RE/MAP 2.0 in Tokyo: drawing on local stories to draw out hidden realities

Abstract

This article discusses the role of drawings in interdisciplinary visual research, especially the contribution of line drawings to investigative fieldwork. Citing precedents in Tokyo, the incorporation of sociological and ethnographic methods for architectural research is not new in Japan. RE/MAP 2.0, an exploratory workshop that brought participants from architecture and sociology together, uncovered the hidden realities of sub-metropolitan neighbourhoods in Central Tokyo affected by widespread urban restructuring in the lead up to Tokyo 2020. ‘Careful listening’ complemented the use of visual materials – in particular, researcher-based drawings – for fieldwork documentation. Line drawings produced by the workshop participants, though varied in style and form, contain a critical dimension. They graphically convey, through three case studies, the manipulated legibility of Roppongi, asynchronous spatial inhabitations and movements of street culture groups around Miyashita Park, and the intangible social networks fostered by intermediate wholesalers in Tsukiji for economic survival. Locating this collaboration in the discourse of visual studies practice reinforces the importance of not only interdisciplinary exchanges but also for doing research inclusively.