Designboom_ ENESS, a Melbourne-based art and technology studio, presents Iwagumi Air Scape at i Light Singapore. This large-scale installation, located on the Marina Bay foreshore, highlights the integration of natural elements into urban settings.

Spanning 4900 sqm, Iwagumi Air Scape features sixteen air-filled inflatables, with the tallest reaching up to 13 meters. These structures mimic a mountainous landscape, creating an illusion of a natural rock formation against the city skyline. The installation, which lights up at night, draws from the Japanese concept of Iwagumi, a term meaning ‘rock formation,’ popularized in aquascaping by Takashi Amano. Amano’s approach emphasizes simplicity and the natural beauty of rock arrangements.

Artist and ENESS founder, Nimrod Weis, describes the installation as a celebration of nature’s inherent design. The inflatables are meticulously textured to resemble real rocks, offering visitors a visual and tactile surprise. The work includes crevices and pathways that invite exploration, simulating the experience of navigating a natural canyon.

Accompanying the visual elements is a soundscape that enhances the immersive experience. As visitors move through the installation, they trigger sounds of birds, night frogs, crickets, monkeys, bats, and mountain streams, creating a dynamic auditory environment. This interaction emphasizes the contrast between the natural sounds within the installation and the urban noises that penetrate the space.

At night, the rocks glow, resembling embers or molten lava, evoking thoughts of the earth’s geological processes. This illumination makes the installation a focal point around the bay, aligning with the festival theme of Circular Nature and prompting reflections on our relationship with the natural world.

Iwagumi Air Scape by ENESS invites visitors to reconnect with nature through its monumental yet harmonious design, blending the simplicity and beauty of rock formations with the urban environment. The installation is on display at Marina Bay Promontory until June 23, 2024.