Special Exhibit “Kyoto”: Ryoan-ji Temple Rock Garden 4K Full-Scale Display (2013, Tokyo National Museum)
This large-scale video installation opened the “Special Exhibit Kyoto” at the Tokyo National Museum. Iwama created a 10-minute immersive video capturing the Ryoan-ji rock garden across all four seasons, displayed on a massive 16-meter screen. Using four professional 4K cameras—which were still uncommon at the time—each capturing a quarter of the garden, Iwama seamlessly combined the footage in Tokyo. To give viewers the sensation of actually standing in the garden, Iwama avoided any camera movements or angle edits, presenting the changing seasons in a single, continuous shot. Summer greenery gradually changes to autumn reds; snow quietly settles on the stones; light transitions into spring cherry blossoms, which bloom and fall before returning to early summer green. Natural sounds—rustling leaves, wind, bird songs—were carefully layered to enhance the immersive experience. This work received the Special Prize from the ATP Awards (All Japan Television Production Association), marking the first time the award was given to a project outside traditional television programming.