takuto ohta slices into japanese cedar to create sculptural tension for asymptotic wood series

asymptotic wood sculptures carved from raw cedar

As timber becomes increasingly standardized in global construction, its material richness and irregularities are often stripped away. Japanese designer Takuto Ohta’s Asymptotic Wood series responds to this flattening of material character with a set of sculptural interventions that reawaken the expressive potential of wood — specifically cedar, a species abundant in Japan and commonly used in traditional architecture, yet largely overlooked in modern building.

At the center of each piece, the wood is treated as an asymptote, a mathematical curve that approaches a limit but never quite touches it. A deep cut is carved into the timber to represent this limit, forming an incision that sways inward at a 45° angle, as if being pulled into the core of the material. The result is a striking visual tension: the standardized timber appears to fold or rupture under invisible pressure, drawing attention to what lies beneath its surface uniformity.

all images courtesy of Takuto Ohta

takuto ohta revitalizes locally-ready natural materials

For all the pieces in the Asymptotic Wood series, Takuto Ohta uses raw cedar as the primary material. While globally many regions face wood shortages, Japan faces a paradoxical surplus of cedar despite its historic importance. Soft and flexible, cedar was once essential in the construction of homes, shrines, and public buildings. But with the rise of urbanization, apartment living, and industrialized building methods, it has fallen out of favor in contemporary practice. The increasing use of engineered wood products like MDF and plywood has also contributed to a disconnect between people and the materiality of solid wood.

‘In a society where globalization is accelerating, the standardization of information is inevitable,’ Ohta reflects. ‘But the connection to the materials and land that are physically related is inseparable.’ In response to this, the designer calls for a renewed relationship between people and place — an ethos of ‘local production for local consumption’ — urging people to reengage with the raw and irregular, the local and overlooked. ‘I shaped such a connection into a thorn and took a photo. I also painted the edges black to emphasize them,’ he shares.

Takuto Ohta completes the Asymptotic Wood series

the sculptural interventions reawaken the expressive potential of wood

made from cedar, abundant in Japan yet largely overlooked in modern architecture

interlocked volumes

the project follows the ethos of ‘local production for local consumption’

the Japanese designer calls for a renewed relationship between people, materials, and place

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project info:

name: Asymptotic Wood
designer: Takuto Ohta | @ohtatakuto

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom