motoi yamamoto: floating garden composed from salt

motoi yamamoto: floating garden composed from salt
floating garden, 2013
salt
image courtesy and © motoi yamamoto

motoi yamamoto
ernst barlach haus, hamburg
now through october 13, 2013

an intricately composed floor installation made from hand-placed piles of salt makes up the ‘floating garden’, the most recent artwork by japanese artist motoi yamamoto. the glass courtyard of the ernst barlach haus, hamburg houses the 100-square-metre continuous structure, whose fragile, interconnected white lines are accentuated by the deep blue ground it lays atop. evoking imagery of a whirling cloud against a night sky, the ornate pattern draws reference from the spiral shape ubiquitous in nature — seen in the twists of tides and the vortex of a galaxy — which yamamoto reinterprets as eternity, regeneration, and the life-cycle.

the laborious installation process is, for yamamoto, a significant expression of the final outcome. the lines of salt are laid directly on the floor through the constant, physical repetition of a rhythmically moving bottle. the closing of the exhibition on october 13, 2013 offers a participatory experience with the opportunity for visitors to take part in the dismantling of the artwork. yamamoto asks the contributors to physically wipe away the installation and deliver the salt to the sea.

floating garden (detail), 2013
salt
image courtesy and © motoi yamamoto

floating garden (installation view), 2013
salt
image courtesy and © motoi yamamoto

floating garden (installation view), 2013
salt
image courtesy and © motoi yamamoto