I am completely riveted by the work of sculptor Ken’ichiro Taniguchi, who lives and works in Berlin and Sapporo. I am particularly drawn to what he calls “hecomi becoming,” the place he fills cracks and holes in human-made landscapes with perfectly-fitted vivid yellow items of PVC pipe. On his web site, he explains:
Hecomi, as I name it, are cracks and fissures or damaged off and broken areas, created by pure forces, on man-made surfaces corresponding to roads or partitions. By trying solely at their form one can see that even hecomi, which have a foul picture of being previous and soiled, have numerous engaging traits corresponding to shocking novelty, heartwarming allure and overwhelming energy. This can be as a result of the voice that arose proper on the boundary between people and nature was given a visual kind. Additionally, they’re paying homage to shapes seen on maps or remind us of creatures. Typically one could really feel a way of familiarity in the direction of them.
Being intrigued by hecomi, I’ve used them as a motif for my work since 2000. Hecomi becoming, which is the act of laying a shiny yellow piece of PVC with an inorganic texture proper into the crack, represents the try to vary its unfavourable being to one thing mild, pop, and optimistic. With hecomi maps I concentrate on the enjoyable of evaluating shapes by arranging them in the identical method as illustrations in a area information. I additionally regard these two-dimensional shapes as a problem particularly assigned to me. So, as an alternative of utilizing typical sculpting methods corresponding to modeling and carving, I analysis three-dimensional sculpture utilizing a way I check with as “folding the aircraft”. In recent times, I’ve been conducting metropolis research by trying on the floor from above and interpret the form of a metropolis as a hecomi.
I really like the idea of creating one thing lovely out of one thing worn out or destroyed. I additionally love the pop of vivid cheery yellow in opposition to darkish or boring streets. To see photos and movies of his work, observe him on Instagram, the place he posts a weekly “Hecomi Becoming.” Listed below are a few of my favorites—Berlin, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Barcelona, Spain; and Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.
