The Forest Is the Lover of the Sea

Purpose : Artificial autumn garden, perfumed mist
Installation : Cork fountain and fallen leaves jardin à la Française
Perfume : HAHASO by Paul Guerlain
Year : 2024

« Just as with a mother’s love, longed for and never waning, the deciduous trees are called hahaso. Along the rivers, waters enriched with nutrients from their humus flow into the brackish coastal zones. For fisher- men living at river mouths, these trees are truly the matrix from which the riches of the sea are born. [...] Mr. Hatakeyama visited the rias coast of Galicia, and was deeply moved to hear local fishermen say that ‘the forest is the mother of the sea’: thus, in both East and West, fishermen share the same reverence for deci- duous forests—hahaso no mori.»

“The Forest Is the Lover of the Sea”, excerpt from the book by Hatakeyama Shigeatsu

Ode to the Winter Gardens of the Mediterranean
This work celebrates misty mornings and the radiant light of the South. Autumn, often underestimated and overlooked, reveals its beauty through subtle details, moments of slowness, and quiet contemplation. Between land and sea—matte and glossy, porous and damp—this fountain honors rainy, windy walks and the delicate interdependence of ecosystems.

Materials  Natural expanded cork sourced from Portugal. Steel base and rods providing structural support. Fallen leaves collected on site with the season Water pump and mister included