Japanese firm Kotaro Horiuchi Architecture's "Fusionner 1.0" was on display this past March at the White Gallery Cube in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The installation consisted of two horizontal floating membranes stretched across a simple rectilinear room, dividing the space vertically into three sections.
The membranes, punctuated with holes, slope upwards from the room's entrance, creating a dynamic space in which every occupant's view is unique. Changing colored lights further alter one's perception of the room, casting different hues and shadows on the membranes and randomly distributed architectural models (provided by students at Nagoya University).
According to the architect, the word "fusionner" comes from the French word meaning "to merge." This is fitting with his description of the installation as a space that "brings people together to communicate for a while." Occupants can move throughout the room, traveling from hole to hole to create moments of closeness and separation.
