I stumbled across a ’15 rules for a picnic’ leaflet by the Tokyo Picnic Club a few months ago, and forgot about them until today – when they randomly popped back into my head.
Their profile is here, and their website linked to above:
‘Tokyo Picnic Club (TPC) was founded in 2002 to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of picnic, which became popular by the activities of "Pic-Nic Club" founded in London, March 1802. TPC members are over 80 people from various fields like the architect, urban designer, landscape designer, graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, food coordinator, editor, curator etc.. They are to dedicate their talents of creativity for re-defining the activities of picnic in the modern context of urban circumstance of Tokyo, from developing food menu of sandwiches and tea flavours, to renovating the park management systems and its landscape qualities. To criticize the narrowness of public spaces and their exclusive management, TPC is claiming the "Picnic Right", as the basic human right for the urban dwellers of Tokyo’.
Here’s a bit more on ‘picnic rights’ posted on newcastlegateshead.com:
‘Park area per person in Tokyo is only 5.2m2, while 29.1m2 in New York, 26.9m2 in London. In addition to that narrowness, the parks in Tokyo are poorly managed and exclude people, with far too many plants, "keep off the grass" signs, fixed benches and such early closing times of 17:00. In Tokyo, we rarely invite friends to our narrow houses in comfortable manners. Therefore, we expect public spaces to be the place for gathering. We rarely own private gardens with delightful flowers and trees. Therefore, we want to cherish urban nature as our shared gifts. That is the reason why Tokyo Picnic Club insists on the "Picnic Rights", as the basic human rights of the urban dwellers. If the "Greenfield" such as beautiful parks are open to us, picnic can be reminded as the art of encounter with rich wits and traditions. If the "Brownfield" such as ex-industrial sites or abandoned harbours are open to the public, we can try experimental picnic, with new meals, tools, manners and conversations to re-define our modern urban lifestyles. We want to pursue the possibility of picnic, 200 years after its birthday, here in developed Tokyo. To explore the frontier of city, to seek the tastes of modern feast, and to celebrate our precious encounters in the city’.
The most fun project they’ve had seems to be ‘grass on vacation’ when a strip of grass ‘took off from Tokyo’ and landed in Newcastle, UK, last summer. An interesting project from an interesting group that are certainly contributing to convivial public spaces in their own unique way. I especially hope someone picks up from the ‘grass on vacation’ idea and takes it further!…
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