The “Fragrance with Lotus Flowers” installation by Nakamura Kazunobu Design-Works uses scrap wood to create an entrancing space for Japanese dance. The designers’ manipulation of space through light and form creates a misty atmosphere that complements the elegant performances. In 2021, the project earned recognition from Interior Design as a Best of Year (BoY) Honoree and won an Architecture MasterPrize (AMP) Best of Best award.

The project draws on elements of traditional Japanese gardens. The sacred lotus flower is a key feature of the gardens. In the early morning, a light mist often envelopes the flowers. Viewed as sacred, the fog represents profundity. For the designers, the softening quality of the mist helps visualize the fragrance of the lotus flowers. They emulate this in the installation through transparency and opacity of light and shadow.

Sustainable scrap wood design

The installation is composed of over 1,000 thin, vertical lines that form a cloud-like flurry. These strands, made of cypress timber, pay homage to Japanese Cypress trees, believed to be inhabited by the gods. The rods use repurposed wood scraps to avoid harming the lush Cypress forests. According to a press release, “this installation is a sustainable design that can be developed in a variety of ways to suit different spaces by changing the number of lines and the arrangement of the lines.”

The timber lines are held together by intricate metal lattices, assembled with rods that are only one...

Read Full Story: https://inhabitat.com/scrap-wood-makes-up-this-award-winning-art-installation/