MACHIKUSA PROJECT

SHIMPEY SHIGEMOTO

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Grass that lives in the city. These ‘Machikusa’ (city grasses) are something you will also find in the place where you live.

One day, when I was walking along a road, I noticed a face looking at me from a crack in the pavement. It are these kinds of weeds, that you see, but at the same time do not actually notice. However, at that time I was struck by the appearance of this weed, that grew bravely from a narrow space into the ground. It was at that moment that I started to observe the different kinds of grasses that grew around town.

Every time when I focus on these types of grasses, that each have their own particular growing styles and favorite places, I make new discoveries on their characteristics. It is not just about one spire of grass. It is about the scenery of many grasses that group together around buildings in the cityscape. Looking at them, it is almost as if these grasses are talking to you like humans, each with their own pride and with their own sense of humor.

In the end I decided to call these kinds of grasses ‘machikusa’ (city grasses) and started a record book about them. In this book, I record pictures of different types of grasses that I have found around town, along with their names and their classifications.

Shimpei Shigemoto(Professor Machikusa)

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