Gallery Ichihatsu, a space renovated from a building originally constructed in Meiji 20 (1887), preserves the essence of its past while weaving together a new design narrative. Each carefully chosen timber used in the construction reflects the remarkable craftsmanship of Japanese architecture.
Deeply connected to the movement of air, AHARE begins scent architecture by understanding the flow of air within a space and its surrounding environment. For this exhibition, guests are welcomed by a specially crafted oil burner. Positioned at the entrance, it harnesses the unique updrafts within the building, allowing scent to gently permeate the space. Floating directly above, a suspended mobile continuously rotates, serving as a symbolic object that makes the invisible air currents visible.
Further integrating environmental elements, research on local vegetation and water systems informs the spatial experience, shifting the perception between “outside and inside.” The stones placed within the space are sourced from the surrounding gardens and landscape—polished and arranged as if breathing new life into them. Their connection to the stones placed outside the building reveals the presence of absence at the boundary between architecture and nature. The act of Mitate lies in imagining a scene that does not yet exist.
In classical Japanese, “Ahare” refers to a profound and contemplative sense of beauty—an appreciation of subtle, fleeting moments.
What is the “Ahare” we have sensed since ancient times?
AHARE designs architecture through scent.
