Shiki Tou by Azuma Makoto In the middle of a snowfield in one of Japan’s coldest geographical areas, artist Azuma Makoto has…
Shiki Tou by Azuma Makoto
In the middle of a snowfield in one of Japan’s coldest geographical areas, artist Azuma Makotohas realized a monumental artwork that builds on his sculptural practice and interest in the botanical world. over the past 10 years, Makoto has been working with open steel frame structures that accommodate carefully suspended bonsai trees within their exposed shell, documenting this sculpture’s journey across the globe. for this latest installation, the artist has scaled up the process on a monumental level, hanging a huge pine tree from a 5 meter cubic iron framework placed in the snow.
Azuma Makoto has set ‘Shiki Tou’ (‘tou’ meaning ‘winter’ in Japanese) in the northern Japanese city of Kawasaki, on Hokkaido Island. the enormous pine is carefully tethered to a huge steel framework by meticulously-tied rope cords and wire bond. suspended above the surface of the snow, the tree’s colossal root formations become visible as they hover just above the earth from which they came. as each moment passes, the sculpture becomes more and more concealed by falling snow — sometimes appearing as an unusually large figure in the distance, when conditions are cold, and other times disappearing almost completely from view. this changing perspective has been documented in a series of photographs seen here.
Follow the Source Link for image sources and more information.