1,000,000 hours in Columns

When we look closely at wooden objects—such as columns, furniture, or chairs—we notice a variety of unique concentric patterns on their surfaces. These are called growth rings. As a tree grows gradually through repeated cell division, seasonal fluctuations in growth rates appear as “designs” that accumulate year by year, consisting of countless tiny points. These patterns are not drawn in a uniform way each year; rather, they vary depending on weather, environment, and terrain conditions at the time.

In Japanese, growth rings are called Nen-Rin—with nen meaning “year” and rin meaning “ring.” In Japanese culture, Nen-Rin is sometimes used as a metaphor for life experience, overlapping the image of human life with the rings of a tree.

Inspired by this metaphor, I composed a work for six instruments that creates “virtual growth rings” through musical elements—particularly points, lines, and timbres. However, this piece is not simply a depiction of ring formation. It also reflects visual experiences (for example, how sustained gazing at a pattern gradually shifts one’s perception toward its fine details) and the processes of memory recall.

By exploring Nen-Rin from two perspectives—both as a medium of record and as a design emerging from musical elements—I seek to project my own vision of growth rings into music.

This was recorded at 4.7.2025 Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln at Konzertzaal