torafu architects: furin saisai installation of 800 wind chimes

‘furin-saisai’ is an installation assembling 800 wind chimes by torafu architects photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

japanese firm torafu architects have conceived ‘furin-saisai’, an installation of approximately 800 wind chimes as part of the ‘midtown loves 2012‘ event held every year at the tokyo midtown galleria. the structure responds to the theme ‘the coolness of a japanese summer’, and is made up of 306 different types of chimes from 36 production bases in 28 prefectures around japan, spanning the first to third floor of the venue. a miscellany of the musical pipes are arranged and hung, divided one by one within a three dimensional lattice. this design was created so that an audience would connect with the space as if they were looking into a giant specimen box.

each level displayed the objects differently, the ground floor was executed so that the latticed barrier was like a folding screen, the second level was more interactive, a framework made up of multiple wooden boxes where people could sit and enjoy the melodious exhibition. the final iteration saw wind chimes on the beams of scaffold towers that are reminiscent of those typically seen at japanese summer festivals, so that the public experience different sounds at each tower. by changing the forms of the timber structures and providing different characteristics to each floor, the spectators are encouraged to explore more of the galleria.   

the exhibition spanned three floors, with a different lattice structure on each floor exhibiting the hundreds of chimes photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

the first floor was like a folding screen photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

the timber structures are like giant specimen boxes photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

a deatil image of the wind chimes photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

the wind chimes come from all over japan photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

the second floor was purposefully interactive, people were able to sit on the structure and play with the chimes photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

a front on view of one of the lattice structures photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

photo © fuminari yoshitsugu

installation specifications:

principal use: exhibition site structural design: takashi manda structural design production: nakaten producer: pomato pro building site: tokyo midtown galleria design period:  2012.06-07 construction period:  2012.07.18-2012.07.19 organizer: tokyo midtown management