Kate created the sculptures from Balkan White marble.
Sculptures that invite people to touch, sit and play
Living and working in Iwate Prefecture, I am inspired by the seasonal, solar, lunar and stellar cycles, as well as the countryside.
My work is abstracted from the human form and landscape, and explores relationships in physical, cultural and social space by using form to articulate light and life in such a way as to touch on something essential, yet unique, in each of us.
For the Otemachi Financial City Art Project I wanted to amplify the lively and dignified movement of people in the bustling financial area of Otemachi, and create an environment in which people could relax and enjoy the company of others during a busy working day.
Thus I decided to make Keys of Affinity, an installation of five sculptures that invite people to touch, sit and play on them. I chose to create the sculptures from Balkan White marble because it has a warm colour and a grain that is reminiscent of a cloudscape.
Stone encompasses geological time and allows me to create tactile, timeless work that can survive outdoor public environments. The beautiful translucence of the marble catches the ambient light, reflecting it inside the open forms to express daily and seasonal changes.
The forms draw on Celtic and Ainu key patterns that are translated into three dimensions and, zigzagging through the space, imply a continuous connection hidden under the surface.
The installation creates a landscape of rock, cave and wave forms that are condensed into abstract form. This reintroduces a natural context into the busy city environment, in which we all crave to create a sense of wellbeing.
I would like to invite people to explore and enjoy my sculptures, so that they might have an opportunity to feel something similar to what I experience while working: what it is to play again, while rediscovering a sense of wonder.
