balance
2026.02.20
The remote mountains of Kyoto where I grew up were filled with beautiful, sparkling light and reflections. In summer, the rice paddies would be flooded all at once, becoming like giant mirrors that reflected the sky and the flow of the clouds.
When it rained, countless sparkling puddles would appear on the uneven ground. After the rain, when the wind blew, divine light would stream through gaps in the thick, overcast clouds, softly illuminating the terraced fields and mountains.
Throughout the four seasons, the mountains, the light, and the water’s surface were in constant flux, yet there existed an underlying balance, as if everything were in perpetual resonance.
Interconnected, forming terraces like the terrain, stainless steel ceaselessly and quietly reflect changes.
Though the material itself is inorganic, through the interplay of light and reflection, it takes on surprisingly soft and varied expressions. At times like a shimmering blanket; among the trees, like a water surface rippling in the breeze. Inorganic and organic matter—though they appear entirely different, they both originate from the same Earth. There is no superiority or inferiority between them; perhaps their beauty lies precisely in the fact that both exist.
Transcending genres such as product design and architecture, I may be continuing to explore the potential of materials while pursuing the balance I once sensed.
Photography ：Nakayama Yasuhiro