今年のクリスマスシーズンは、表参道ヒルズの象徴である吹抜け空間に"浮遊する光のクリスマスツリー"が登場中。約1万4000個のバルーンの集積からなる、高さ約9メートルの宙に浮かぶツリーが、来館される方々をお迎えします。手掛けたのは、バルーンアーティストの細貝⾥枝さんと、アートディレクター・グラフィックデザイナーの河田孝志さんからなるアーティストユニット「DAISY BALLOON」。おふたりに、作品に込めた想いをうかがいました。

Each different balloon is "life"

---- The two of them are attracting attention from all over the world with their art works using balloons. This time, approximately 14,000 balloons were hand-crafted and decorated, with no two being the same.

Hosogai :The concept of this work is "Birth". With each glowing balloon as "life", countless different energies float in the air, blending together and sublimating into a large swell. On a daily basis, I send air into the balloon with the feeling of breathing life into it. From the moment you blow it in, the air gradually escapes and eventually shrinks.

---- Why did you create the concept "Birth"?

Kawata :Omotesando is a place to think about the past and the future, with its history of air raid damage from war and the presence of zelkova trees that remained there. OMOTESANDO HILLS, a symbol of zelkova trees, is also a facility where you can experience the gap between the past and the future, including a design concept that emphasizes harmony with the city by architect Tadao Ando. In this place, I would like to express "joy", "hope", and "prayer" that the life that was born will connect from the past to the future at the timing of this year's Christmas, when the world is gradually recovering from the painful situation caused by the corona virus. I was.

---- "Laminated polarizing film" is used as a balloon material. This material was also used in the internationally acclaimed installation "Balance Exhibition" that the two presented at Japan House São Paulo (one of the cultural dissemination facilities established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in three cities around the world).

Kawata :光の屈折による多重反射を経て、オーロラのような輝き方をする特殊なフィルムです。サンパウロで発表した際は、バルーンに光を当て反射により現れた光にフォーカスしましたが、今回はバルーンの"内部から出てくる光"にフォーカスした作品となっています。呼吸するように光を集め拡散するバルーンを通して、表参道ヒルズの中を循環するエネルギーをみなで共有する体験をつくれたらと考えています。

Enjoy the view together with the illuminated zelkova trees

---- The music created to accompany the work, together with the balloons, creates a wonderful mood in the museum. Composer/pianist Mamiko Hirai (*).

Kawata :When I listened to the completed music in my atelier, I felt as if the piece was standing still. They let the work float from the world we imagined to a wider and higher place. This was the first time we worked together, but we are fans of Mamiko Hirai, and we always wanted to work with her someday.

* During the Christmas illuminations, special effects of sound and light are performed every 20 minutes. Composer and pianist Mamiko Hirai wrote a 2.5-minute song for this time.
The songs used are being distributed as a mini-album "Trip back to the original place" from December 31, 2022.
https://linkco.re/0sXb6eDS

---- Customers can always feel the balloons and music while walking in the hall. Do you have a particular viewing method that you recommend?

Hosogai :I'm very happy to hear that many people say "I can watch it forever". I feel that this is due to the attention paid to the shape of each balloon and the unique slope structure of OMOTESANDO HILLS. By all means, I would like you to see the light of the balloon that can only be seen at that moment from various angles and distances.

----Outside OMOTESANDO HILLS, the zelkova trees are also shining with illumination decorations. Please give a message to people visiting Omotesando during the Christmas season.

Kawata :"有機的なものと無機的なものの関係性"を創作の重要なテーマにする私たちDAISY BALLOONにとって、欅並木の存在は今回の作品コンセプトに大きく組み込まれています。その欅並木がつくる街の景色と、私たちが手掛けたバルーンツリー。その両方を鑑賞し、みなさまの心の中で繋げて捉えながら、未来への希望、そして生命の美しさを感じていただけたら嬉しいです。

DAISY BALLOON

An artist unit consisting of balloon artist Satoe Hosogai and art director/graphic designer Takashi Kawata. Since its formation in 2008, it has produced numerous works composed of balloons under the theme of "sensation and quality." They are reminiscent of buildings with delicate details, and attract many people.
http://www.daisyballoon.com/

＞Click here for details of Christmas illuminations