Voyage of Time

The natural world—as manifested in, for example, clouds or the sea—inspires Igawa, who is intrigued by how light breaks and reflects on mirror-like surfaces. This sculpture is representative of his approach. He created it from a single block, initially using traditional Japanese woodworking tools such as saws and chisels. Then he began applying dry lacquer, which resembles obsidian, a black volcanic glass that in Neolithic times was often chiseled into hand-axes and other tools. Concavities of varying depths result in an irregular surface and in reflections that are visible from every angle of the sculpture.