In autumn, the seeds from trees and flowers fall, or else they ride the wind and land in various places. There are as many unique appearances among seeds as there are diverse types of people in the world. Gazing at those seeds is fun, but what if they landed and took root in your potted plants or garden? Would you be able to accept those seeds, or would you be troubled by them? Similarly, it may be fun to communicate with tourists visiting Japan from various countries, but would you be able to welcome them if they were to live in your neighborhood?

（The white table and the red pot utilized in this work represent the Japanese national flag, while also metaphorically alluding to the viewer’s familiar land, his/her own neighborhood, town or country. The various seeds from the ceiling represent immigrants. The weeds in the pot sprouted after Maruyama put new soil into the pot and left it outdoors for three months.）

Nishi-Kawaguchi project
Kawaguchi in Saitama Prefecture is a foreign-resident concentrated city, particularly in the Nishi-kawaguchi area. After most of the two-hundred facilities for adult entertainment had pulled out from that area in the mid-2000s, the town tried to change its image. Maruyama created two works in a space where the furnishings of such an adult establishment had been cleared away. Her works incorporated the sights of Nishi-kawaguchi via the windows of that space.

The other work “The Gray Sea” >>