Baikaouren Lamps

Commission work for public space (2021 Sakawa, JP)

These pendant lamps were inspired by an unassuming sight that takes place silently year after year in the same season in the forest: the blooming of the pretty flowers of the five-leaved goldthread (Coptis quinquefolia) and the bearing of its mysterious fruits. Sakawa-cho of Kochi Prefecture, where my artistic activities are based, is also the birthplace of Dr. Tomitaro Makino, the father of Japanese botany. The five-leaved goldthread is said to have been Dr. Makino's favorite flower during his lifetime. Its pretty white flowers bloom across the floor of Sakawa-cho's coniferous forests at the end of winter, reflecting the light filtering through the forest and suffusing the entire area with a beautiful glow. As spring arrives, around a dozen fruits shaped like little boats radiate from the center of the flower's stem, scattering countless small, mysterious geometrical objects all over the ground. Like Dr. Makino, the local residents take good care of this tiny flower, and many of them are engaged in conservation efforts to protect the forests where the five-leaved goldthread grows. I created this work after being commissioned to design lighting equipment for a new facility that will be built in Sakawa-cho.

バイカオウレンの可憐な花が咲き不思議な果実を実らせる、毎年同じ季節に森の中で静かに繰り返されている小さな出来事をモチーフにして製作したペンダントランプです。私が製作活動の拠点にしている高知県佐川町は日本の植物学の先駆者である牧野富太郎博士の出身地です。その牧野博士が生涯もっとも愛した花といわれるバイカオウレン。佐川町では冬の終わりの頃、針葉樹の森の林床に白い可憐な花を咲かせ、森に降り注いできた光を反射して辺り一面を輝かせます。春になると舟のような形をした十数個ほどの果実が茎の中心から放射状に広がり、幾何学模様の小さく不思議なオブジェが地面に点々と無数に広がります。町に暮らす人々は、牧野博士と同じくこの小さい花をとても大切に思っており、バイカオウレンの生息地である森林の保護活動に多くの人が取り組んでいます。佐川町に新たに作られる施設のための照明製作の依頼を受けて製作しました。