Teshima Art Museum

Ryue Nishizawa and the artist Rei Naito made this in 2010 on a terraced hillside above the sea on Teshima, one of the Setouchi islands. The building is a single concrete shell about 4.5 metres high and sixty by forty in plan, cast over a mound of earth that was then dug out from under it, with no internal columns and two large elliptical openings in the roof open to the weather - so rain, leaves, insects and birdsong come in. Inside there is one work, Naito's Matrix: water seeps up through tiny holes in the floor, gathers into beads, and moves across the slightly graded surface, joining and running to drains, continuously, all day. Visitors are asked to remove shoes, keep silence and not photograph inside. It takes as long as you want to give it, and people generally give it longer than they expected. The island's rice terraces around it were restored as part of the project.

What's there

• A columnless shell - concrete cast over earth that was then excavated from beneath.
• Two open roof holes - rain, leaves and birdsong entering the interior.
• Water on the floor - beads seeping up, joining and moving across a graded surface all day.
• Silence and no shoes - the conditions of entry, and no photography inside.

When to go

March to November; check the seasonal calendar. Two hours including the ferry timing.

Good to know

Closed Tuesdays and for a winter period - check before travelling. Ferries dictate the day and are cancelled in swell. Timed entry applies and queues form. Photography inside is prohibited entirely.

Nearby

Naoshima is west across the water; Shodoshima is east.

Key facts