Small airplanes fly freely through an old residence —this video work by Hiraki Sawa consists of footage of model planes superimposed over video images of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum‘s main building (the Former Residence of Prince Asaka). The slow trajectory of the planes, empty chairs, monochrome gradations, and background music overlap to quietly evoke the presence of those who once lived in this space. While no people appear in the video, the artist says he created the work “while imagining how Prince Asaka thought and felt upon returning from his Grand Tour.”
The film meticulously captures the Art Deco decorations within the rooms, bringing overlooked architectural details to life through close-ups, delicate movement of the motifs, and beautiful expressions of light and shadow. Floating between dream and reality, it invites the viewer into the deep layers of memory.