The relationship between silence, darkness, and solitude
“THE MOUNTAIN OF LIGHT” and the “EXTINCT PLANT”
They are a part of each other…aren’t they?
Well, I think they are, but no one knows that secret:
one day, when I had to live in the snowy mountain for half a year
where everything was in hibernation and frozen - without life.
In fact, they are alive, but being unseen.
I found the relationship between silence, darkness, and solitude.
"I'm always here as you are always there !"
Said the mountain, to the plant.
Unfortunately, not a living plant,
a plant without leaves, but the soul remains.
Patavee Viranuvat
Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the twentieth century’s most important and critically acclaimed sculptors. Through a lifetime of artistic experimentation, he created sculptures, gardens, furniture and lighting designs, ceramics, architecture, landscapes, and set designs. His work, at once subtle and bold, traditional and modern, set a new standard for the reintegration of the arts.
Noguchi, an internationalist, traveled extensively throughout his life. (In his later years he maintained studios both in Japan and New York.) He discovered the impact of large-scale public works in Mexico, earthy ceramics and tranquil gardens in Japan, subtle ink-brush techniques in China, and the purity of marble in Italy. He incorporated all of these impressions into his work, which utilized a wide range of materials, including stainless steel, marble, cast iron, balsa wood, bronze, sheet aluminum, basalt, granite, and water.
When Noguchi’s mother Léonie Gilmour met his father, she was a young writer and editor living in New York City. Gilmour was a white American of mostly Irish descent born in Brooklyn. His father Yonejiro Noguchi, an itinerant Japanese poet, was Asian. Noguchi was born in Los Angeles, but moved to Japan with his mother at the age of two and lived there until the age of thirteen. In the summer of 1918, Noguchi returned alone to the United States to attend high school in Rolling Prairie and then La Porte, Indiana, adding yet another layer to an increasingly complex identity. (He proudly identified as a “Hoosier” for the rest of his life.)
After high school he moved to Connecticut to work briefly for the sculptor Gutzon Borglum, and then to New York City to attend Columbia University. While enrolled there as a premedical student, he also began taking evening sculpture classes on New York’s Lower East Side with the sculptor Onorio Ruotolo at the Leonardo da Vinci School of Art. He soon left the university to become an academic sculptor, supporting himself by making his first portrait busts.
In 1926, Noguchi saw an exhibition in New York of the work of Constantin Brancusi that profoundly changed his artistic direction. With a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, Noguchi went to Paris, and in 1927 worked in Brancusi’s studio. Inspired by the older artist’s forms and philosophy, Noguchi turned to modernism and abstraction, infusing his highly finished pieces with a lyrical and emotional expressiveness, and with an aura of mystery.
Returning to New York City as well as traveling extensively in Asia, Mexico, and Europe in the late 1920s through the 1930s, Noguchi survived on portrait sculpture and design commissions, proposed landscape works and playgrounds, and intersected and engaged in collaborations with a wide range of luminaries. Noguchi’s work was not well-known in the United States until 1940, when he completed a large-scale sculpture symbolizing the freedom of the press, which was commissioned in 1938 for the Associated Press Building in Rockefeller Center, New York City. This was the first of what would eventually become numerous celebrated public works worldwide, ranging from playgrounds to plazas, gardens to fountains, all reflecting his belief in the social significance of sculpture.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the backlash against Japanese Americans in the United States had a dramatic personal effect on Noguchi, motivating him to become a political activist. In 1942, he cofounded Nisei Writers and Artists Mobilization for Democracy, a group dedicated to raising awareness of the patriotism of Japanese Americans; and voluntarily entered the Colorado River Relocation Center (Poston) concentration camp in Arizona where he remained for six months.
Following his release, Noguchi set up a studio at 33 MacDougal Alley in Greenwich Village, New York City, where he returned to stone sculpture as well as prolific explorations of new materials and methods. His ideas and feelings are reflected in his works of that period, particularly the delicate slab sculptures included in the 1946 exhibition Fourteen Americans at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Noguchi did not belong to any particular movement, but collaborated with artists working in a range of disciplines and schools. He created stage sets as early as 1935 for Martha Graham, beginning a lifelong collaboration; as well as for Merce Cunningham, Erick Hawkins, and George Balanchine and composer John Cage. In the 1960s, Noguchi began working with stone carver Masatoshi Izumi on the island of Shikoku, Japan; a collaboration that would also continue for the rest of his life. From 1961 to 1966, he worked on a playground design with the architect Louis Kahn.
Whenever given the opportunity to venture into the mass-production of his designs, Noguchi seized it. In 1937, he designed a Bakelite intercom for the Zenith Radio Corporation, and in 1947, his glass-topped table was produced by Herman Miller. This design and others—such as his designs for Akari light sculptures which were initially developed in 1951 using traditional Japanese materials—are still being produced today.
