Sensing Nature
One reason that I love living in this town is the art galleries. They are huge, tiny and everything in between. They are hidden down back streets in unassuming suburbs (like the fantastic SCAI The Bathhouse in historical Yanaka) or dominating the Tokyo skyline as is the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi, where I went to check out this incredible exhibition last weekend.The concept of the masterful Sensing Nature is as follows, taken from the Mori publication:
Yoshioka Tokujin, Shinoda Taro and Kuribayashi Takashi are three internationally active artists/designers who give abstract or symbolic expression to immaterial or amorphous concepts as well as natural phenomenon such as snow, water, wind, light, stars, mountains, waterfalls and forests. Their ideas of nature suggest that it is not something that is to be contrasted with the human world, but that it is something that incorporates all life-forms, including human-beings.
Sounds fascinating? It is. The three artists interpreted this theme in a slightly different way, but all created works that played with scale, movement and texture, making them extremely sensitive and captivating. And I really do love how you're allowed to take photos in the Mori - other galleries take note!
Yoshioka Tokujin's Snow. Tokujin produced a similar installation for an Issey Miyake catwalk show years ago, and has recreated the effect on a huge scale - this piece is room-size, and the rooms at the Mori sure ain't small!
A close-up of the material used - soft, downy feathers.
Tokujin's Waterfall, a huge block of man-made crystal.
The texture creates an amazing sense of movement.
Obey the crystal.
Intricate detail.
A section of the Reverberation trilogy, video art by Shinoda Taro. This was a beautiful portrayal of the progression of time in both natural and man-made environments.
and not to forget my favourite...
Kuribayashi Takashi's Wald aus Wald. A beautiful white papier-mache (I'm sure it has a more technical term) forest which you peek into from holes in the "ground". Viewing the installation from above and below were two totally different experiences...I think this is what makes it so successful.
You are underground (sort of...)!
Then you poke-a your head out, as you can see me demonstrating...
...and this is what you see!
It's on until the 7th November, so you've got plenty of time to check it out.
E.
4 comments:
This was one of my most favourite exhibitions! The paper forest was so much fun.
Beautiful ne? I'd go back if it didn't cost me another 1500en!
Hey Eloise, I've been enjoying your posts! Also wanted to drop by and say thanks for the My Tokyo zine! It arrived the other day. Pretty awesome layout!! Thanks!
Ah great Shinya, I'm so happy it finally got to you! And glad you've been enjoying the posts. It's the old case of so much so see, so little time over here though I'm afraid. Need to get all these projects out of my hair then I'll prob be blogging every second day!!
Post a Comment