Merry at Roppongi

First Edition : 2001. Apr
R
Price : 952 yen (excluding tax) A5 irregular size
Photographs : Koji Mizutani
Contributors : Paul Davis, Keiji Ito, Ryosuke Handa,
Jonathan Napack, Dan Fox, Tetsuya Yamamoto,
Yoshinori Kaneko, Mark Dystham, Tatsuya Egawa,
Hirotaka Wada, Yu Fujimoto and others
Editing : Koji Yoshida (Sublime&Co.)
Design : Kazunari Endoh (Mizutani Studio)
Published by Sublime&Co.

Roppongi has been a synonym of a creative town and of a modern community. As time has passed, it seems something about Roppongi has been absorbed into the peoples conscience. Now in the new millenium, Roppongi has been dynamically re-born into another form of a modern city which suggests a new ideology. (e.g. Roppongi 6-Chome Redevelopment Project) [R] is an art-project-oriented "city media" which tries to capture the vibration of the regenerating modern town from a cultural angle. [R] is for Roppongi, and for Rebirth... We consider this could be a forum to communicate the transformation of contemporary cities as a common theme of global culture. We think hopeful smiles generate energy for new times, and they are the universal "salvation" of cities of all ages and cultures. Mizutani took the photographs especially for the original project [R], attracted by the city of Roppongi changing from day to day, and by people's smiles living there. The book also features the comments and arts about the significance of smiles, contributed from all over the world, not only the photographs themselves. What does it mean when cities change? What is it that never changes in the transforming cities? [R] captured the city's dynamism and vitality and will be passed down the generations.