Construction Finally Underway on Plensa’s Exchange Center
2010.01.25
On January 6th, Mayor Onishi and General Director Kitagawa oversaw the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ogijima Exchange Center (temporary name), during an extremely heavy north wind.
This building is being designed by the Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and it will serve as Ogijima’s key location for art. The artwork here will be called “Ogijima no Tamashii” (literally “Ogijima’s Soul”).
The pattern on the roof – the beautiful curves of which evoke a shell-fish motif – is comprised of words from the languages of Japanese, Hebrew, Arabic, Latin, Chinese, Greek, Russian, and Hindu that appear as if they have been cut out and woven together. When the building is completed, the rays of the sun will shine through the glass ceiling and shadow words will be appear on the ground. When seen at a glance, the words seem to be scattered around, but it feels as if they are woven together into an organic unity. Perhaps this design is intended to demonstrate the way in which the Seto Inland Sea is connected to the seas of the world beyond.
The building is scheduled to be finished by the end of June, right before the Art Setouchi begins.
