Earth / Tree
Occasionally walking through a shaded grove, sunlight filters through the gaps between leaves, filling the field of vision with fragmented, radiant halos—this phenomenon is described in Japanese as Komorebi (木漏れ日). It is a scene formed by the vitality of trees rising from the earth, the rough resilience of bark, and dense branches that conceal the sky. This sensation may already be deeply embedded in bodily memory, quietly echoing a human longing for a place to stand even before concrete and steel came to dominate the landscape.
This is the large-scale installation Earth | Tree created by Kengo Kuma and Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) for Copenhagen Contemporary. Drawing on earth and trees as fundamental elements, the work returns to architecture’s most primal origin: the human instinct to seek shelter beneath the canopy of a tree. Based on this concept, Gallery 4 is transformed into a poetic spatial experience that simulates a natural landscape.
A vast canopy of hand-crafted timber components descends from the ceiling, forming a woven veil that guides light as it gradually filters through, transforming the very texture of illumination. The filtered light passes through textiles installed within the space, whose material quality closely resembles Japanese washi paper, allowing light and air to traverse between different spatial zones in a harmonious and continuous flow. Light at times gently envelops the body, and at times flows across the brick surfaces placed on the ground, turning architecture into a medium that translates the emotional qualities of materials. Earth | Tree re-edits the textures and atmospheres of ordinary matter, enabling visitors—through an awakened bodily perception—to reconnect with the air they breathe and the ground beneath their feet.
Under the direction of KKAA partner Yuki Ikeguchi, the project brings together Japan’s long tradition of timber construction and the Nordic commitment to natural craftsmanship. The treetop canopy is composed of timber offcuts originally destined for disposal from Dinesen. The brick platform is likewise constructed solely from damaged bricks and production remnants from Petersen Tegl. In this way, these materials are repositioned from “building materials” back to their essential state as wood and earth, and subjected to renewed interpretation, responding to KKAA’s long-standing concern with the relationship between people, materials, and the environment. This reflection and sensitivity resonate with Nordic everyday aesthetics.
In addition to the exhibition itself, a workshop space invites visitors to engage in hands-on landscape-making through sand modelling and architectural experimentation. Using Kengo Kuma’s Tsumiki building system, Danish-produced wooden blocks, and miniature brick models, visitors can construct their own conceptual architectures. This reflects the core intention of the CCreate programme: an exhibition format that is not only to be viewed, but also to be explored and created by everyone. Emerging from an everyday moment, the exhibition leads visitors into a contemplative spatial field where the meaning of architecture is quietly re-examined. As Marie Laurberg states: “Architecture shapes the way we exist in the world.” In turn, our understanding of architecture continues to shape the possible worlds we inhabit.
Design Studio | KKAA (Kengo Kuma and Associates) @kkaa_official
Principal Designer | Yuki Ikeguchi @ikeguchy
Photography | Jacopo La Forgia @jacopolaforgia
