|
|
"Reflections" A kinetic public art installation as part of Trolls in the Park in Zenpukuji Park, Tokyo Japan. Completed in collaboration with 93 students from a local Elementary School. |
|
|
|
The public art piece, "Reflections" is a kinetic, public art collaboration between the second grade class of a local Elementary school near Zenpukuji Park in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, Japan as part of the Zenpukuji-area event, Trolls in the Park.
Drawings by each of the 93 students were solicited and coordinated by senior school teacher Akio Motonaga, and the project was sponsored by Youkobo Art Space. It was made possible with grants from Salisbury University and the Fulton School of Liberal Arts, including a semester-long sabbatical leave..
Under the guidance of Motonaga-senjsei, each student selected one of the 23 wards of Tokyo City, and drew one of the official symbols (often a bird, or tree, or flower). With the assistance of Youkobo Art Space, these drawings were scanned and the data was sent to Wolff. Over the course of two months, Wolff compiled the drawings, and using digital maps of Tokyo, laser engraved them on one side of aluminum panels, shaped to represent the borders of each ward. After welding brackets with bearings to the panels, Wolff fabricated three collapsible stands to which the panels were affixed and then shipped them to Youkobo just before travelling to Japan.
Once in Tokyo, Wolff spent three weeks bicycling and walking all over the city, visiting each ward and selecting locations to represent. In between forays, he drew directly on the panels in the studio at Youkobo, visited with and presented to the students in their classroom, and prepared the posts on site at Zenpukuji Park. Many visitors attended the event during the three week run from November 3-November 24, 2024. Based on Wolff's drawings, and those of the children, many conversations about locations, landmarks within Tokyo and the nature of the city itself were seeded.
The work is currently in return transit, and will be reconfigured and reshown in the United States in the upcoming year. Below are slideshows of the individual drawings from each Ward, with the children, and of the process involved.
Drawings by each of the 93 students were solicited and coordinated by senior school teacher Akio Motonaga, and the project was sponsored by Youkobo Art Space. It was made possible with grants from Salisbury University and the Fulton School of Liberal Arts, including a semester-long sabbatical leave..
Under the guidance of Motonaga-senjsei, each student selected one of the 23 wards of Tokyo City, and drew one of the official symbols (often a bird, or tree, or flower). With the assistance of Youkobo Art Space, these drawings were scanned and the data was sent to Wolff. Over the course of two months, Wolff compiled the drawings, and using digital maps of Tokyo, laser engraved them on one side of aluminum panels, shaped to represent the borders of each ward. After welding brackets with bearings to the panels, Wolff fabricated three collapsible stands to which the panels were affixed and then shipped them to Youkobo just before travelling to Japan.
Once in Tokyo, Wolff spent three weeks bicycling and walking all over the city, visiting each ward and selecting locations to represent. In between forays, he drew directly on the panels in the studio at Youkobo, visited with and presented to the students in their classroom, and prepared the posts on site at Zenpukuji Park. Many visitors attended the event during the three week run from November 3-November 24, 2024. Based on Wolff's drawings, and those of the children, many conversations about locations, landmarks within Tokyo and the nature of the city itself were seeded.
The work is currently in return transit, and will be reconfigured and reshown in the United States in the upcoming year. Below are slideshows of the individual drawings from each Ward, with the children, and of the process involved.
Each of the 23 Ku. These drawings are acrylic, drawn directly on the aluminum plates. The children's drawings are on the obverse.
Below is a slideshow of my formal presentation to my collaborators, and a workshop that I led with Motonaga-sensei's help; we made Joel Shapiro-inspired paper sculpture. So much energy; so much fun.
Process, and images along the way. This was a complicated project. Every element is handmade.