Petroleum Memory Garden

Graves are our emotional anchors, our hopes of remembering those who once lived and watching over us, and our prayers for the future. They also coexist within the living spaces of people today.

This work evokes thoughts of ancient life. The six gravestones are made from petroleum-derived acrylic yarn. It is believed that petroleum is made from the remains of organisms that lived hundreds of millions of years ago. For modern people, petroleum is an essential resource for urban development, architecture, and everyday life; its source is ancient organisms. In the bustling, ever-evolving city of Yaesu, we have created a space that evokes thoughts of such organisms.

Because petroleum is extracted from deep underground, the gravestones and their bases represent geological strata. Furthermore, the facades of the Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building and the surrounding skyscrapers are also layered, connecting to the strata of the artwork installed on the first floor, as if continuing into the future.

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