takashi kuribayashi installs paper forest at the sapporo art museum

takashi kuribayashi installs paper forest at the sapporo art museum
photo by osamu watanabe
all images courtesy of takashi kuribayashi

for the 2014 sapporo international art festival, japanese artist takashi kuribayashi reconfigures his ‘wald aus wald’ (forest from forest) to suit the exhibition space at the sapporo art museum. the installation fills the room as a pure white forest, crafted entirely from japanese washi paper — itself made from the trees it represents. crevices reminiscent of the tiny, partitioned spaces in traditional japanese domestic interiors are cut-out from the plane, acting as small observation spots from which the viewer can peer through.

from underneath the installation, visitors are covered by a paper expanse

as a multi-layered structure, the installation enables the audience to see the paper forest from an unexpected perspective — from underneath. reminiscent of the vast expanses of hokkaido — japan’s second largest island — the work provides an opportunity to reexamine the position of humans in relationship to their environment and reflect on the boundary between the natural and the artificial.

small crevices act at viewing points for visitors

photo by osamu watanabe

peeking out onto the white forest

the perspective imagines an ant’s eye view

crafting the paper used for the installation