One day in October, it was cloudy around Tokyo, but the city was filled with the light air of autumn that made me want to go out.
In August and September, work suddenly became busy, and I wanted to put an end to my irregular life of overtime, so I cleaned my hair at my favorite beauty salon and went out to Roppongi in the evening. I want to go out to various places during the comfortable season.
In the past, Roppongi had a strong image of bubbly and glittering, but now it seems to be very different. Recently, I have the impression that it is a cultural center and a city where modern architecture and art in harmony with nature gather.
On this day, I visited Roppongi to see Tokuhito Yoshioka’s new work “Glass Torch” and “Flame Monument – Glass Bonfire”. I learned that it would be ignited by Mr. Yoshioka himself from around 5:30 p.m., so I went to see it.
Incidentally, Tokuhito Yoshioka is an internationally acclaimed artist, having worked on the Tokyo Olympics 2020 relay torch and Tokyo Midtown Yaesu’s “STAR”.
There are not many opportunities to see the actual torch and bonfire stand up close. And if you’re going to watch it anyway, don’t you want to be exposed to something more beautiful and powerful than the dimly lit news and videos on the Internet, where time is limited?
When I was a child in Kyushu, I used to make fires with fallen leaves that had been swept away, and it was fun to play with fire, which was rare. In addition, scented candles are not only scented, but also deeply soothing by the flickering flame. Flame has a different magic than the light of an electric lamp.
Flame will shake the human soul from beyond the primordial.
There were a lot of people gathered to watch, and just like me, they were holding their smartphones and trying hard to capture the flames with their cameras.
I can hear people saying, “Everyone is only looking at it through the camera, not the real thing,” and that’s certainly true, but I understand the desire to capture the dynamics of the flames that emit light and heat in the dusk. I wanted to somehow capture the elusive beauty of flames with my camera.
By the time I was leaving, the rain was falling, but it was pleasant.
In the “Garden of the Wind” (*), the night breeze was cool, and I saw families and couples sitting and spending a peaceful time.
Roppongi is a sophisticated city with a nice view.
I want to take my time to go out again.
“Garden of the Wind”
Excerpt from the description of “Garden of the Wind”
Creator: Alexandra Kovaleva + Kei Sato / KASA
I drew a soft shape like a large carpet floating in the lush garden of Tokyo Midtown, and named it “The Garden of the Wind.” The geometric pattern of regular circles, which are rhythmically repeated like ripples, changes their appearance depending on where you look at them, and it is difficult to grasp the shape well. As you look into them one by one, the small landscapes that reflect the surroundings flicker and blur their outlines. Trivial things come together to create a large landscape. I wonder if the same is true for the earth we live on.
