Northern Lights (London Version)

The London iteration of Imada's Northern Lights project translates the atmospheric light effects of mokuhanga's [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation into three-dimensional space, using suspended [washi](/glossary/washi) paper sheets to filter ambient illumination. Adapted for a specific London venue, this 2012 version responds to the architectural qualities of its host site, with hand-printed [kozo](/glossary/kozo) panels arranged to capture and diffuse light in ways that recall the layered translucency of traditional Japanese prints. The piece reflects Imada's two-decade practice of translating mokuhanga vocabulary—the textured surface of washi, the soft tonal transitions achievable with the [baren](/glossary/baren)—into immersive installation. Working between Tokyo and London, Imada has consistently drawn on her woodblock training while reformatting it for British exhibition contexts. The London Version demonstrates how a body of woodblock practice can be redeployed at architectural scale, bringing the contemplative pacing of print viewing into a spatial encounter. The work belongs to a series of light-based installations Imada produced through the early 2010s exploring atmospheric phenomena in printed form.