Azuma Makoto, a botanical artist known for his intricate and beautiful floral and botanical art installations, had amazed the public with his opening installation “Art of Plants" at the newly remodeled Isetan department store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Following the store's new vision “Welcome to the Fashion Museum”, Azuma based his project on the juxtaposition of several installations of hand-folded leaves throughout the remodeled floors featuring gallery displays and vignettes in the sales departments. The leaves eventually will dry and fall.
“It was actually our intention to show all the process by which leaves slowly decay, as part of the installation,” Azuma says. “We were there every day for maintenance and kept them dry in the end.”
The team of 300 people used several leaves, including cast-iron plant, danae, liriope, dracaena and black leaf, creating patterns by folding them in a multitude of ways. Nearly 20 varieties of leaves were used to create the piece in the main entrance of the store.
Azuma published in 2012 the Encyclopedia of Flowers: Flower Works by Makoto Azuma photographed by Shunsuke Shiinoki.
