Renovation of historical town house, Sawara, Chiba, Japan, 2006
Architecture intervention, Light installation in an old well by Yumi Kori
Materials: mixed media (light tubes, glass, gravel, mud, wood and ink)
Dimensions: 20 square meter, Site: 500 square meter

I renovated an old town house into a café, in a historical town in Japan. I installed a floating black floor in the storage house as a part of the café. I painted the floor with Japanese ink, brought gravel into the interior space and created a light installation. This black floor seems detached from the conventional space because of the details and the light effects. Guests are invited to travel to an unknown realm by stepping into darkness. In the garden, I covered the well with a clear glass sheet and hung a long light tube in the well. The light from the tube pulsates slowly. When the light is turned on, one can see through the deep hall, when the light is not on, the glass reflects the sky. The café is a place where visitors can experience both the space that belongs to memory and the present time.