Hill of the Buddha
Tadao Ando · Sapporo, Japan · 2015
Tadao Ando surrounds an existing monumental Buddha with an artificial hill planted in lavender, leaving only the head visible from outside. Visitors approach through a long tunnel before entering the circular open-air chamber around the statue, turning the landscape into a carefully staged sequence of concealment and revelation. The project is a concise example of Ando using earth, concrete and controlled movement to alter the perception of an existing object.