FLOWERS BY NAKED 2019: Experience Autumn Colors and Immersive Artwork at Kyoto's Nijo Castle This Fall

What Is FLOWERS BY NAKED?

The quirkily-named Naked Inc. is a Tokyo-based design company that specializes in video, installations, and projection mapping. Its light based installations have been shown all around Japan, including at Tokyo Tower, Yoyogi Park, and the Yomiuri Land theme park. Their previous works with Nijo Castle during the cherry blossom, summer, and autumn periods have been a popular highlight of the night viewings at Nijo Castle, too.

This year's theme for Nijo Castle is based on the image of the phoenix you can see carved into Nijo Caste's iconic Karamon Gate. In this art installation, the gate's phoenix takes the form of flowers and comes to life, spreading tidings of autumn throughout the palace grounds.

Read on for some highlights of the many stunning artworks and illuminations planned for the autumn night viewing at Nijo Castle for 2019.

East Otemon Gate: Big Book

The Big Book sculpture is the symbol of all of the FLOWERS BY NAKED series, greeting visitors at the entrance to each venue. 3.5 meters wide and 2.7 meters high, this impressive sculpture serves as a prologue to the story of the installation.

Karamon Gate: Autumn Winds

Karamon Gate, with Chinese-inspired carvings delicately colored in paint and gold leaf is an Important Cultural Property, and one of the most beautiful sights to see at Nijo Castle.

This projection mapping piece, called Autumn Winds, invokes the five senses, including scent, to draw you into the artwork's magical world. Follow the gate's phoenix through Karamon Gate to start your journey.

Ninomaru Palace: First Day of Autumn

Ninomaru Palace, which is famous for its "nightingale floors" that sing when walked on, is incorporated into this projection mapping and light artwork. Projection mapped flowers drift over the palace with each flap of the phoenix's wings, showing Ninomaru Palace in a way it has never been seen before. 

Ninomaru Gardens: Light Up

The Ninomaru Gardens that frame Ninomaru Palace will be lit up for the event period. These gardens were first built in the early 1600s for the legendary shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu by the garden master, Kobori Enshu. Classified by the Japanese government as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, these illuminations have been designed to accent the features of this formal Japanese garden. 

Nijo Castle Kitchens: Ikebana Collaboration with Ikemoto Motoikebo

The climax of the FLOWERS BY NAKED installation is a three dimensional ikebana flower arrangement and digital art piece.

This piece will be created under the supervision of Ikenobo Senko, the Headmaster Designate of Ikenobo, which is a school of ikebana that originated in the Muromachi period (1336 - 1573). The Ikenobo school is said to been the originator of the philosophy and practices of ikebana flower arranging that is sill practiced today.

Pictured above is last year's arrangement, so we can still look forward to the piece created for this year's event. This striking flower arrangement will meld with NAKED's digital installation piece in the Nijo Castle kitchen space, which has been designated as an Important Cultural Property.

Have an Unforgettable Autumn Experience at Nijo Castle

A range of other installations are also planned to highlight Nijo Castle's stunning fall foliage. So, if you're in Kyoto during the autumn viewing periods, don't miss a chance to see the fusion of natural beauty, traditional palace architecture, classical artworks, and cutting-edge installations at FLOWERS BY NAKED at Nijo Castle.

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