The concept developed by Kengo Kuma is based on the Japanese term komorebi (木漏れ日). Few languages have an equivalent word, but our bodies recognize the sensation it describes: sunlight filtering through the leaves of a tree canopy, creating a living interplay of light and shadow on the ground. The installation unfolds as a landscape-like space, in which a monumental ceiling-suspended veil, composed of handcrafted wooden elements created specifically for the exhibition, allows light to filter down onto the stone floor, offering an immersive, physical experience.
“Play of light, air and shadow is some of the most important materials to play with.”
Yuki Ikeguchi, partner at KKAA and lead of the installation
Earth | Tree by Kengo Kuma/KKAA. Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary 2026. Photograph courtesy of Dinesen.
The installation employs materials with memory: wood and brick, chosen for their tactile and historical qualities. The wood brings the scent of the forest into the space, while the brick anchors the installation in a millennia-old building tradition. Both materials are culturally rooted in Japan and in Nordic landscapes alike, and their encounter has been shaped by Ikeguchi into a unified expression that conveys the studio’s sensitivity to nature.
Research shows that simply spending time in a forest lowers stress hormones, reduces heart rate, and alleviates anxiety, depression, and fatigue.
Visitors are invited to experience architecture with all their senses: inhaling the scent of wood and earth, feeling the texture of the materials, and moving through a space where architecture is experienced bodily and intuitively.
Earth | Tree by Kengo Kuma/KKAA. Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary 2026. Photograph courtesy of Dinesen.
As an integral part of the exhibition, a workshop space allows visitors to engage with KKAA’s creative process. Here, participants can shape landscapes in sand and experiment with different building systems: Tsumiki, a building block designed by Kengo Kuma; Danish-produced wooden blocks; and miniature brick versions. This workshop emphasizes that architecture can be created, explored, and enjoyed—regardless of age or experience.
According to its creators, Earth / Tree invites visitors to reconnect with a fundamental human impulse: to find shelter and harmony under filtered light, and to discover architecture not only with the eyes but with the whole body and sensory memory.
