Atsushi Shindo’s The Great Tree is a monumental installation showcased at JAPAN SHOP 2025, stretching nearly 40 feet high and 32 feet across. Crafted from over 180 plant-based cellulose acetate resin pieces, each one drips and pools naturally, embracing gravity’s influence rather than concealing it. Suspended by more than 600 slender wire grips from Arakawa’s grip system, the glossy amber elements appear weightless, capturing and refracting light in unexpected, organic patterns.
Shindo’s design challenges traditional notions of resin and material form—its imperfections and subtle bulges become the heart of the experience. This installation blends sustainability, craft, and spatial drama. The resin, sourced and 3D printed by Koshin Planning, signals a return to bio-material origins while exploring new architectural potentials. The wire structure supports rather than reveals support—creating a floating canopy effect and redefining how resin and wire might coexist in large-scale works. The Great Tree is a poetic exploration of material memory, light, and space, inviting viewers to inhabit a low-gravity forest suspended in midair.
Image Credit: Arakawa, Koshin Planning
What's Driving This Trend
- Sustainable Resin Art
- The use of plant-based cellulose acetate resin in large-scale installations highlights a shift towards eco-friendly materials in artistic expressions.
- Gravity-influenced Design
- Designs that embrace natural forces like gravity, such as gravity-influenced resin sculptures, offer new ways to create dynamic visual effects and structural forms.
- Light-refracting Installations
- Art installations that capitalize on materials with natural light-refracting properties are creating captivating environments that play with perception and space.
Who This Affects Most
- Art and Sculpture
- The art industry can explore new dimensions with materials like plant-based resin, offering a fresh perspective on sustainable creativity in sculpture.
- Sustainable Architecture
- The architectural sector can integrate plant-based materials and gravity-influenced designs to develop innovative and environmentally conscious structures.
- Lighting Design
- Lighting designers can harness the organic light-capturing properties of resins to create visually striking installations that redefine ambient spaces.
