marble Climate ambitions

Climate Change, rapidly growing megacities and the need for new energy sources are issues that need to be resolved in the urban context. The EU’s new climate ambitions are contained in a European Commission Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050. It says the most cost-efficient way of moving to a low-carbon economy is by achieving a 40% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030 and a 25% cut by 2020, compared with 1990 emission levels. Poland has signaled its opposition to an EU plan for deeper carbon emission cuts. Poland, reliant on coal for more than 90% of its electric power, fears the move would make energy more costly. Coal and other fossil fuels emit CO2, seen as a catalyst for climate change. Motivation behind this project is to rise social awareness on importance of sustainability and alternatives energy sources.

The main topic of the project designed by Mikolaj Scibisz at Cracow University of Technology is the revitalization of historic powerhouse building. Project scope involves analysis of the existing wall fragments to determine elements to preserve, together with the concept of the new part of the object. Subject of reconstruction, was built in several stages. First hall of the building was built in 1901. Further elements were built with growing needs.

The main incentive for the architectural redevelopment of the old powerhouse in Radom, Poland is to reflect social, cultural and technological changes in both physical and functional way. The modern architectural design of the new part will represent dynamic sustainable development of technology and the social lifestyle with the respect to the historical building. Sustainability means not just durability and use of natural energy resources such as natural lighting, but to create a place that people of the local community and visitors can identify and accept as theirs.

lightness in Marble

Showcasing the recently completed floating staircase along with renowned pieces from the Zaha Hadid Architects archive: The Peak Site Plan (1983), Aqua Table (2005), Seamless Collection (2006), Belu Bench (2005), Lotus (2008), Cirrus (2008), Kloris (2008), and Seoul Desk & Table (2009).

The new floating staircase maintains the lightness of the gallery space. Each suspended step is articulated as a separate ribbon cast from Ductal®, an ultra-high performance concrete with exceptional structural as well as aesthetic qualities. The tensile strength of Ductal® allows the ribbons to remain relatively thin with each tread cast from a single adjustable mould that was engineered in Italy by Il Cantiere. The floating staircase has been designed to be demountable.

ZHA Gallery, 101 Goswell Road, London, EC1V

into a Marble Canyon

There is a short but very beautiful trail here, a 1,6 km (return) interpretive trail crosses the narrow gorge over footbridges and ends at a waterfall where Tokumm Creek plummets into the canyon. The trail tells the geological story of Marble Canyon and Prospectors Valley. Blue glacial meltwater, grey limestone walls, and green cliff-dwelling plants make Marble Canyon one of the most colourful canyons in the mountain parks. More 3 km to the south on the Highway 93 from Marble Canyon is Paint Pots. The Paint Pots are pools of water formed by gradual deposition of iron salts around the rim. A 1.5 km trail leads to this point of unique geological and historical interest. About 100 years ago, the colorful earth out of these ochre pools, were collected by the Kootenay people and later by European settlers to use as a coloring agent. Cold, iron-rich mineral springs bubble up through small pools and stain the earth a deep ochre colour....in GreenLand....

Expressions in Marble Works

by Kan Yasuda

The marble sculptures of Kan Yasuda can be summarized as contemplative and serene. Where does this come from and what effect does it have?

It is probably necessary to think of the relationship between nature and man when a sculpture is found to be contemplative. That is because it is man that can make sculptures and that can meditate. Man can contemplate through art works that confront nature.

In this sense, the works of Henry Moore and Isamu Noguchi are also contemplative. The works of Kan Yasuda are a little bit different. Instead of a lofty, intelligent calculated personality, his works portrays the wondrous soothing attraction of appreciating people and interacting people. It can also be said that it is because the contemplation is disinterested and uncalculating.

This is also evident in the comments of his friend Isamu Noguchi. "Yasuda was fortunate in being able to bypass art and produce so fine a work, although he will no doubt insist this was his sole intention."

It can probably be said that the contemplative character was born from fusion with nature, rather than departing from nature or being immersed in nature.

This applies to the geometrically shaped sculptures, such as TENSEI, TENMOKU and TAKOO, as well as the large maternal and generous sculptures with soft lines, including ISHINKI, TENSEN and TENSHO. The poet, Makoto Ooka made the following remarks about Kan Yasuda's works.

"The stone always waits in silence. The sculptor is always being called by the stone, But not all sculptors can hear that deep voice." Kan Yasuda can do more than listen to the deep voice of the stone. He is the kind of sculptor that can make the stone speak of nature. In other words, instead of only speaking to the marble, by speaking to the marble he is able to make the marble speak.

Regardless of what kind of nature the partner is, the various stones quietly whisper through infinite time using their own voices that move between heaven and Earth and speak of the dignity of life.

There were no differences in the voice of the various marble stones that were displayed at the individual outdoor exhibition against the background of the urban landscape of Milan in 1991, at the exhibition located in the beautiful natural setting of Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 1995 and the exhibition in the old capital of Firenze in 2000.

Kan Yasuda went to study under Fazzini in 1970 at the age of 25. After leaving Fazzini, he spent over 25 years working in Pietrasanta, the city of marble. Henry Moore and Isamu Noguchi also studied there. He began his quest for inner reflection while learning about nature's rythms from Fazzini, respect for nature from Henry Moore and Japanese beauty from Isamu Noguchi.

Kan Yasuda made the following comments. "Sculpturing involves using the body to create shapes that have never before existed on the earth. I discovered that the most primitive of these shapes is the egg."

It is easy to see that the shape if the egg, which matches the infinity of marble as a material with the life of the marble which is born through the eternity of time, is the introduction to the methodology of Kan Yasuda works.

Kan Yasuda is aware that children are at the beginning of the period of the both mental and physical growth when there is no consciousness between race or regions of the world. That is why Kan Yasuda would like his works to be appreciated by children most of all. I don't know of the works of any artist that are appreciated and enjoyed by children in a happy vein as much as those of Kan Yasuda. The aim of Kan Yasuda is to have children feel human life allowing the marble to speak by having children touch his sculptures.


It was our intention to have visitors view and feel works of arte set in nature firsthand by placing the sculptures in the Teien Art Museum garden for public viewing. And the Italy in Japan Year being staged here in 2001 is the perfect opportunity for showing off the works of Kan Yasuda who has been studying his art for so long in Italy.


Masaaki Iseki
Director, Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

pure Sounds

Marble Sounds - Good Occasions

Drunk and sore for so many days
But what's to regret

I've had my way
We could have met but i was too shy
The first thing i said was a soft goodbye

I count on countless good occasions
To be quick and to the point

To perceive the situation
But a constant hesitation
Has been turning me around
Here is hope you can still take it

Whispering you're never seen

You're slipping out
Escaping scenes
Keep it real and kick my dreams
Important deals once agreed

It takes a while to value time

I'll take a break
arrive too late
If i fall behind it is you i'll find
In a lovely house
In a lovely town