Plant Architecture (Potato)

Fascinated by the construction and longevity of buildings in the UK in comparison to Japan, Takahiro Iwasaki identified the historic surroundings of Calke Abbey in Derbyshire as the site for his work. He spent two weeks constructing meticulous miniature models of the buildings at Calke, each fabricated from tiny bricks of potato, cut and built as part of the artistic process. These were then opened for viewing by the public in Calke Abbey's stables as they slowly decomposed, addressing issues around temporality and permanence in architecture.

This project was made possible with the support of Calke Abbey and the National Trust.

Takahiro Iwasaki creates fragile scenes, landscapes and environments using everyday objects, from towers made with threads pulled from fraying towels and socks, to mountain ranges carved from erasers, each painstakingly constructed in exquisite and miniature detail.