1000 A4 washi cosmos squares
at Crystal Clear, Nakacho-no-Ie, 2022, and
part of URBAN WALKS – Goethe-Institut East Asia, 2023
laser-cut A4 washi 60 gr/m²
1000 A4 washi cosmos squares is a rhizomatic and participatory installation that unfolded across two moments in Tokyo, inviting audiences to engage through tactile, spatial, and architectural encounters. At Crystal Clear, Nakacho-no-Ie, visitors received one of a thousand delicately laser-cut A4 washi paper squares—each a fragment of memory—and were invited to transform and place it within the house. Each contribution expanded the work with a unique gesture, layering subjective experiences into a growing, living installation.
In 2023, as part of URBAN WALKS by the Goethe-Institut East Asia, the project continued in the context of PARK-PLATZ—a placemaking intervention that re-appropriated parking lots as public spaces in Tokyo. Here, 1000 A4 washi cosmos squares became an act of collective cartography, weaving together ephemeral moments and spatial awareness. Referencing the walking-based research of Strollology, this iteration linked past, present, and future urban narratives, transforming passive transit zones into active sites of rest, connection, and aesthetic exploration.
