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Null²
Signature pavilion at Expo 2025 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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null² (Japanese: ヌルヌル, pronounced Nurunuru) was one of the eight "Signature Pavilions" exhibited at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, held on Yumeshima Island, Osaka.[1][4][7][8][9] The pavilion's basic concept plan, created by Yoichi Ochiai in December 2020,[10] envisioned the structure as both a transformative sculptural architecture and an immersive media art installation.[11]
The Facade Design was created by Yoichi Ochiai and NOIZ.[2] The basic architectural design[2] was created by NOIZ,[6][12][13][14][15] based on discussions with Yoichi Ochiai and his creative team. The execution design was carried out by Fujita Corporation and Daiwa Lease JV in collaboration with NOIZ Architects.[2] The exterior design was led by Yoichi Ochiai[2] and its facade which is composed of mirror-finished, stretchable membrane cubes designed by Yoichi Ochiai and NOIZ[2] and developed by Taiyo Kogyo, each containing robotic arms capable of controlled vibration and contraction, creating a dynamic, breathing facade.[5] Inside, the pavilion featured an 8-meter mirrored chamber with immersive LED-based light environments, allowing visitors to experience the concept of null — the fluid boundary between presence and absence, material and immaterial.[16]
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Name and concept
Summarize
Perspective
The pavilion's name "null²" originates from the concept of "null" (undefined state) in computer science, combined with the philosophy of "form is emptiness, emptiness is form" (Literary Chinese: 空即是色、色即是空) from the Heart Sutra in Buddhism.[17] Yoichi Ochiai explains the meaning as "emptiness²" (emptiness (is form, form is) emptiness).[18]
The pavilion is based on the concept of "two mirrors" – a "digital mirror" and a "physical mirror" working in combination.[19]
Use of mirrors
Ochiai, who became a producer in July 2020, stated that his motivation to create works with transforming mirrors as a motif stemmed from his creation of installation works featuring mirrors that float, rotate, and distort landscapes. Exterior view,[20] Interior view.[21] Produced by media artist Yoichi Ochiai, the pavilion features works expressing his concept of "Digital Nature",[22] which follows and updates his previous works. The pavilion's theme is "Polishing Life," with production inspired by mirrors such as bronze mirrors that are polished before use.[23] Yoichi Ochiai mentions that in contrast to Taro Okamoto's Jomon period symbolism presented through the "Tower of the Sun" at the 1970 Osaka Expo, he presents mirrors as a "Yayoi motif" for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo.
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Construction
The pavilion was designed by Yoichi Ochiai, NOIZ, Fujita & Daiwa Lease JV, and the Arup Group, while Fujita & Daiwa Lease JV won the bid to construct the pavilion.[23][24] Asratec was responsible for the robotics, while Arup oversaw the geometrical engineering.[24] The pavilion was completed on 3 April 2025 along with the other seven signature pavilions.[25]
Architecture
The exterior of null² consists of a structure of various-sized cubes (voxels) covered with a special mirror membrane.[26] This mirror membrane is a newly developed material that physically transforms through internal robotic arms and acoustic vibrations, creating a "moving architecture" that changes reflected landscapes.[23][27][4][5]
There are two types of mirror membranes: flat ones and horn-shaped (concave) ones, each creating different reflection effects. When the mirror surface is stationary, it simply reflects the surrounding scenery, but when deformed by internal mechanisms, the reflected scenery ripples and fluctuates.[23][18]
Exhibition
null² aims to provide "unknown landscapes and experiences through interactive structures and digitalization of the body that humanity has never seen before".[28] Inside, there is a theater space with walls covered in mirrors and ceilings and floors covered with LED panels, providing an experience where visitors' 3D scan data-based digital avatars interact with CG imagery.[29][11] The pavilion also serves as a "sculptural monument," allowing for an experience even without entering the interior, just by viewing the exterior.[30]
Ochiai announced that the null2 pavilion would be relocated outside Osaka after the closure of Expo 2025 in October. He initially sought to raise ¥100 million (about US$660,000) for the relocation.[31][32] After raising that amount in 23 hours, Ochiai announced that he would raise a further ¥100 million, for a total of ¥200 million (US$1.32 million).[31]
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See also
References
External links
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