A sonic sculpture distilling Japanese phonetics into a choral soundscape.
Crowd Cloud is a long-term sound installation at Haneda Airport, created in collaboration with Miyu Hosoi and guided by the curatorial vision of Paola Antonelli. Designed to transform the arrival experience, the work explores the deep connections between language, culture, and human identity through sound.
Airports are transient, neutral spaces, yet Crowd Cloud embraces the unique sonic character of Haneda’s Arrival Hall. A chorus of standing horns fills the space with distilled sounds of Japanese vowels and consonants—revealing phonetic similarities across languages and reminding us that, despite cultural differences, human communication is fundamentally connected.
Visually, the installation draws inspiration from traditional Japanese aesthetics, particularly the ancient depiction of clouds in gold and black ink paintings. Crafted using traditional lacquer techniques, its form and color echo Japan’s artistic heritage while existing in dialogue with the modern airport environment.
Commissioned as part of an Olympic project to welcome visitors, Crowd Cloud turns a moment of transit into an invitation to pause and listen, creating a shared experience that resonates across borders—deeply aligned with Paola Antonelli’s vision of design as a bridge between people and ideas.
