The exhibition YOSHINO – Eternal Forestry at the gallery in Village Saint-Honoré (91 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris), from September 7th (Thursday) to September 16th (Saturday). The exhibition seeks to convey the relationship between forestry at Mount Yoshino in Nara Prefecture, which has continued for over 500 years, the people engaged in it, and their connection to the mountain’s ecosystem. The exhibition will feature visual works that combine the light and shadows cast over Mount Yoshino, the murmuring of rivers and gentle breezes swaying through the cedar forests, and the sounds of those tending to the forests. These works will be accompanied by grand sculptures constructed from both new timber and reclaimed wood serving its new purpose. Visitors will be able to experience the charm of Mount Yoshino through their senses: sight, hearing, touch, and smell. We invite you to take this opportunity to vicariously experience Nara Prefecture’s Mount Yoshino.

Highlights

1.The spirit of forestry at Mount Yoshino, spanning 1,500 years.

Yamamori refers to local forest rangers who, across generations, have cultivated and nurtured each cedar and cypress tree, passing their parents’ technical prowess and spiritual values onto their children. Before cutting down trees that have been carefully cared for by their ancestors, the yamamori pay their respects to the mountain’s deities, a gesture beautifully reflected in the wood after it has been worked into lumber. This lumber is transformed into a part of people’s lives through the expertise of traditional car penters who construct houses without using nails or metal fittings and skilled woodworkers who craft beautiful vessels from a single piece of wood.

2.Audiovisual installation by French visual artist Mai Hua and Mitemo.

The audiovisual installation, a collaborative work between the visual artist Mai Hua and Mitemo, captures the mountain and trees’ presence felt by the yamamori, as well as the ever-changing expressions of the natural environment recorded on film and the sounds recorded in Mount Yoshino’s various settings, bringing the mountain to life in a Paris art gallery. By combining large-scale, two-sided projection with 2.1-channel sound, visitors will feel like they are visiting Mount Yoshino.

3.Traditional wood-centered architectural studio brings forestry to life

The three-dimensional artwork created through the collaborative production between the Nara-based architectural studio Cochi, specializing in traditional wooden architecture design and construction, and Mitemo, presents the essence of Mount Yoshino’s cedar, thriving in various forms that combine new and old wood, embodying the 500-year-old spirit of forestry in Yoshino that transcends past and present. The work showcases Mount Yoshino’s natural environment, passed on from generation to generation.

Sustainability woven together by humans and nature

YOSHINO – Eternal Forestry focuses on people who are part of Mount Yoshino’s 500-year-old history of forestry, including the yamamori, architects, carpenters, and the mountain’s natural cedar forests. The exhibition seeks to express and convey the dialogue and gratitude between humans and nature. “Trees live three lives,” says Mr. Fukumoto, a yamamori at Mount Yoshino. They live in the mountains, live as timber for houses and furniture, with their older and newer forms becoming one. The trees of Mount Yoshino continue to thrive in this cycle, changing their forms over 1,000 years. The exhibition expresses a unique viewpoint centered around living trees, as well as a profound sense of time. We hope visitors can expand their imagination about our future and how to live in harmony with nature, recognizing our interconnectedness with the natural world by observing Mount Yoshino’s ecological cycle.

Outline of Exhibition