Having Danced for 15 Years, She Grew a Breathing Tree of Light Inside a Black Box This Time: Interview with New Media Artist Akiko Yamashita
It turns out moving light can feel so much like dancing
Summary
- Akiko Yamashita, a former professional dancer, translates dynamic movement into a choreography of light and shadow, casting the audience as the central focus of the exhibition.
- Centered around a massive light-and-shadow "Tree of Synergy," the space moves through three stages—Purification, Regeneration, and Radiance—brought to life through glowing mist, blooming flowers, and shimmering crystal light.
- The exhibition translates the skincare line's core concepts of microcirculation and full-body synergy into an intuitive, immersive experience guided by nature's rhythmic breath.
Stepping into the venue at Hong Kong’s PMQ in Central, you are instantly wrapped in a quiet, deep violet glow. The air carries a very faint scent of mist, and before you stands a giant tree of light that seems to have its own heartbeat. As the light streams and diffuses, the entire space feels like it is taking a slow, deep breath. This is “Le Grand Jardin de la Transformation,” an immersive art exhibition presented by Japanese new media artist Akiko Yamashita in collaboration with Clé de Peau Beauté’s prestige SYNACTIF line. At the exhibition’s unveiling, POPBEE sat down with Yamashita to talk about how she channels her 15-year background in dance into digital spaces, and her perspective on women’s strength and radiance.
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From dancer to new media artist
Before crossing into light and digital art, Akiko Yamashita spent 15 years as a professional dancer. Asked how that physical experience shapes her current artistic language, her eyes light up with a pure love for movement.
“As a dancer, I was the one pouring my heart into expressing myself on stage; now, as an immersive artist, I build the stage for the audience. What I enjoy most is watching people walk into the exhibition and naturally move, explore, and express themselves within the work in ways I never anticipated. On some level, the audience itself becomes part of the art.” She notes that this dynamic balance—seemingly effortless but actually refined to the extreme—perfectly mirrors the craftsmanship and research behind the SYNACTIF line, and served as the starting point for the motion design of the central “Tree of Synergy.”
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Painting with light to plant a breathing tree inside a black box
Stepping into the core of the exhibition, it is hard not to be drawn to the giant tree in the center. As the projected halos of light diffuse across the floor and flowers bloom one by one, the entire space seems to have its own pulse. Yamashita’s creative core has always revolved around the original Latin meaning of “animation”—giving life to a subject. Entering this dark, hidden space, you cannot help but be struck by that giant tree of light in the center, which seems to have its own heartbeat and pulse.
“In this installation, light is both my medium and my main character,” Yamashita says. “Through the subtle layering of light, shadow, flow, and rhythm, I wanted to give real life to the ‘Tree of Synergy’ and the entire garden. As the flowers bloom one by one and light spreads across the floor and space like a ripple, the whole garden feels like it is starting to take a deep breath. I want to awaken the deep, instinctive connection everyone has with nature.” As the Synactif Rose unfolds layer by layer in the dark, light is no longer just a tool for illumination; it elegantly and naturally illustrates the collection’s core process of purifying, regenerating, and sculpting contours.
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Turning complex circulatory science into visible nature
The core philosophy of the SYNACTIF collection lies in simulating and strengthening the human body’s own natural cycles of self-purification and renewal. But how do you translate such abstract biomedical mechanisms into a breathtaking aesthetic experience?
“What fascinates me most is the deep resonance between the human body’s natural renewal and the cycles of nature,” Yamashita explains. She chose to avoid stiff diagrams, opting instead to communicate through intuitive natural imagery: using water to symbolize pure cleansing, blooming flowers to represent vitality, and bright shimmering light to deliver ultimate radiance. This inside-out cycle also echoes the new SYNACTIF Body Cream unveiled alongside the exhibition, extending skincare from the face to every detail of the body.
A seven-minute, three-act journey to slow down the mind
The exhibition is a multi-sensory journey of about seven minutes, clearly divided into three acts:
- Act I Purification: Walking through a sensory corridor filled with pure mist and fragrance, the sound of flowing water and meditative singing bowls echo, helping you slow your pace and wash away the city noise and mental fatigue.
- Act II Regeneration: From the quiet depths, the pulse of life begins to leap along the branches as flowers awaken, bringing a surge of abundant vitality.
- Act III Radiance: The flowers finally transform into countless crystal light particles suspended in the air (Crystal Sky), drawing light from the outside world back into the heart of every visitor.
“I hope everyone who comes here can gain a sense of rebirth, as if they have been fully recharged by nature,” says Yamashita. To her, purification is learning to slow down, regeneration is feeling awakened, and radiance is seeing brand-new possibilities. Walking out of this black box, you have not only seen a beautiful piece of digital art, but also feel as though you have taken a deep breath alongside nature.
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