Untitled (Occupied House)

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Person standing in front of a two-story building with a brick facade and large windows on an urban street. The building has a flat roof and adjacent is a smaller structure with signage. The street is empty with visible sidewalks and road markers.

  • Untitled (Occupied House) is a participatory art project by Kate McMahon. 

    The project explores occupation & belonging & runs from July 07, 2023 - July 07, 2028.

    The artwork is located in Hida, Japan & supported by Hida Social Club (HSC). The work consists of the act of occupying the site, and the relationships, changes & activities that take place with different occupants over 5 years.

  • The following boundaries define the work:

    1. The site is a shophouse the town of Hida Furukawa in the Northern Alps of Japan. Once a hair salon, the site is an akiya (空き家) and had been abandoned for 20 years

    2. The project will run for 5 years. There will be up to 20 occupancies, one for each season. Each term begins the first week of April, July, October or January & ends on the following equinox or solstice. Participants can be physically present for any length of time within each occupancy period, from 0 seconds to the entire period.

    3. Occupants are invited to shape the site with their activity in both tangible & intangible ways. There are no restrictions or expectations about occupants' activities (physical works, who stays in the house etc) except that the length of stay, preparations needed, long-term changes or activities that have potential impacts on future occupancies must be agreed with the artist in advance.

    4. Resources will be made available to occupants. These include the services of carpenters, designers & technicians as well as materials, introductions to locals & invitations to join community activities, spaces & equipment needed to eat, sleep, work, travel & make things.

    5. The project is open to everyone. Anyone can apply to be an occupant. The site is open to visitors during normal business hours by appointment.

  • Anyone is welcome to take part. Spaces are limited.

    Please feel free to send the artist a message directly to organise a visit, talk about the project, the space or how you or your organisation might like to occupy the site.

    Applications open 12 months before the start of each season, there is no closing date.

    The program runs from Spring 2023 - 2028, annual occupancy seasons are:

    Spring: April 1 - June 22

    Summer: July 1 - September 22

    Autumn: October 1 - December 22

    Winter: January 7 - March 22

  • Each year an edition of Untitled (Occupied House): The People of Hida are Great is created to capture an impression of the year’s research & activity.

    1. Occupants are asked to contribute an object or something tangible to the Untitled project that reflects their occupancy. This could be an artwork, book, found object or permanent changes to the property itself.

    2. Contact us for costs associated with programs, some funded spots are available.

    3. An administration fee is charged in advance as a lump sum. This payment is required to hold the space. This is refundable in full up to 60 days before the first day of the season, and 50% of the total is refundable up to 30 days before the first day of the season.

    4. Additional occupants' contributions will be calculated per day of stay & should be paid in advance (children staying with occupants are not expected to make a contribution).

    5. Food, travel and all other costs must be covered by the occupant/s

FAQ

Project Partners

  • Participants in the Untitled (Occupied House) project are invited to participate in Hida Social Club (HSC) projects and/or make use of HSC resources for their own projects during their occupancy.

  • The following resources are made available by Hida Social Club at no cost or at a subsidised price. Indicate in your application which elements you may be interested in.

    SERVICES

    • Carpentry & construction services

    • Open Bothie Feedback sessions

    • Live in caretaker

    • Building design & graphic design

    • Curatorial & exhibition design

    • Translation (informal only)

    • Research (English & Japanese)

    • Volunteer management, program development

    • Engagement & consultation

    • Project management, procurement, logistics

    • Teaching, tutorials, training around renovation & building repair

    SPACES & EQUIPMENT

    • Use of the project space (see details below)

    • Hida Social Club’s kei car camper

    • 4 x bicycles 

    • Bedding for 6 people (traditional futon-style)

    • Camping gear for 2 people & bicycle trailer

    • Basic carpentry tools & equipment

    • Basic art materials

    • Recycled construction materials (according to availability)

    • Library (artist publications, travel, cultural, design)

  • The following can also be arranged on request with local providers for a fee:

    • All the the resources listed above

    WORK SPACES

    • Teaching & group work & meeting venues

    • Exhibition & performance spaces

    • Co-working spaces

    • Workshop spaces

    MATERIALS & EQUIPMENT

    • For carpentry, wood work, furniture production, ceramics, textiles etc

    • AV equipment, sound systems

    • Musical instruments

    ACCOMMODATION & TRAVEL

    • Group accommodation (including for school groups), ryokans & homestays

    • Electric bicycles & bicycle trailers

    • Snow, hiking, camping gear

    • Additional bedding, or bedding to suit mobility access needs etc

    • Hire cars, including campervans, motorhomes & wheelchair accessible vehicles

    SERVICES

    • Technical, practical & theory teaching & learning sessions & programming (e.g carpentry, construction, urban design, contemporary art, community development & traditional Japanese crafts & processes)

    • Traditional craft methods with local artists & takumi (匠) including, Hida-shunkei lacquerware, Ichii woodcarving, Hida furniture & joinery, kintsugi & weaving & hand-dying using medicinal dyes local to Hida

    • Tours & stakeholder engagement with local organisations & representatives

    • Recreational tours, fieldtrips, tour guides, activities such as skiing lessons, snowshoe experiences, cooking classes etc

    • Architectural, object & graphic design

    • Real estate advice & procurement

    • Destination management company services (DMC), tours, travel agency services & bookings

    • Shipping luggage/ equipment to and from the airport or other locations in Japan

    • Translation services (for English speakers)

    * As our project aims to build the local economy and support sustainable arts practice we only facilitate paid work (outside of those provided by the artist & Hida Social Club) . Any unpaid or volunteer services from partners or local providers must be organised directly by occupants.