The Matter of Facts, Minato City, Japan, Tokyo, photos, Japanese architecture installation, design images

The Matter of Facts, Minato City, Tokyo

26 March 2025

Architect: PAN- PROJECTS

Location: Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

Photographer: PAN- PROJECTS

The Matter of Facts, Japan

London-based design practice, PAN- PROJECTS presents The Matter of Facts, a large-scale public art installation exhibited for six months at The National Art Center, Tokyo, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using printed matter collected from across Japan, the project transforms materials that reflect what was silently lost from cities during the lockdown—cancelled exhibitions, closed shops, bankrupt magazines, incorrect newspapers, and more—into a poignant medium for reflection.

This monumental accumulation symbolises the fragile remnants of urban life disrupted by the pandemic. By showcasing these fragments, the installation invites viewers to confront the scale of these silent losses and to re-examine their place within a shifting world. Supported by the Nomura Foundation and realised in cooperation with Robert Walters Japan, The Matter of Facts transforms overlooked absences into a collective memory of resilience.

The Matter of Facts is a six-month public art installation that uses printed matter collected from across Japan to explore the silent losses endured during the COVID-19 pandemic. These papers—cancelled exhibition flyers, closed shop notices, bankrupt magazines, incorrect newspapers, and other remnants—represent the gradual erasure of urban life while people remained locked indoors. Originally intended to serve as ephemeral documentation, these materials have been reimagined as a monumental archive of absence.

The installation organises these fragments into a symbolic mass, capturing the essence of what disappeared from the cityscape. From afar, the work embodies the scale of societal disruption, while up close, the individual pieces recount personal and collective stories of halted progress and silenced activity. This accumulation allows viewers to reflect on their connection to the lost rhythms of urban life.

Through this act of preserving and showcasing what was lost, The Matter of Facts urges viewers to reconsider their present place in the aftermath of disruption. The project transforms these overlooked fragments into a cohesive narrative, reminding us of the delicate balance between permanence and impermanence in our everyday lives.

Commissioned by The National Art Center, Tokyo, and supported by the Nomura Foundation in cooperation with Robert Walters Japan, The Matter of Facts redefines public art as a powerful medium for memory, resilience, and reconnection.