Spoon & Tamago - japanese art, design and culture

Currently on display through March 11 at the Hakone Open Air Museum is Motoi Yamamoto‘s sculpture, “Forest of Beyond.” The artist, who is well known for creating large-scale sculptures, especially mazes, out of salt, has created a massively intricate installation that resembles the far-reaching roots of a tree.

Yamamoto originally started working with salt after he lost his sister, who died from brain cancer. As a way to honor her and preserve her memory, Yamamoto chose salt – 1 of 5 elements in the Shinto tradition that symbolize purification.

On March 11 – the 1-year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami – Yamamoto has invited visitors to help him disassemble his installation. Proceedings will begin at 3:00pm and attendees will be asked to take the salt with them and return it to the sea, thereby completing the cycle. The artwork itself will disappear but the salt will go on and support many living organisms to come. If you are up to it, the artist has also asked for you to send in pictures of yourselves returning the salt to the sea.

source: mymodernmet | Hakone Open-Air Museum

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