A generative art work by Shuhei Matsuyama, created using an 8K high-resolution monitor.

The formation of culture is profoundly influenced by both *history* and *land*. The differences between Western and Eastern cultures have also emerged as a result of these distinct backgrounds. However, culture is not a static entity—it continuously evolves with time. We inherently possess a sense of what defines our own culture, an awareness shaped by the interwoven elements of both unchanging traditions and dynamic transformations. These interactions collectively form our contemporary cultural identity.

**Floating Scape** is an attempt to capture the underlying spirituality of Japanese culture through digital technology. By incorporating techniques inspired by *karesansui* (dry landscape gardens), this work aims to materialize a fragment of a *contemporary Japanese aesthetic* within a digital space through a new form of landscape design.

*Karesansui* is a style of garden that symbolically represents natural landscapes using sand and stones, without the use of water. Deeply rooted in Zen philosophy, this style was established during the Muromachi period. In *karesansui*, sand patterns depict flowing water, stones embody mountains and waterfalls, and borrowed scenery (*shakkei*) is sometimes incorporated to create a sense of infinite expanse within a highly refined and minimal space. The underlying aesthetic principles include uniquely Japanese concepts such as *shukkei* (miniature landscapes), *mitate* (reinterpretation), and *shakkei* (borrowed scenery).

For this work, I conducted repeated studies in digital space by utilizing 3D scan data from various locations around the world and satellite imagery to construct a virtual garden. Digital technology enables landscape design beyond physical constraints—allowing for transformations in scale that alter perception, the fusion of terrains from different historical periods, and dynamic changes that would be impossible in traditional gardens. The objects placed in the landscape vary not only in their geographical origins but also in their time of creation, forming a *karesansui* that transcends conventional limitations of *time* and *space*.

By reconstructing *karesansui*, a form deeply embedded in Japanese cultural values, through *modern digital techniques*, can we evoke a sense of *contemporary Japanese aesthetics*? Through this work, I invite viewers to engage with their own perceptions and explore this question for themselves.

Floating Scape
Shuhei Matsuyama
2025
Installation
Duration: Generative

Exhibition
2025 AKARI, InSpace, Mexico City