Bringing the Wilderness to Urbanity: Iwagumi Air Scape in Singapore by ENESS.

The international premiere of Iwagumi Air Scape by Melbourne art and technology studio ENESS has rolled into Marina Bay Sands for i Light Singapore in a monumental celebration of the beauty of nature and the art of Iwagumi.

The 4,900 sqm artwork is a colossal statement about honouring our natural world by bringing the wilderness to urbanity. Sixteen air-filled inflatables—the tallest up to 13 metres high—have been arranged against the glittering skyline as if a mountain scape has miraculously touched down on the shoreline.

Iwagumi Air Scape pays homage to the Japanese word Iwagumi, which translates as ‘rock formation’. Legendary aquarist, Takashi Amano pioneered a new form of aquascaping using only rocks which he called Iwagumi. This form mimics natural rock formations —an expression of the Japanese love of nature and simplicity.

Artist and Founder of ENESS Nimrod Weis said: “Through this artwork we are celebrating how Japanese people acknowledge and recognise nature as the ultimate designer in terms of composition. I have been practising the art of aquascaping for many years, so it was a natural extension to attempt to apply these principles to this enormous, open-air rock formation.”

Iwagumi Air Scape is covered with intricate rock textures, achieving an additional optical feat: The 16 air-filled inflatables are transformed into what appears to be thousands of tonnes of rock.

“There is a huge element of surprise in this work when visitors touch the artworks and realise that, in fact, they are inflatable,” Nimrod said.

As an additional sensory experience, crevices have been created throughout the intricate formation, creating opportunities to squeeze through the inflatable rocks along sections as long as 10 metres, as if traversing a real canyon.

Nic Brunsdon’s Inflatable Sphere Highlights a Universal Truth of Life on Earth.

A compelling ephemeral architecture firmly rooted in concept, what I loved the most about this breathing installation is how epic yet unassuming its presence was.

The accompanying soundscape creates a highly textured and subtle environment including sounds of birds, night frogs, crickets, monkeys, bats and mountain streams. As the audience moves through the installation, each rock triggers different sounds randomly, adding to the overall auditory collage.

In further reinforcement about the expanse of cities and the effect that modern life has had on nature, deep within the formation, nearby street sounds penetrate the silence, posing the question about our relationship with wilderness in the modern world.

At night time, individual rocks glow like embers or molten lava, evoking notions about the very birth of rocks themselves. The glowing stones are a beacon for visitors all around the bay—recentring nature as ‘art experience’ at a critical time in our environmental present that pays heed to the festival theme Circular Nature.

Rocks hold a unique place in human culture. The mystical rocks of Stonehenge carry great spiritual importance. Many artists and art enthusiasts are motivated by these natural forms, creating pebble formations in rivers and beaches. Children often compulsively collect rocks as part of play.

This work seeks to bring harmony, monumentality, and a sense of awe into an urban experience, reconnecting us with a fundamental resonance of nature and the earth.

Iwagumi Air Scape is the feature installation at i Light Singapore 2024, Marina Bay Promontory until 23 June 2024.

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[Images courtesy of ENESS. Photography by Finbarr Fallon and Shiya Creative Studio.]