About the artwork

Kyororo is a natural science education and training facility nestled in the mountains of Matsunoyama, a region known for heavy snowfall. In winter, buried deep beneath the snow, it withstands a weight of 2,000 tons like a submarine. Its serpentine form evokes the surrounding walking trails. This fully welded steel snake changes length by nearly 20 centimeters between winter and summer.The weathering steel hull changes its appearance over time, already developing the deep brown stripes characteristic of weathering steel. From the 34-meter tower, visitors can observe the treetops and the mountain ridges of the Echigo Sanzan range. Winter visitors are guided through walls of snow, suddenly emerging at the entrance. Beneath the snow lies a tunnel world, isolated from the outside, unique to snow country.All windows are made of thick acrylic, designed to withstand immense weight and reveal cross-sections of snow. Life forms within the snow fill the window panes. In summer, beech forests and The Rice Fields cover the walls. Buried deep within the Grove, we hope it will endure for centuries, even millennia, remaining just as it is.