"Jewel of the plant"- -Art Column-

The Witches' Party

   A giant steel factory rises out of the wilderness, its dense pipes like veins, giving it a structure as complex as a living creature. The steam that shoots out of it is its breath. Now the giant monster is sleeping. Gradually, night falls, the thin clouds covering the moon dissipate and the steel castle glows cold and metallic in the moonlight. Tonight is the night of the full moon and the night of revelry.

  The witches waved their wands and, as if infused with their souls, the steel behemoth instantly opened their tens of thousands of eyes, the lights piercing the darkness of the night and glittering like jewels. The sky too was tinted a mysterious and gentle purple by the reflection of its light, and the behemoth was transformed into a world of steel, full of dreams and romance.

The Witches' Ball

  Come ! Let us dance and let us sing with abandon

  On this night of the full moon, tonight is the witch's ball

  Come ! Let's dance and let's sing

  Whether in a bustling castle or in this wilderness fortress of steel

  No need for extravagant decorations, no need for a applaud from the audience, 

       no need for flowers

  Everywhere is your stage

  You are always in the center of the light

  Dance for yourself, sing for yourself

  In this steel world of dreams and romance

Collaboration with photographer Tetsuro Kobayashi

  The picture we used in the design was from photographer Tetsuro Kobayashi`s art work. The printing on the dress is divided into two parts: the lower part shows an overall view of the factory glittering at night, while the chest part is a close-up of the photograph.

 Mr Kobayashi's work focuses on factories, mega-structured buildings and underground spaces. In 2004 he was shocked by a chance discovery of a website containing views of ruins, and this opened a new door in his life. Since then he has been visiting various abandoned mines and other sites and has been fascinated by them. At the time, Mr Kobayashi was not yet working professionally as a photographer, he was a kindergarten teacher by day, but on weekends and early shift days he spent his spare time visiting various ruins and taking photographs. Finally in 2012 he left his job to become a professional photographer and traveled to major factory areas across Japan, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, to take pictures of factories at night. In recent years, he has also started to use drones for aerial photography and has exhibited them in different places, gaining popularity among audiences.

          

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