The Christmas tree was designed for the Omotesando Hills Christmas event “OMOTESANDO HILLS CHRISTMAS 2024”.
It is called the “Christmas Tree of Light” - a spiral-shaped luminescent object 8.4m high, made from 40,000 lenses.
Omotesando is a stage for various cultures, including fashion, art, design, and architecture, and is also a place that disseminates the latest trends. Always at the forefront of Japanese cultural history and generating the latest topics and trends, it is also a representative district that introduces new Japanese creations to the world. YUJI OKITSU designed a Christmas tree appropriate for Omotesando Hills, a leading commercial facility designed by Tadao Ando in the center of Omotesando.
The tree is made from Fresnel lenses measuring 5.5 cm in diameter, 0.3 mm thick, and weighing 0.9 g, arranged in multiple ribbon-like layers to form spirals. The lenses that create the compound vision effect express the diversity of the people coming and going on Omotesando. Inspired by one of the most distinctive features of the Omotesando Hills building, a spiral ramp surrounding the expansive atrium, the double structure of spirals and rings was created to express the cross-cultural exchange centered on Omotesando. The multiple layers of lenses reflect light and the changing scenery of the moment, creating a unique object that weaves together ribbons of light.
YUJI OKITSU also used lenses for the ornaments in the atrium above the Christmas tree and the grand staircase, turning the entire expansive space into a light installation. Multiple large polygonal lenses, 0.4mm thick, are connected perfectly flat to a crystal-cut pattern to create a compound eye and multi-faceted visual effect, like a 90cm diameter kaleidoscope. The ornaments, scattered at carefully arranged heights and angles in the atrium, reflect the light, the “Christmas Tree of Light,” the Christmas decorations of the stores, the visitors’ outfits, and the surrounding scenery, creating a kaleidoscopic effect. The shape of the spiral tree and the image reflected in the ornaments change like a kaleidoscope depending on the viewing position, inviting visitors to stroll along the spiral ramp surrounding the atrium.
The tree and ornaments made of lenses reflect the sparkling scenery of Omotesando Hills, creating a one-of-a-kind Christmas space and spectacle.