FOUR SEASONS HOTEL, TOKYO

“It takes true talent to create such fluid, ephemeral and beautiful sculptures in such unforgiving industrial materials. It’s rare to find an artist who combines such professional attitude with creativity and strong spirit.”

Alison Pickett, CORPORATE ART & SCULPTURE

In 2015 I was approached by Alison Pickett, a corporate art consultant based in Hong Kong, to develop a sculpture for MOTIF, the restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo, Japan (designed by Andre Fu Studio).

The commission was for a sculpture, to be placed at the entrance to the restaurant where it would act as a welcome to diners.

The main visual reference I was given in the brief was Tsuru, the Japanese crane. The most sacred bird of Japan, the crane appears throughout the culture and has become an icon that defines the country, perhaps most famously as a universally recognised origami design.

APPROACH & PROCESS

I knew that this sculpture would need to combine a graceful shape with a strong visual impact. Rather than trying to replicate the Japanese crane, I decided on a piece formed from a pair of intertwined feathers. Sketches and a scale copper maquette allowed me to show the client what I wanted to do.

Once the design was signed off, I employed an engineer and fabricator to help me with the mechanics of a seven foot sculpture that would then be professionally welded to a solid steel plate fitted with the correct attachments for its mounting on a base in Tokyo. In addition to the sculpture’s sheer scale, the fact that it would be in the public domain meant that safety issues were paramount at every stage of the commission.

I started by making two copper feathers, roughly 70cm x 200cm, and then working with a team to hold, bend and intertwine the two pieces as I soldered them into the shape I wanted.

For their finish, I wanted a uniform bronze coat. This was achieved in collaboration with an  electroplater who purpose-built a metal bath to hold the sculpture – the largest single piece that they had ever electroplated.

OUTCOME

With the various complicated processes successfully completed, the sculpture was shipped to Tokyo. There it was attached to its base and installed at the entrance to MOTIF. Consultant, client and I were all delighted, and the sculpture remains a talking point for visitors to Four Seasons Tokyo.

“Yasemen is a joy to work with, it’s rare to find an artist that combines such professional attitude with incredible talent and creativity, It takes true talent to create such fluid, ephemeral and beautiful sculptures in such an unforgiving industrial material.”

Alison Pickett, CORPORATE ART & SCULPTURE