10 Questions with… Takeshi Miyakawa

INTERIOR DESIGN: So what exactly did the installation comprise?

TAKESHI MIYAKAWA: Plastic bags contained a polycarbonate box that housed LED lights and a 12-volt chargeable battery. To waterproof the construction, the polycarbonate box was then placed in an acrylic box. So LEDs inside the plastic bag were connected to a battery with an electric cable. I made a total of nine bags.

ID: Did the works have any kind of signature or logo on them, or did you leave them as anonymous?

TM: This installation was supposed to be anonymous so I didn’t leave any logos or signatures. I didn’t send any invitations to my friends either. As I’ve mentioned many times, I didn’t do this installation to get a media attention so I feel a bit embarrassed about this whole situation. In this case all the press helped a lot to let me out of a jail so I really appreciate that.

ID: What were you hoping to achieve with the installation?

TM: I just wanted to bring a small piece of art and design outdoors during New York Design Week – to celebrate and to send a positive message to the people on the street. When I get an inspiration for a new design, I often take a piece of paper to cut and fold to play and that’s the happiest moment for me, just like a kid with a favorite toy.

ID: Where were you hoping to place the illuminated bags?

TM: I installed four on Friday, May 18, in the early morning. In Brooklyn, I placed them at Bedford Avenue between North 5th Street and North 6th Street. In Manhattan, I placed them at 13th Street and Greenwich Street; on Bowery Street in front of the Bowery Hotel; and on Spring Street and Crosby Street. When I was installing the fifth early Saturday morning at Bedford and Lorimer, I was arrested.

ID: What was your reaction to the arrest?

TM: I was in shock when this police officer told me that they had to evacuate Bedford Avenue for two hours after someone who saw a bag reported it to the police. I later learned that it was a 311 phone call.

ID: What happened next – was the installation removed at all locations?

TM: While I was at the police precinct, I was asked how many more existed and where I had installed them, so, yes, authorities removed them soon after.

ID: What was the chief reaction expressed to you by friends and colleagues in the design industry?

TM: I heard they were in shock. But many of my close friends started to organize a team to rescue me. So many people were surprised and upset when the judge decided to lock me up for 30 days and requested a psychiatric evaluation.

ID: Has this experience changed the way you approach your art or how you will proceed with making art in the future?

TM: I don’t know. I think I will have to wait and see how this experience will affect my art and design. I’m just resting now…

ID: Have you done any similar installations in the past – how were they received by the city and the public?

TM: Not the same kind. The case isn’t over yet so I can’t talk too much. Sorry.

ID: Do you regret the “I ♥ New York” installation?

TM: Yes, because people on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn had to be evacuated for two hours. I had my furniture studio on North 3rd Street and lived on South 4th Street until just last year, so I know many people in this area and I just feel so bad for them.