In 1985, Noguchi opened The Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum (now known as The Noguchi Museum), in Long Island City, New York. The Museum, established and designed by the artist, marked the culmination of his commitment to public spaces. Located in a 1920s industrial building across the street from where the artist had established a studio in 1960, it has a serene outdoor sculpture garden, and many galleries that display Noguchi’s work, along with photographs, drawings, and models from his career. He also indicated that his studio in Mure, Japan, be preserved to inspire artists and scholars; a wish that was fulfilled with the opening of the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum Japan in 1999.
Noguchi’s first retrospective in the United States was in 1968, at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. In 1986, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale. Noguchi received the Edward MacDowell Medal for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to the Arts in 1982; the Kyoto Prize in Arts in 1986; the National Medal of Arts in 1987; and the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Japanese government in 1988. He died in New York City in 1988.
Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum. (n.d.). Biography of Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi Foundation.
Retrieved December 13, 2025, from https://www.noguchi.org/isamu-noguchi/biography/biography/ Noguchi Museum
Moerenuma Park
Just before his death in December 1988, Noguchi submitted a project model for a planned site outside of Sapporo, a reclaimed garbage dump.
His longtime collaborator, the architect Shoji Sadao, supervised the planning and construction of the site, which amounts to a compendium of five decades of Noguchi’s experiments with play, including a recreation of his first concept, Play Mountain (1933).
Moerenuma Park is a comprehensive park in Sapporo that is intended to be the base of the “Circular Greenbelt Concept” that combines the green spaces of the city of Sapporo within a loop. Construction commenced in 1982, and the park had its grand opening in 2005. Sculptor Isamu Noguchi created the basic design based on the concept of “the whole being a single sculpture.” The fountain and hills form many geometric shapes in the expansive grounds, facilities for play equipment and so forth are arranged in an orderly manner, and the landscape can be enjoyed as a fusion of nature and art. Cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, and the fountain and wading pool facilities are open to make for a refreshing Sapporo summer. Fall brings foliage, and you may enjoy cross-country skiing and sledding across the snow-covered landscape during winter. The park has attractions for all seasons.
In addition, the park was converted from a waste treatment plant, and an air-conditioning system was installed in the Glass Pyramid, an indoor facility, that uses the natural, region-specific energy of snow. It is also an attraction from a nature conservation perspective.
Moerenuma Park Acknowledgement
The Isamu Noguchi Foundation, Inc
Master Plan and Design:
Isamu Noguchi
Executive Architect: Fuller and Sado PC
Shoji Sado
Takashi Sasaki
Architect: Architect 5 Partnership
Junichi Kawamura
Hidetsugu Horikoshi
Takeo Matsuoka
Landscape: Kitaba Landscape Planning
Koji Saito
Moerenuma Park. (n.d.). Moerenuma Park official English website. Retrieved December 13, 2025, from https://moerenumapark.jp/english/
About Creator
"I had spent half of my life in libraries, dreaming of spending the rest there"
Patavee Viranuvat
Patavee Viranuvat earned his Master’s degree in 2015 from the Graduate School of International Management, majoring in E-Business Management at the International University of Japan (IUJ). His primary research was inspired during the course Corporate Level Strategy under the supervision of Prof. Kimio Kase. (Prof. Kimio Kase is a former collaborator of IESE’s Strategic Management Department. He holds a D.B.A. from the University of Manchester, an M.B.A. from IESE Business School, a degree in business science from ICADE, and a B.A. from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.)
Patavee was nominated and awarded the highest scholarship from Monbukagakusho, presented by former IUJ President Prof. Shinichi Kitaoka, based on his strategic proposal for International Social Infrastructure Development, along with exchange initiatives in economics, society, and arts & culture between Thailand and Japan.
His continued involvement since 2010, beginning with his selection by The Japan Foundation under the JENESYS Program, led to further recognition. Patavee was later invited to Japan for the first time as an Artist-in-Residence in Sapporo at S-AIR (Sapporo Artist in Residence).
In 2005, Patavee earned his Bachelor of Film & Television from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bond University, Australia. His thesis film, shot on 16mm, recreated his final memories with his father in Japan. The work received the Dean’s Award and earned the highest score in his class. Later in 2006, he received the Young Thai Artist Award from the SCG Foundation and was selected as a finalist for the Rat Pestonji Award at the 10th Thai Short Film & Video Festival.
Moreover in 2008, Patavee’s feature-length creative documentary project Stratosphere, which explores the journey of young people who leave home to begin life in the wilderness, inspired by the influence of celestial forces, was selected by Produire au Sud at the Nantes Film Festival, France, as well as the World Film Festival of Bangkok. The project continued to gain recognition and was selected to represent Thailand in a collaborative film production program with emerging Asian filmmakers at the Asian Film Academy (AFA). During the Busan International Film Festival 2008, he received mentorship in directing and cinematography from Hou Hsiao-hsien, Arthur Wong, and Brillante Mendoza.
