21_21 DESIGN SIGHT

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT will hold an exhibition "What If? BOSAI: The Next Disaster" from July 4, 2025. Exhibition Director is WOW visual design studio.

No one can be sure when the next natural disaster will strike, and where it will occur. Some people prepare by keeping emergency survival kits at home. Others do not dwell on the matter. However much we try to imagine the chaos brought by disaster, the reality of losing all we take for granted is inconceivable ahead of time. For people living in Japan, natural disasters are a simple fact of life. We may prefer to avoid them, but by not ignoring the issues, we build up ideas about what we should be doing right now.

The Exhibition starts from a simple question: what is a disaster? It considers natural disasters through realistic data visualizations of earthquake and flood; it looks at disaster-related products, and at projects emerging out of disaster. We delve into the temporal diversity of attitudes towards disaster, from folklore traditions, to research into future possibilities.

The venue is scattered with questions that visitors are invited to consider. There will be multiple answers depending on the situation. The right answer may relate to who you are. But the future will be effected by how we use our imagination, and listen to the opinions of people close to us. Whatever happens in the moment of disaster will be unexpected. Let's start our practical and mental preparations.