NAGI TEI
2025
Ice / Reflection / Temperature
NAGI TEI is a garden composed of ice plates. The plates lean against one another and stand autonomously, supported only by their angles and points of contact, without joints or fixing devices. In a cold environment, the structure maintains stability, while at the same time its surface gradually begins to melt. A thin film of water forms on the ice, reflecting surrounding light and producing subtle fluctuations. These reflections change delicately according to the viewer’s position and the angle of light. Through the overlap of temperature, phase transition, and illumination, the surface condition of the material is continuously renewed. In this configuration, the winter air itself functions as part of the structure.
The arrangement of the ice plates was derived by taking three existing trees as reference points and tracing the relationships where their positions overlap. While incorporating irregularity, the composition as a whole establishes a sense of order. Rather than presenting a completed form, NAGI TEI functions as a framework that visualizes a temporary equilibrium emerging from the interaction of freezing and melting.
Year
2025
Location
Trondheim, Norway
Material
Ice (tap water from Trondheim)
Size
H 130 × W 6900 × D 6655 mm
Ice block: H 58 × W 215 × D 326 mm
Exhibition
AiR Exhibition: OSOTO Lab.
Venue
Trondheim, Norway
PHENOMENA
Freezing and melting
Cold environment
Nordic winter light
↓
APPARATUS
Reciprocal structure in ice
Arrangement based on existing tree configuration
Phase-changing material
↓
SPATIAL EXPERIENCE
Subtle instability of light
Fragile equilibrium
Accepting change
NAGI TEI begins with an investigation of the coastal landscape of Trondheim and the conditions of a cold climate. Three ice plates support one another, producing subtle angles that evoke the calm surface of the sea. What the work addresses is a state that is neither fully frozen nor fully melted, but one that exists in the midst of transition. Stability here is not understood as a fixed form, but as a relationship that temporarily emerges while containing change. Temperature and light are not treated as elements to be controlled, but as forces that actively participate in the formation of the work. NAGI TEI presents a quiet stillness embedded within change, gently revealing a momentary equilibrium that appears between freezing and melting.
Year
2024
Location
Trondheim, Norway
Type
Residency-based Research Installation
Material
Ice (tap water from Trondheim)
Dimensions
H 130 × W 6900 × D 6655 mm
Ice block
H 58 × W 215 × D 326 mm
Exhibition
LKV International Residency Program
Artist
OSOTO Lab.
(Artist Duo: Takatoku Nishi, Yumeo Nakayama)
Foundation
Gyomu Super Japan Dream Foundation (Arts Sector)
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Union of Formative Arts and Culture
Organisation
LKV International Residency Program
Cooperation
City of Trondheim
Lademoen Park
Shooting
OSOTO Lab.
Video Editing
OSOTO Lab.
