hisakazu shimizu installs bollard of love on shodoshima island near japan

hisakazu shimizu installs bollard of love on shodoshima island near japan

the setouchi triennale is a modern art festival staged on twelve islands in the seto inland sea every three years. the first event, held in 2010, and the second in 2013 welcomed more than a million visitors from within japan and abroad, garnering a great response from the public. in april 2016 product designer hisakazu shimizu announced his participation at the celebration, by presenting a large sculptural piece titled ‘bollard of love’.

the artwork is situated on the grounds of nijushi no hitomi village – a facility dedicated to the film ‘twenty-four eyes’

a bollard is a metal or wooden post on the seawall around which a rope is tied to secure boats close to land. hisakazu shimizu magnified this mundane onject in order to reveal its sculptural silhouette. the artwork was successfully installed with the cooperation of local residents of shodoshima, who the artist developed a strong bond with during the construction of the piece. 

a bollard is a metal or wood post on the seawall around which a rope is tied to secure a boat close to land

the artwork is situated on the grounds of nijushi no hitomi village – a facility dedicated to the film and novel nijushi no hitomi (twenty-four eyes) – which were set on shodoshima. shimizu focused on the keywords ‘sea’, ‘boat’, ‘movie’, and ‘memory’ and came up with the concept for a strong piece that would blend in with the seaside environment and at the same time serve as a fitting symbol to the film that made its mark upon the island.

making of ‘bollard of love’

construction process

hisakazu shimizu presented the sculpture at the setouchi triennale festival

shimizu focused on the keywords ‘sea’, ‘boat’, ‘movie’, and ‘memory’ for the piece

the mundane object was magnified to highlight the object’s sculptural properties

‘bollard of love’ was successfully installed with the cooperation of local residents of shodoshima