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Discover Immersive Fog Sculptures by Japanese Artist Fujiko Nakaya in Boston

Fujiko Nakaya walking through her fog sculpture at the The Fens
Fujiko Nakaya walking through her fog sculpture at the The Fens | Photo: Melissa Ostrow

Immerse yourself in Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya’s mystical fog installations, Fog x FLO, in Boston’s Emerald Necklace.

Along Boston’s picturesque Emerald Necklace – a sequence of 1,100 acres (445 hectares) of parkways, meadows, woodlands, waterways and paths first unveiled 150 years ago – a number of ethereal fog sculptures designed by Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya are on display to the public until the end of October 2018.

An island fog on Leverett Pond, Brookline

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Responding to Frederick Law Olsmsted’s (FLO) 19th-century designs for the Emerald Necklace, the largest network of parks in Massachusetts, Nakaya has created five captivating site-specific installations to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

This is the first time that multiple works by Nakaya have been presented simultaneously since she began her career five decades ago.

Fog amongst the trees on Clemente Field Path, Back Bay Fens

Utilizing pure water vapor, climate-responsive technology and motorised pumps, Nakaya’s work is intended to create “a conversation with nature”. Fog is rhythmically emitted and dissipated at each location from dusk until dawn, allowing visitors to experience a familiar yet uncanny natural phenomenon.

For the artist, who earlier this year was named Praemium Imperiale Sculpture Laurette, fog is “the most generous medium”. Having followed a traditional art trajectory, studying at the Northwestern University in Illinois, Nakaya only created her first fog sculpture when she joined E.A.T (Experiments in Art and Technology) in the late 1960s.

Park visitors enjoying the Jamaica Pond installation

It’s apparent that the natural beauty and extreme weather of her homeland, the Japanese island of Hokkaido, sparked an interest for the environment within the artist. And her father, the experimental physicist Ukichiro Nakaya who invented the first artificial snow crystal, has strongly influenced her methodology.

Here is a glimpse of the otherworldly experiences you can have along the Emerald Necklace, from the tree-lined paths of The Fens to the Franklin Park Overlook Shelter Ruins.

Entrance to Fog X FLO at The Fens
Fog along The Fens
Visitors in the fog bowl near The Beach, Jamaica Pond
The fog being emitted in The Fens
Fogfall on Hunnewell Hillside, Arnold Arboretum
Cloud dome for Overlook Ruins at Franklin Park
Visitors amid the fog at Arnold Arboretum
Fog x Ruins (#72509_Franklin Park Overlook)

Fog x FLO: Fujiko Nakaya is on at various locations along the Emerald Necklace until October 31 2018.

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About the author

Born in the heart of London, Freire's been surrounded by art since childhood. From being mesmerised by Fra Angelico's frescos in Florence to experiencing Dali­'s Mae West room in Caduceus, Freire's extensive travels instilled a love of the arts. After studying painting she worked for David Bowie's, Bowieart and began to write for the BBC, Bon and Dazed &amp Confused. She curated the Converse x Dazed Emerging Artists Award and was one of the first cohort to graduate from the Royal College of Art's Critical Writing in Art &amp Design MA. When not at an art opening, she's excited to bring her global art discoveries to the Culture Trip's readers.

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