Untitled (Occupied House) is a participatory art project by Kate McMahon. 

The project explores occupation & belonging & runs from July 07, 2023 - July 07, 2028.

The artwork is located in Hida, Japan & supported by Bothie Social Club (BSC). The work consists of the act of occupying the site, and the relationships, changes & activities that take place with different occupants over 5 years.

The following boundaries define the work:

1. The site is a shophouse the town of Hida Furukawa in the Northern Alps of Japan. Once a hair salon, the site is an akiya (空き家) and had been abandoned for 20 years

2. The project will run for 5 years. There will be 20 occupancies, one for each season. Each term begins the first week of April, July, October or January & ends on the following equinox or solstice. Participants can be physically present for any length of time within each occupancy period, from 0 seconds to the entire period.

3. Occupants are invited to shape the site with their activity in both tangible & intangible ways. There are no restrictions or expectations about occupants' activities (physical works, who stays in the house etc) except that the length of stay, preparations needed, long-term changes or activities that have potential impacts on future occupancies must be agreed with the artist in advance.

4. Resources will be made available to occupants. These include the services of carpenters, designers & technicians as well as materials, introductions to locals & invitations to join community activities, spaces & equipment needed to eat, sleep, work, travel & make things.

5. The project is open to everyone. Anyone can apply to be an occupant. The site is open to visitors during normal business hours by appointment.

Anyone is welcome to take part. Spaces are limited.

Please feel free to send the artist a message directly to organise a visit, talk about the project, the space or how you or your organisation might like to occupy the site.

Applications open 12 months before the start of each season, there is no closing date.

The program runs from Spring 2023 - 2028, annual occupancy seasons are:

Spring: April 1 - June 22

Summer: July 1 - September 22

Autumn: October 1 - December 22

Winter: January 7 - March 22

Each April we publish an edition of Untitled (Occupied House): The People of Hida are Great to capture an impression of the year’s research & activity. 

The first edition will be published April 2025.

1. Occupants are asked to contribute an object or something tangible to the Untitled project that reflects their occupancy. This could be an artwork, book, found object or permanent changes to the property itself.

2. Bothie Social Club members provide the space and facilities along with general support for the project. Occupants should cover all other costs associated with their occupancy themselves. To keep it simple, occupants are asked to contribute an administration fee of ¥18,000 per stay (about US$120), and a daily fee of ¥650 per person, per day (about US$4.50).  This fee includes the cost of items such as consumables (toilet paper, cleaning supplies etc), utilities, wifi and contributions to  maintenance, bedding, admin & general running costs. This fee is set at an absolute minimum to make the project accessible, occupants should pay more if they believe their stay has generated higher costs than allowed for,  and donations to support the program are welcome.

3. The administration fee is charged in advance as a lump sum. This payment is required to hold the space. This is refundable in full up to 60 days before the first day of the season, and 50% of the total is refundable up to 30 days before the first day of the season.

4. Additional occupants' contributions will be calculated per day of stay & should be paid in advance (children staying with occupants are not expected to make a contribution).

5. Food, travel and all other costs must be covered by the occupant/s