About the artwork

The exhibit site for this work was a ski slope that can be seen from various locations in the village below. The artist created a giant character for “mountain” (yama, ) out of white sheets on this mountain that is a part of the everyday scenery. The character was chosen from among ideas submitted by the public and the sheets carried messages with the prayers and wishes. During the course of the exhibit, visitors continued to add messages, resulting in a final total of over 10,000 messages covering the mountain. On the eve of the final day of the exhibit, the sheets were burned in a ceremonial bonfire, sending off the wishes of 10,000 people into the night sky.