YANAGI + ART BASE – a collaborative team led by Yanagi has designed “FLOATING MUSEUM” on Anjwa Island in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, in southwestern South Korea.

Intertwining art and architectural disciplines, this project features seven cubes floating on the reservoir which represent the collection of islands in the western Jeollanam-Do Province as well as the number of continents on the earth. These different-sized cubes reflect and imitate the surrounding scenery while creating a dreamlike quality, disorienting place and time through their multiple reflections.

Inside, site-specific permanent installations evoke historical metaphors related to the Korean Peninsula, which lies at the easternmost edge of the Eurasian continent. The works also incorporate unique natural elements of Anjwa Island, such as the tidal flats, which host a diverse range of rare species recognized as a UNESCO Natural Heritage site, and the expansive salt fields that produce South Korea’s finest natural salt.

Shinan is the southwesternmost county of Korea, made up completely of islands with a combined population
of roughly 30,000 people. It faces the challenges of a continually declining population due to a low birth rate
in the region and the continued egress of young people to larger metropolitan areas. To bring more attention
to the area, the county aims to establish itself as a cultural destination with the initiative “One Island, One Museum” founded in 2019.

The “Anjwa Island Project” began when Hyoungkee Kang, the general director of Anjwa Island’s initiative, took inspiration from the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum in Okayama Prefecture, Japan (completed in 2008). Recognizing the artist-driven vision that gave birth to Inujima’s project—where art and architecture were seamlessly integrated—Kang sought to develop a similar approach for Anjwa Island.