Tokyo Green Space from Jared Braiterman is a great inspiration [LINK]

Urban Bricolage by @ehooge is an inspiring site on a related theme [LINK]

Treepolis by Christoph Rupprecht inspires me with investigations into informal green space, cities, and urban ecology with a focus on Australia and Japan [LINK]

Everyday Structures by @alanwiig is another fine site in the same vein [LINK]