Returning to Tokyo after living and working in Europe for some years, artist Tadashi Kawamata was struck by a unique characteristic of the megalopolitan Tokyo: It appears to be an unusually orderly and clean city, despite its population. Brightly lit vending machines line the streets at almost regular intervals, and any usable land is destined to be occupied sooner or later. Yet despite all the nooks and crannies that are occupied in Tokyo, Kawamata noticed that there were still plenty of narrow spaces located in between buildings, signboards, parking lots, vending machines and construction fences that remain unused.

With that in mind, Kawamata decided to explore such spaces with his "New Housing Plan," by creating living areas in them. He found three ideal locations in the semi-business, semi-residential areas of Tokyo, and named them "House of Vending Machines," "House of Billboards" and "House of Construction Fence." The first two were located at the intersections of busy streets in Setagaya and Ota wards, and the last was in front of a train station in Setagaya Ward.

The project was implemented in December of last year, and the actual "houses" have been relocated to Galerie Deux in Meguro, Tokyo. They were constructed with scaffolding and thin boards, with no insulation to keep the heat in or to prevent noises. The spaces were leased for about a week, and three men in their 20s and 30s were asked to live in the homes.

The participants lived in these houses, but in a sense they were still homeless, because the houses lacked modern amenities. Instead, they were provided with maps marked with the locations of convenience stores, public toilets and bath houses. Tapping electricity was no problem since they lived behind the bright lights of vending machines or advertisements.

They later commented that they found their lives convenient, and enjoyed a sense of freedom not felt when they lived in their regular homes. The residents in the neighborhood, people passing by or lining up at the bus station nearby, sometimes witnessed one of the men coming down a ladder from a tiny space behind the advertisement board or sweeping in front of a construction fence, as if it were his front yard. Some appeared curious, but most pretended that they were not interested and ignored them.

Kawamata says that he wanted to take advantage of that indifference. The fact that the public ignored him, gave him more opportunity to do whatever he wanted. It is not important for Kawamata to relate to people with his work, or even to label it as artwork. The project might draw public attention, but Kawamata does not intend it to be public art. However, these houses are not private spaces either; they exist somewhere between the realm of public and private.

Kawamata says that as an artist he is always thinking about what kind of issues he can raise in the urban environment, although many of his housing projects in the past did not fit squarely into the artwork category. He values mobility, and the process of his creation was once described as guerrilla activity: "Do it before something happens. When something happens, it is already over," read the closing words of his commentary on the "New Housing Plan."

If his work is not explained in the context of art, it will not be understood by the general public, and his work will exist as something mysterious that lacks its raison d^'etre. Though Kawamata says that his houses have an "anonymous quality," labeling them as art is what allows them to exist.