Kyoto’s Nijo Castle, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is illuminating with a night time digital art event hosted by art collective Naked this month. This is not the first time the company, led by actor and artistic director Ryotaro Muramatsu, has hosted an immersive light-up display at the 400-year-old castle, but last year’s event was cut-short due to Covid-19. This year, the spectacular event is scheduled to run from March 19 to April 11 2021.
This edition of ‘Flowers by Naked’ is a collaboration between Muramatsu and fashion photographer Leslie Kee as well as ikebana artist Yuki Ikenobo, who is the the designated fourth generation headmaster of Japan’s oldest school of ikebana. The joint-creation with Ikenobo, titled ‘Breath/Bless Project’, is one that has never been shown in Kyoto before. The dandelions in this artwork were originally designed to release fluff when participants blew on them. Unfortunately, due to coronavirus safety protocols, the fluffy seeds will now float when a smartphone is waved over them instead. Nevertheless, it still makes for a magical sight.
The event in Nijo Castle will collide with Nijo Castle’s cherry blossom festival, so the 300 cherry blossoms trees on the compound will also be lit after sundown. There are 50 varieties of sakura on site, including the popular Somei-Yoshino trees, weeping cherry trees and Sato trees.