Sitting just outside of the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) is the Bloomberg Pavilion created by Japanese architect Akihisa Hirata. While the structure is captivating with its stark white color and protruding isosceles triangles, it’s not meant as just an intriguing piece of art. The museum also plans to use it for events and performances by young Japanese artists.
Inspired by trees, Hirata formed pieces that were made to look as if they were growing and branching out. He describes his thought process by explaining, “I wondered what would happen if the walls were to keep growing upwards and present an uneven surface like ‘pleats’. Pleats resemble a tree in the way that they spread out and capture the sun and I felt that they would produce a bright, impressive exterior. I also thought that the space beneath this surface would present a relaxed atmosphere, similar to that of tree shade that would be an ideal quality for an exhibition space.”