Soon after, in 2010, Patavee was selected by the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture, Ministry of Culture, to participate in an advanced workshop for Film and Television Producing. He began his career as a Co-Producer on Tongpong Chantarangkul’s debut feature I Carried You Home. He competed in the Thai Film Pitching event at Alliance Française Bangkok, where the project won first place, leading to invitations to meet potential investors at the Cannes International Film Festival 2010, as well as in Thailand and Singapore. The film later received Official Selection status and made its World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in 2012, followed by screenings at numerous international film festivals worldwide. It went on to win two Suphannahong National Film Awards—Best Cinematography and Best Actress.
Questioning the fate of countless abandoned and overlooked films, Patavee initiated and collaborated closely with core team members—including Tosapol Boonsinsukh, Penwadee Noppaket Manon, Sasiwimol Wongcharin, and several others—to establish the Doi Saket International Film Festival (DSIFF) 2010. He also worked with international partners from Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan. As Co-Founder & Festival Director, he developed policies and strategies for a film festival unlike any previously held in Thailand—redefining screening formats, venues, and audience accessibility. The festival curated over 150 films from 25 countries, screening them free of charge across 13 community locations throughout Chiang Mai over eight days, attracting more than 2,000 attendees. The festival was made possible through support and collaboration from organizations including The Japan Foundation, Alliance Française, AUA, Electric Eel Films, and Reading Room Bangkok.
Patavee had the opportunity to work with Apichatpong Weerasethakul, serving as Project Manager for Kick the Machine Films on the Exploding Cinema project, a collaboration with the Geneva School of Art and Design, Switzerland.
In 2013, he continued his international academic pursuits in international business management in China and Japan, receiving a scholarship from Peking University to study Economics, followed by his Master’s degree studies in Japan.
Patavee founded Projectionist ASIA in 2015, an organization that supports education and knowledge development in Intellectual Property Management and International Co-Production for emerging filmmakers in Asia, under the management of Alternative Universe Co., Ltd. He currently serves as Director of Business Development at World L.P.G. Group, driving initiatives in Business Diversification & Strategic Expansion, Joint Ventures & Partnerships, Corporate Identity & Brand Positioning, Innovation & New Product Development.
In 2018, Alternative Universe Co., Ltd. was established with a registered capital of 5 million baht. The company is headquartered on South Sathorn Road, with its first branch located on Charoenkrung Road as a small alternative space named Slure, the space has its architectural design by
Win Rojanastien. The company aims to grow into a corporation specializing in Social Infrastructure Development in Thailand and across Asia.
Collection Story
Initiated in 2010, this collection has evolved into an epic work shaped by time, sustained inquiry, and long-term commitment. Rather than emerging from a single moment or fixed concept, the collection unfolds through duration—allowing ideas to mature, materials to respond, and meaning to accumulate gradually. Each work forms part of a broader structure, connected by an ongoing dialogue between vision and becoming.
The collection reflects a practice rooted in patience and attentiveness, where artistic decisions are informed as much by reflection as by action. Over more than a decade, it has absorbed shifts in context, perception, and intention, transforming change itself into a central condition of the work. What remains consistent is a devotion to process: a belief that form is not imposed, but discovered through time.
This collection stands as a living archive of thought and practice, where past and present remain in conversation, and where the future is not predicted, but carefully prepared through sustained artistic engagement. Over time, the collection will transform into another universe—emerging from the book into an expansive and tangible presence.
Artwork Story
I’m always here as you are always there (“Letter of A Boy from Another World”) by Patavee Viranuvat marks the first introduction of this collection, curated at House 695 (House of Birds : บ้านนก).
It stands as an opening gesture of respect to the master Isamu Noguchi, who passed away in 1988, before his dream was realized. That dream—
a vast playground and landscape of 900 rai—was eventually brought into reality in 2005, 17 years after his passing.
During his lifetime, Isamu Noguchi never saw his dream come to life, despite it being the most important project. It remains only an idea,
carried forward by belief and time, until it is finally realized.
Within this place, born from Isamu Noguchi’s dream, the dreams of Yama and Hikari may find their way to connect to one another.
Through his piece, Patavee Viranuvat opens a gentle prologue— one that leads us towards understanding how dreams are carried,
and how beauty can be discovered within itself.
The journey begins by carefully stepping into dreams of another, allowing the dream to guide us towards the next.
Specification
Project Title
A part of the FilmProject
“I’m always here as you are always there” (จดหมายจากคนสองโลก)
The Mountain of Light (Hikari No Yama) 光の山
Acknowledgements
I'm always here as you are always there
Exclusive Collection x Adot.maison
Writer & Director
Producer
Executive Producer
Executive Mentor
Executive Assistant to Director
Producer Assistant
Executive Assistant to Creative Director
LCLA Acknowledgement
Patavee Viranuvat
Patavee Viranuvat
ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE
Vuca Digital
Art4D
Pratarn Teeratada
Thunjira Hearunyakij
Thunjira Hearunyakij
Artittaya Chumchai
Win Rojanastien
Prabda Yoon
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Panitsa Tunchumrus