Hiraku Suzuki

Stones Playing with Lights　2022

Permanent mural at the Towada City Community Center (Aomori, Japan)
architecture design: Sou Fujimoto Architects
photo: Kuniya Oyamada

<A drawing of light on the theme of stone circles and planetary orbits>

Near Towada City, there are two of Japan’s most beautiful stone circles, Komakino and Ōyu, which were built in the Jomon Period. It is commonly believed that stone circles were places for people to witness/view the movement of the sun and other celestial bodies and for people to gather for religious ceremonies. These ancient memories transcend time through the mural drawing, and resonate with the concept of a community center where people gather in the present. 
The “Stones” in the title “Stones Playing with Lights” refer not only to the stones of the circles, but also to rocks floating in space that reflect the light of the sun, planets that is.  Lines that evoke star orbits, constellations, or sundials seem to connect the stones and create a playful rhythm.
The silver utilized in the mural is the mineral that reflects light—a response to Sou Fujimoto’s architecture which is open to the sky—it reflects the ever-changing environment, weather, and memories of the people around it, bringing about fluctuations in time and space. The artist hopes that this mural will serve as a medium for connecting memories of the site to the future as “a new remain.”