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Art to Awaken the Senses Art to Awaken the Senses
Noriko Kawakami
GINZA SIX EDITORS Vol.98
The first thing I saw at the GINZA SIX's central atrium was the late February when Tokyo was wrapped in a cold sky. I was fascinated by the installation of Tokuhito Yoshioka, who has been active worldwide in the field of art and design, and I wanted to appreciate it from here and there. From the 2nd to the 5th floors, I saw the work while climbing and descending many times on the escalator, and when I took off and landed the airplane, I felt the same feeling as looking through the window through the sky.
I wanted to see the shining clouds more, but this spring it passed quietly. The revisit came on Friday morning, just before the summer solstice. Unfortunately it was raining, but my heart became lighter and lighter with the floating art that had been greeted. Yes, this is the magic of Yoshioka's work.……I'm sorry. Yoshioka has been working on light works such as prism sculptures that emit a rainbow-like spectrum and the Rainbow Church.
says Mr. Yoshioka. "I don't imitate the shape of beautiful nature. I would like to express the energy of nature that is shaken by my heart." Nature that is delicate and powerful. Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by the sight beyond my imagination. Not only is it calm, but that's why our hearts are greatly moved by the light that can be felt, and our senses are called.
Depending on the angle, the rainbow-colored shine can be seen in this work, which is shaped by 10,000 prism rods, as clouds are formed by the collection of water and ice particles. Mr. Yoshioka also talked about this "light carving". "Light is a symbol of life itself. I thought at the time of the work production that the world would be wrapped in brightness by gathering the radiance of each person. "
Yoshioka's work is cherished by using light as a material of expression, such as the light of the sun and the light of the moon, as well as overlapping each memory and experience and the heart of the time. Currently, Mr. Yoshioka is also working on the production of public art that will be installed in the underground passage of Ginza Subway Station for a long time, which is also an expression of light. I can't wait for this fall to be seen with the Prisimic Cloud.
Let's enjoy the real pleasure of nature that does not always change and stay with another art.
"Living Canyon" by botanist and artist Patrick Blanc, a botanist and artist, and is a 11-meter vertical garden for three floors. The expression is from the top of the cliff where the sun shines to the deep valley bottom, and three years have passed since the work was installed, and the plants are growing steadily. After watching from a distance, I looked at the details while climbing and descending the stairs here. About 75 kinds of plants, including endemic species vegetated in Japan. The Ginza valley wrapped in light, such as leaves that have never been seen, stems that have grown tightly, and bulbs that you want to touch with, is a rich expression.
I want to enjoy more encounters with art created by the heart directed to nature. On the stairs from the B1F to the 2nd floor, design drawings from the Amazon archives were also displayed, and in a comfortable space where the spirit of the maison was condensed, a large number of high jewelry were introduced at the GINZA SIX store.
"Frivol" (necklace 1,380,000 yen, earring 1,476,000 yen * All + tax's fine angle of petals reflect light are exactly sparkling. In addition to the skillful description of lotus flowers, "Rotas Antrele Doorling" (3,468,000 yen), which offers two ways of enjoying. It is an art full of charm not only for the charm of modeling but also for the expression of the vitality of the natural world.
In addition, "Folidepre" (Breathlet 12,120,000 yen, earrings 6,840,000 yen) was born from the popular collection of Vancree and Apel, which was inspired by Shakespeare's play "Midsummer Night's Dream" set in the forest where fairies gather. The delicate and rich colors and detailed setting by diamonds and color sapphire, the tradition of the maison called the "golden hand", the radiance of the flowers that continue to bloom only when there is a savourel.
Jewler's poetry and Cretivity are all expressed in watch. "Midnight Pom Dezamul" (23,496,000 yen) is a watch that represents the maison and feels the passage of time to spin poetry. What appears on this watch is lovers who meet at Ai no Hashi. A woman holding an umbrella moves slowly from the left in time. The man in the needle is from the right to the center. The two, who met at 12 o'clock, embraced each other in the moonlight.……I'm sorry. The glittering of diamonds as if to convey the hearts of the two people is also deprived.
