Takatoku Nishi

Along the coast of Kasari on Amami Ōshima, the project began with an observation of the relationship between clusters of stones that emerge at low tide and the movement of waves. As waves travel across the water surface, they interfere with the stones, becoming locally segmented and continuously generating ripple-like patterns around them. This phenomenon is rarely observed on ordinary sandy beaches and arises only when specific topographic and wave conditions coincide. To geometrically reconstruct this structure of interference, the project explored the design of units capable of generating the phenomenon. By arranging these units in a regular configuration within the sea, the aim was to establish a spatial condition in which repetitive movements would emerge in synchrony with natural wave motion. The proposed site was a location with a vertical difference overlooking the shoreline. By fixing the viewpoint, the patterns produced through wave interference could be perceived as a continuous phenomenon. In addition, the cove-like topography, characterized by relatively calm waves and a linear sandy beach, provided conditions well suited to the reconstruction of the phenomenon. While this proposal presupposes a strong dependence on natural conditions and was never realized, it can be understood as a foundational prototype. The project extracts the structural logic of phenomena generated by localized environmental conditions and positions them as a basis for reconstructing such phenomena as spatial experience.