“Play guide” is a Japanese expression based off English (a concept known as wasei-eigo), and refers to a place where you can buy tickets for concerts, plays, exhibitions and other events. The proper English expression for “play guides” is “ticket agencies”.

Shun Ishizuka, a graphic designer, has spent his career designing flyers for a whole array of different events. With each event, the images he creates are disseminated around before being expended as it comes to a close.

This is Ishizuka’s first solo exhibition, and just like with the other exhibitions he’s had a hand in helping, he has created event flyers and posters which are on display. These aren’t old posters from past events however—each one is a new design for an upcoming event, the display constantly being updated as events close and are announced to guide visitors to their next destination.

In order to bring across the feel of a “play guide”, Ishizuka decided to not only create “posters for events”, but also to create an “event for posters”. In order to realize his vision for this exhibition, he often traveled to Fukuoka for research and personally organized a number of other events. Although he had no ties to Fukuoka and organizing events was something he couldn’t get used to, perhaps it was through experiencing these things outside of his usual line of work that has allowed him to show his true worth as a graphic designer.

Play Guide – Shun Ishizuka
Dates: 2 December – 25 December 2022, 12:00 – 19:00 (Closed on Wednesdays)
Venue: Ao-Hata Bookstore (2F  3-7-15 Yakuin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka)
https://aohatabooks.com/playguide

Jun Asami
Editor and Writer. Director of the antique shop ‘Goods’, also belongs to Design studio ‘Well’. He has worked on the production and publication of artbooks alongside other artist.