"There is a story first, and the organization is being developed for that purpose," said Jun Takeuchi, the store manager. In the night view of Paris drawn on the dial with the Grizaiyu Enamel technique that has been handed down since the 16th century, the black, gray, and white shadows caused by the overlap of Limoge White are beautiful and will be seen. I want to give my heartfelt applause to the power of creation that shows the story as a reality.
The landscape deeply engraved in the memory cannot be separated from the scent of the place. And the scent and taste make you think of various scenery. Next, go to the "Mixology Salon" on the 13th floor of the restaurant floor. The world of Mixology cocktails, which makes use of free ideas as surprised. Yuzo Nagumo, the owner bartender and globally active owner, used to say, "Mixology cocktail is a comprehensive art."
The Ginza store has abundant cocktails based on Japanese tea. Including gyokuro, matcha, sencha, tea leaves production area, ingredients, manufacturing method, quality, fragrance by brewing method, tea cocktail produced from inquiry of difference of taste, we did not include alcohol on this day cocktail. As I heard the story of cocktail bartender Manabu Ito, I learned about the profound development process, which was different from using alcohol. It looks like a long journey.
I know that the journey is important from the beginning. "First of all, do not compromise on carefully selecting tea in order to express a" tea feeling "that is vivid and protruding." You can also study how to extract tea leaves. In addition, the challenge of exploring unlimited possibilities, such as bredding of tea with different tastes in the first, second and third decoctions, is done every day in a place called lab. The reason why it was completed was "blue roasted lemonade" (1,400 yen).
Fruit flavored with the depth of Yame green tea and the light scent of pineapple and lemon. The fresh maple leaves were attached to the glass. I felt that the scenery of early summer was spreading from the "tea room" in Ginza, where you can see tea utensils and other tea utensils, including tea pots, and dishes from the weaving club.
The next cup is "Nashiyama tea and passion fruit cocktail" (1,400 yen), which is made from pear mountain tea, a Takayama oolong tea in Taiwan, which has a fruity taste, and tropical fruits. If you taste the fresh but firm aroma and acidity, the delicateness of the tea will spread and it will be crisp. I was surprised again. The characteristics of tea and fruits are echoing so that a new color is born from the overlap of colors, and a sound and sound overlap and an unexpected melody is played.
"Mixlosy is a world full of unexpected combinations and discoveries. We are studying so that you can visually feel the three-dimensional effect of taste and aroma just like paintings and images, "says Ito. Here is the essence of art that makes us look at our senses.
On this day, I was invited by Tokuhito Yoshioka's work focusing on the light of the natural world, and on the day I went around GINZA SIX, I was able to meet the works of expressives who explore the world of creation, cherishing the relationship with nature. Was. You can wear it, or you can enjoy a variety of scenery in your heart.
Looking at those lingering sounds on the street, the rain was rising and the blue sky was spreading. The summer air surrounding the street was pleasant.
《 Prismatic Cloud 》 Tokujin Yoshioka
Information is here
“Living Canyon” Patrick Blanc
Information is here
Text: Noriko Kawakami Photos: Sohei Oya Edit: Yuka Okada (81)
I first saw Prismatic Cloud, currently on display in the GINZA SIX central atrium, at the end of February, when cold skies hung over Tokyo. I was mesmerized by this installation by Tokujin Yoshioka, an artist and designer active around the world. Very much in his style, the piece prompts you to take it in from every conceivable angle. I went up and down the escalator from the second to fifth floor and back multiple times. As I looked at the work, I felt an elation similar to what one feels when seeing the sky from the window of a plane while taking off or landing.
