Susumu Shingu

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Susumu Shingu
Aurora
1987

Project Area: Little Tokyo
Project: Miyako Inn
Project Location: 328 E. First Street
Project Type: Developer

Description:

Above the entrance of the Miyako Inn hangs 10'h x 10'd geometric mobile sculpture by Susumu Shingu called Aurora. Consisting of 16 panels of highly polished stainless steel suspended on individual axes that are in turn suspended from five central axes, the kinetic sculpture casts flashes of brilliant light from overhead as the sculpture's intricate and delicate pieces are moved around by the wind. "Delicate, complex, capricious and yet never repetitive" is how Shingu described Auroa. From the street, this kinetic work is difficult to visually assemble against the background of reflective glass. But from the second floor lobby of the hotel, the sixteen 45 cm. Square panels rotating around a complex series of five interconnected axes appear to weave, rise and fall in constantly changing waves.

Artist Profile

Artist Susumu Shingu was born in Osaka, Japan in 1937. He studied painting at the Tokyo University of Arts before becoming interested in sculpture and how its design may be used to interact with the natural elements of wind, rain, and snow to create movement, sound, and drama. Shingu’s work can be characterized as the intersection between complementing nature and being an integral part of it. The artist’s colorful pieces, though monumental in scale and usually created from modern man-made materials, adopt nature’s rhythms in their movement. The artist’s public artworks can be found around the world at the Logan International Airport and the New England Aquarium, Boston; Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea; and the port of Genoa, Italy. In addition to sculpting, Shingu has written and illustrated several children’s books.