moonrise / 間
Nagaoka Institute of Design
JAPAN
2008


Every day I went up and down the stairs mesmerized by the architecture of a building block located within the Nagaoka Institute of Design campus. The path along the stairs that led to my studio is lined up with circular patterns. To me, it was more than just an experience of getting there: it was a meditative daily routine set in motion. In tribute, I built a series of 29 handmade and watermarked Japanese paper sheets arranged like a staircase in ascension. It consisted of a pattern made of rectangles within which lie circles of a 29 cm diameter. It symbolizes a full moon as seen from a window. The number 29 refers to the 29 days in the month of February during leap year (when I made this work in 2008, it was a leap year). The circle as a pattern represents peace, flow, and infinity. At close glance, the softness of the deckle edges of the handmade paper contrasts with the limits of the architectural setting.

The papers are each 70 x 40 cm handmade with locally harvested snow bleached kozo pulp washi.