Back in January, Okamoto, with the help of Kian Yam, froze large blocks of ice embedded with flower seeds. The blocks were then stacked into a long, head-high spine in an open space on MIT’s campus near the Charles River. At night special lighting came on to illuminate the translucent ice wall and cast an icy blue hue onto the landscape. The wall remained standing and braved more snow, wind, and cold, which eventually transitioned into rain and sun.
The wall has gradually melted away, soaking into the grass below, and the seeds came closer and closer to ground, until eventually the ice melted completely away leaving only seeds. These seeds will work their way into the ground, germinate and bloom later this spring to continue with the celebration of MIT’s 150 anniversary. Okamoto’s goal was to build something that would leave a lasting legacy after the installation was over and these spring flowers are certain to achieve that.
Image Credits: Andy Ryan, George Lin, Huang Li, Yushiro Okamoto
