Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata has long created structures that change the way viewers move through and understand space. Working with wood, recycled materials and temporary architectural forms, his site installations challenge ideas of permanence while evoking physical interaction. At the end of May 2026, Kawamata’s three permanent facilities for House Ruinart‘small Conversations with Nature were officially unveiled at Ruinart’s historic headquarters in Reims, marking the latest chapter in the house’s ongoing art series dedicated to re-establishing a conscious connection with the natural world.
For Ruinart, Kawamata developed Tree Hut, Nest and Observatory, three works shaped by the Champagne region’s vineyards, chalk cellars, changing light and living biodiversity. Born in Hokkaidō in 1953 and based in Tokyo and Paris, the artist explores the relationship between art, architecture, design and everyday life, often using repurposed natural materials to challenge permanence and invite new perspectives. In conversation with DSCENE magazine Editor Katarina DoricKawamata discusses scale, reclaimed wood, environmental consciousness, the influence of Ruinart’s terroir, and how art can help visitors experience nature differently.
Your work often explores scale and perspective. How did the landscape and architecture of the Champagne region influence the design of your three new facilities? – When I arrived at 4 RUE DES CRAYÈRES, I was struck by the contrast between what is happening above and below ground: the open vineyards, the light, the air and then the silent depth of the chalk cellars. I wanted to create a dialogue between these two worlds. The three works each respond to this tension in a different way: one creates a sense of shelter, one clings to the architecture and one moves upwards, almost like a bridge between the hidden space below and the open sky above.
The very landscape of Champagne is constantly changing with climate, humidity and light, so I wanted to work with materials that reflected the same sense of transformation and vulnerability.
You often use recycled wood and materials. How did the environmental values of Ruinart and Champagne terroir inform your material choices for this project? – Wood is essential to my practice because it is a living material that carries memory. signs, pressure and time. Each board tells a story, and like skin, it breathes, changes and transforms. This felt particularly important at Ruinart, where attention to nature and time is central. The Champagne landscape itself is constantly changing with climate, humidity and light, so I wanted to work with materials that reflected that same sense of transformation and vulnerability rather than something fixed or closed.
The Tree Hut, Nest and Observatory offer a unique experience. How do these installations talk to each other and what story do they collectively tell? – I see them as a small ecosystem rather than three separate projects. The Tree Hut suggests shelter and intimacy, the Nest speaks of trust and attachment, and the Observatory opens the view outward and upward. Together, they move between protection and exhibition, inviting visitors to shift their perspective from looking inward to looking outward and consider how human structures must adapt and evolve in dialogue with natural cycles.
The Tree Hut suggests shelter and intimacy, the Nest speaks of trust and attachment, and the Observatory opens the view outward and upward.
Your on-site facilities encourage visitors to climb and move through them. How important is physical interaction to convey your vision of nature and space? – The viewer’s physical interaction with my works is very important. I don’t want the work to remain only visual. I want people to experience a change in their body, their breathing, the way they look and hear. When you move through a structure or rise above the ground, even a few meters, your perception changes. Otherwise you feel the wind, otherwise you hear things. This change is part of the artwork itself.
Thumbnails are a recurring theme in your practice. How were the preparatory drawings and small-scale models translated into the monumental installations at Reims? – Design and model making are fundamental to my process. ways of thinking through balance, intensity and scale. These smaller forms allow me to explore ideas, but the work is only fully done in its space. Once I’m there, working with the material and responding to the space and the weather, the installation evolves into something more open and alive.
When you move through a structure or rise above the ground, even a few meters, your perception changes.
Champagne production is deeply connected to natural rhythms and biodiversity. Did observing the vineyards and surroundings of Maison Ruinart inspire new elements in your work? – Observing the vineyards had a profound impact on my process. Beyond their visible beauty, I was drawn to the subtle activity, the mist, the wind, the insects and the movement of the leaves. Everything exists in relationship. This atmosphere encouraged me to create works that do not directly represent nature, but instead raise awareness of it. In a way, this reflects champagne itself, a long, invisible process expressed in something fleeting and ephemeral.
Your installations often blur the line between architecture and sculpture. How do you approach the balance between structural integrity and aesthetic fragility in these works? – I am interested in structures that seem fragile, even when they are carefully constructed. There is always a balance between intuition and technical necessity. While public installations require engineering and precision, I try to maintain a sense of lightness and impermanence so that the work continues to express transience rather than permanence.
I want people to experience a change in their body, their breathing, the way they look and hear.
How did your first impressions of the Maison, such as morning mist, sunlight and breeze, influence the mood, materials or form of the installations? – My first impressions were essential, the changing light, humidity and quiet movement of the Maison created a strong atmosphere. I wanted the works to remain open and porous so that wind, shadow and changing weather become part of the experience. This initial encounter with the vineyards, misty, calm and deeply sensual, reinforced the connection between nature, time and the ephemeral qualities I seek in my work.
You have exhibited internationally in museums and biennales. How does creating a specific project for a historic Maison like Ruinart differ from gallery or museum projects? – A place like Ruinart has history, landscape, craftsmanship and architecture all existing together. In a museum, the context is more open. For Ruinart, I had to respond to a living site with its own pace and memory. This is how I prefer to work.
Looking back at your work for Ruinart, what do you hope visitors take away from experiencing your installations and connecting with nature? – Increased awareness of place, something simple but lasting. If the work makes them feel the wind differently, notice a detail in the landscape, or think about fragility and shelter in a new way, then that is enough.