I wanted to see this sparkling cloud once again, but I spent the spring quietly. I saw it next on a Friday morning close to the summer solstice. It happened to be raining, but the greeting from this floating work did wonders to lighten my spirit. Indeed, this is the magic of Yoshioka. He’s known for works of light, for Rainbow Church and other prismatic sculptures that release a spectrum of colors like a rainbow.
“I don’t replicate nature’s lovely forms,” Yoshioka says. “I try to express the energy of nature itself, an energy that touches the heart.” For all its intricacy, nature also has an elemental power. At times, we’re overwhelmed by something—sights that carry with them something beyond the imagination. A single strand of light—which isn’t simply tranquil; this is why we perceive it acutely—moves us and awakens our senses.
Depending on the angle, the work here at GINZA SIX sparkles in the eye like the colors of the rainbow. Like cloud formations made of water vapor and particles of ice, the work is formed of ten thousand prismatic rods. On this light sculpture, Yoshioka commented: “Light is a symbolic expression of life itself. The sparkling light of every person gathered here would envelope the world in brightness. I was thinking something along those lines when I was putting together this work.”
The light of the sun, the light of the moon, light as a medium of expression—Yoshioka’s work draws attention to one’s memories and experiences, as well as the feelings we hold inside. Yoshioka is currently at work on a piece of public art for long-term display in an underground passageway of the Ginza subway station. It, too, will be an expression of light. I can’t wait until fall, when I’ll see both that work and Prismatic Cloud.
Come bear witness to the true charms of nature—in constant and ceaseless flux—in yet another form, the form of art.
Living Canyon, by artist and botanist Patrick Blanc, is an 11-meter-high vertical garden covering three floors. It depicts a canyon, from its sun-drenched rocky rim to the deep valley below. Three years have gone by since it was installed. The plants are now growing vigorously. I viewed it from afar, then ventured up and down the stairs to get a closer look at the details. The work features some 75 varieties of plants, including some native to Japan. Leaves of uncommon shapes, stems shooting up, hearty bulbs you’d like to reach out and touch—this canyon in Ginza, shrouded in light, is eloquent and expressive.
Seeking out yet another encounter with art created by a heart turned toward nature, I made my way to Van Cleef & Arpels. With design sketches from the maison’s archives exhibited in the stairway area from the first belowground floor to the second floor, the space is a pleasant condensation of the maison’s own spirit. Here I had the opportunity to examine some of the GINZA SIX store’s many works of high-end jewelry.
The Frivole collection, featuring reflections of light from the facets of intricately crafted flower petals, presents flowers clad in sparkling light (necklace 1,380,000 yen; earrings 1,476,000 yen; all prices listed before tax; earrings not sold at all locations). The Lotus Between the Finger Ring (3,468,000 yen) offers an ingenious depiction of a lotus blossom and two modes of enjoyment—this is art brimming with the charms of both sculpture and the expressive force of the natural world.
And here is Folie des prés, the beloved Van Cleef & Arpels collection (bracelet 12,120,000 yen; earrings 6,840,000 yen), which takes its inspiration from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s play set in a woodland faerie realm. The diamonds, the intricacy and vivid colors of the colored sapphires, the delicate details of the setting—these flowers continue to bloom and sparkle thanks to the traditional techniques and savoir faire of the maison craftsmen, known as “Mains d’Or” (“Golden Hands”).
The charm and lyric character found in the jewelry collections are just as eloquent in the watches. The maison’s iconic Midnight Pont des Amoureux (23,496,000 yen) is a watch for experiencing the arc of time spun from pure poetry. Depicted on this watch are lovers with a rendezvous on the “Bridge of Love”. The woman with an umbrella in hand is the hour-hand, moving languidly from left. The man, the minute-hand, paces from the right to the center. The two meet at 12 o’clock in an embrace under the light of the moon. The enchanting sparkle of the diamonds appears to embody the internal world of the two lovers.
“The story came first,” says store manager Jun Takeuchi. “Then we developed the movement for the story.” The Paris at night scene on the dial was made using grisaille enamel techniques from the 16th century. Layers of limoges white generate a contrasting black, gray, and white that transfixes one’s gaze. The creativity applied in turning this story fragment into an evocative tangible object deserves a round of applause.
Scenes engraved in memory are intertwined with aromas, so much so that flavors and aromas can make us recall various scenes and landscapes from memory into perfect focus. I choose to go to Mixology Salon on the 13th floor, the Restaurant Floor. This is the world of Mixology cocktails, which draw freely on unexpected and creative ideas. The owner and bartender, active on the world stage, is Shuzo Nagumo, who refers to Mixology cocktails as composite works of art.
The Ginza Mixology features an expansive selection of cocktails based on Japanese green tea. The bar’s green tea cocktails are the product of extensive research on differences in aromas and flavors in gyokuro, matcha, and sencha teas. Their specific character and flavor profiles also vary with growing region, nutrients, production methods, quality, and brewing techniques. Today I enjoyed a non-alcoholic version, a mocktail, as they’re called. Listening to the cocktail bartender Manabu Ito, I learned about the development process, which differs from alcoholic beverages. The fascinating explanation described a long, long journey.
I learned, too, that every moment of the journey matters. “Getting across a striking ‘sense of green tea’ means you have to avoid any compromise in the tea selection process.” Much research also goes into how to extract flavor from the tea leaves. Teas offering different tastes on the first, second and third infusions are blended—the challenge of delving deeply into limitless possibilities, one after another, is a daily pursuit at the company lab. Of their many successes, the creation put before me is this Aohoji Lemonade (1,400 yen).
It combines the depth of Yame tea with the fresh, fruity aromas suggesting pineapple, lemon, and more. The glass is tastefully adorned with vibrant maple leaves. From my viewpoint in this Ginza tearoom, where one can see teakettles and utensils, and even Oribe dishware, all this created the feel of an unfolding early summer scene.
My next drink is the Li Shan Oolong Tea and Passion Fruit Cocktail (1,400 yen), made with Li Shan tea, a high mountain oolong tea from Taiwan with a fruity character, and tropical fruit. As I’m enjoying the fresh, robust aroma and sour notes, the startling delicacy of the tea fills my mouth—an impression both unexpected and vivid. Just as layering colors can create new colors and layering sounds can create unexpected rhythms, the characteristics of this tea and this fruit generate a series of surprising flavors.
“Mixology,” Ito tells me, “is a world of unexpected combinations and discoveries. We pursue endless explorations to present something that communicates the vividness of flavors and aromas, the way paintings and movies communicate visual impressions.” This is the essence of any art that awakens the senses.
Drawn here by the work of Tokujin Yoshioka, whose eyes are turned to the light of the natural world, I’ve toured GINZA SIX and encountered works by people at work in spheres of creativity attuned to their links to nature. Here I’ve encountered art in the form of poems that can be worn and that lodge in the heart, like stories that unwind in the mind, scene after scene.
I take these resonances to heart and venture out into the street. The rain has lifted, unveiling a blue sky above. The enveloping summer air offers both pleasure and promise.
《 Prismatic Cloud 》Tokujin Yoshioka
For more information
《 Living Canyon 》Patrick Blanc
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Text: Noriko Kawakami Photos: Sohei Oya Edit: Yuka Okada(81)

Noriko Kawakami
Journalist; worked as an editor at AXIS, the design magazine, before launching a freelance career. Writes mainly on artists and artisans in the field of design, seeking to introduce them to Japan and the world. Served as guest curator for the “Japon Japonismes, Objets inspirés 1867–2018” exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and seeks to convey the multifaceted appeal of art and design through exhibitions and judging activities. She helped organize the “Second Nature” exhibition at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT in 2008, where she’s been involved with planning as an Associate Director since the facility opened in 2007, inviting Tokujin Yoshioka to serve as Exhibition Director.