Client: Japan Alps Art Festival

Overview

Situated at the entrance to an important local Buddhist Temple, Hotokizaki Kanon-ji, a delicate yet imposing artwork beckons viewers along the pathway leading to the temple grounds. A ring of mist encircles a bridge that crosses the little river below, the source of the mist. The source of the river itself is nearby, up in the mountains where the snow is still melting. The shape of the work represents the cyclical journey of the water, through all states, down the mountain, and back up again as evaporated mist.

Goals

During the day the mist works with the ambient conditions to produce crepuscular rays and rainbows around the viewer, while in the darker hours the mist is illuminated from lighting embedded within the structure. While the experience of the work is one of crossing a threshold, of passing through a significant space both physically and internally

Process

After a few site visits and discussions with Art Front Gallery in Tokyo, Japanese company Technocore were employed to engineer the artwork and refine the mist production. Some prototypes were completed at my studio in Melbourne, Australia to test the idea in principal, and then Technocore developed the final version to be installed on site.

Additional Information

Originally a temporary artwork, it has been re-installed in many locations - including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Korea and Taiwan.