'Tunnel of Light' at Echigo-Tsumari

John Hill

10. August 2018

Photo: Screenshot

As part of the 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Japan, MAD Architects has completed the restoration of the Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel with a series of artistic installations.

Projects in the 18-year-old Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale "aim to reveal existing assets of the region using art as a catalyst." MAD Architects' "Tunnel of Light" contribution locates five architectural interventions within the 750-meter-long passageway, each corresponding to the "five elements" of nature (wood, earth, metal, fire, water). Most striking is the Light Cave, a water-filled room at the end of the tunnel with a beautiful view over the river valley.

MAD Architects' Ma Yansong explains the project in a short film: