Inspired by Biblical illusions, the Harajuku Church in Tokyo by Ciel ...

Ciel Rouge CréationChurchTokyo

Ciel Rouge CréationChurchTokyohe highly sculptural ceilingsymbolizes the hand of God.Custom-made seating by Japanesemanufacturer Hohtoku features anngled backrest that doubles as aledge for prayer books.

Ciel Rouge CreationChurchTokyoFrame #492oo6fn addition to the large chapel,Harajuku Church has asmaller hapel on the second floor.Adorning the arching ceiling of thisraditionally furnished chapel areGfo-Ball lamps designed by JasperMorrison.

Frame 0492006Ciel Rouge CréationChurchTokyoEntering Harajuku Church takes you into a biblical worldwhose scenes unfold before your eyes. But `seeing thestory of Christ', says Pastor Tsuchihashi, is not the mainexperience offered here. 'The service is the most importantthing for Christians,' he says. 'The chapel needs to functionproperly, and the curves of the ceiling are an essential element.It's not just a decorative ceiling. It was also designed toprovide our choir with excellent acoustics.'`I wanted to sculpt the lightso that you feel the light andbecome the light'Henri GueydanApart from honouring the wishes of the church to berecognizable from the street and to be visibly open to oneand all, Ciel Rouge Création also thought of the children fromthe adjacent school, of neighbourhood residents and ofvisitors requiring special facilities. The side aisles and part ofthe first floor double as a place for after-school workshops forkindergarteners. The interior includes a kitchen wherepeople can prepare food for church holidays and otherevents, as well as lifts and wheelchair-accessible doorwa y s formobility-impaired visitors.Chairs arranged in aisled, semicircularrows facing the altar, which is locatedat the south side of the chapel,are made by Japanese manufacturerHohtoku. `The service should not beabout imposing dogmas as the truth,'continues Pastor Tsuchihashi. 'Thechurch offers a time and a place forpeople to be with God in an openatmosphere.'Several coloured chairs interspersed among the white onesare another suggestion that this church is not just forChristians, but open to everybody. And during the service,which begins in the early morning and lasts until noon, thesun moves slowly from one opening in the ceiling to another,beaming down on each worshipper in turn, casting a blessingon everyone in the church. Even those without knowledge ofthe Bible are sure to experience Harajuku Church as a workof art. In the words of Henri Gueydan: 'I wanted to sculpt thelight so that you feel the light and become the light.'The church [n Aoyama is sandwichedbetween office buildings andretail establishments. Thanksto the renovation, which added a strikingfaçade and a 16-m-high bell tower, thechurch is now far more conspicuous.