This project is a Japanese restaurant that serves many kinds of sake in Beijing. For expressing sake, we define main concept as “water stream” which is a very important essence of sake. On the wall of hall, we created waterfall by putting wooden louver which is consist of straight bars and a various length of tapered bars and LED glazer light being shot down from top of the louver wall. On the ceiling we selected plastic wooden louver, and the gradual change of the bars’ length has synchronization with waterfall wall. As we define the partition between tatami room and hall as contemporary “FUSUMA picture”, on surface of the black colored glass gradation pattern is silk-printed like an abstract Shanshuihua, and it also has complex and spatial reflection by gradation pattern and glass. The wall of the VIP room is same as that of the hall, besides a various length of order-made frosted acryl edge lighting emphasizes the concept of “water stream”.
The meaning of waterfall wall is not only to express water stream but also to create a contradiction of the space. When we see from far side of the space, dynamic waterfall appears, on the other hand when we’re sitting and having dinner, reflected light like a mist on the water creates calm atmosphere. Upper side of the wall can be seen as louver wall, but downer side of the wall can be seen as flat wooden wall. I’m considering such contradiction just can create an impressed space. For the last sentence, I quote one artist’s saying. “The concern of the artist is with the discrepancy between physical fact and psychological effect”, Josef Albers.