SOME ECHOES is a lighting installation that offers a moment of walking deeper into a quiet forest, led by light. It presents a spatial experience where subtle presences resonate within the space, evoking traces of life. Thin wooden plates, randomly placed around a central illuminated pillar, reflect light softly, creating a scene where warm light filters through and lingers, floating in the air.
 

The work is composed of lighting objects inspired by "KOKERABUKI", a traditional Japanese roofing technique where thin wooden shingles are layered to create roofs ̶ a method with over 1,300 years of history. Although rarely seen today, Kokerabuki has been used for many significant cultural properties and temples, including Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, and Katsura Imperial Villa.
 

For this work, we collaborated with craftsmen specialized in making authentic KOKERA-ITA for temples and shrines. The craft techniques traditionally used for roofs ̶ the outer layer of buildings ̶ are here reinterpreted as lighting objects, bringing the artisanship inside. Though Kokera-ita may appear to be simple thin boards, their production requires exceptional skill. Each board is carefully hand-split, rather than saw-cut, creating beautiful natural grain and texture that can only be achieved through this historic process.

[Notes from Atsushi Shindo]

This work was inspired by the quiet moments of walking through a forest. A forest is filled with countless presences ̶ trees standing tall, streams murmuring somewhere unseen, sudden rain, traces of life. These subtle presences reflect and resonate with one another, embracing the space in a warm, gentle way. I imagined a scene where, as I step onto soft ground and light filters through the trees, life’s quiet activities become visible in the stillness. As I follow the light deeper into the forest, my own presence merges with the rhythm of the trees, and I become part of the forest’s quiet symphony ̶ a space where silent echoes of presence and traces of life gently spread.
 

This work was created in two variations: wood and aluminum. The 2-meter-high wooden object, crafted from Kiso-grown Sawara cypress, gives off a warm glow as soft light filters through its golden-hued surfaces. By comparison, the aluminum light presents sharp contrasts of light and shadow, evoking a cool, pristine stillness, as if surrounded by the crisp air of a solemn forest.

Through collaboration with Kuriyama Woodcraft, who have long created Kokera-ita for temples and shrines, this piece reflects the culmination of over 1,300 years of refined craftsmanship ̶ where each board is meticulously hand-split by artisans. It is my hope that this work will offer a moment to reflect on nature, light, and the quiet resonance between them.