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Disappear the Scaffolding

We're gone and so is the scaffolding under our latest installation in Tokyo. Things wrapped up last Thursday, but Sam stuck around for the Tokyo Auto Show (he's obsessd with cars) and I retreated to San Francisco. The scaffolding was helpful during the installation as it allowed us to wander about freely beneath the sculpture several stories up in the air, but robbed us of any appreciation for how the piece would look in situ from the ground.

Team Mono Kobo breaks down one of the six shipping crates. The scaffolding and sculpture are visible in the distance. Photo: Sam Prest

Errr.... And, this was a problem as it would be everyone's normal vantage. So, we spent several days on our backs doing our best to imagine how it would look another twenty feet below. Thus began the hallowed phase of "tweaking," when minor adjustments are made to the flexible glass fabric system to hopefully coax the sculpture's form into elegance. Just before Sam left, he returned to the site to see what we hath wrought fully revealed.

The view coming up the escalators from the main plaza entrance. Photo: Sam Prest

Behold! The never before view seen from directly beneath sans scaffolding. Photo: Sam Prest

The complex lighting effects were a hoped for but nonetheless surprising detail of the installation. Photo: Sam Prest