——Please tell us about this work.

Pierre (hereinafter P):
This time's title is ``Matching Thoughts.'' The idea for the work dates back to 2004, when I visited Henri during his residency in Vienna and worked on it together. At that time, I drew a single head-like motif for each painting. It's difficult to put two or more figures in one picture, but it's nice to put different pictures in pairs. I was talking about wanting to make it three-dimensional someday. So, this time I made two sculptures into one piece.

Henri (hereinafter referred to as H):
Shagyan's common spirit is respect for modern art. In this work, while taking into account the formative nature of sculptural traditions up to modern times such as Rodin, I aimed for something that would be recognizable if you looked closely, but was not just visually striking. . For those who like contemporary art, the materials used in this work are old and the forms are not innovative. However, for those who are attracted to modern art, there is something to be said for it in a good way. Of course, at the root of this is the will of what we want to create. However, the challenge was how much respect we had for modernity could be incorporated into the details and the spirit hidden within, and it was a lot of fun to reflect that in these two figures.

——How did the collaborative production progress?

P：
There was almost no discussion. Henri was working on it when I was sleeping, and I was working on it when he was sleeping. That's an opportunity for us to "change" each other.

H：
The parts that I thought were good were left in place, but when I woke up, they had been removed. I'm the type of person who makes things in a hurry, but I was always warned, ``Henri, don't be in too much of a hurry.'' Pierre prepares a lot by making many drawings and models in advance. He taught me how to think.

P：
When creating this work, I gave a lot of thought to the materials. Plaster, clay, pottery soil, stone...I think it was a good choice to use mortar in the end. When it's freshly kneaded, it's soft and feels like clay, but once it's hardened, it's like stone, so you have to hang it, and so on. I think that difficulty was the perfect point of contact between the two of us.

H：
With clay, you can change the shape at any time, so your body starts moving on its own, but with mortar it takes time, so you use your hands, head, and body. Traces of that kind of thinking remain throughout the sculptures.

P：
This may seem obvious to a sculptor (lol), but it was new and fun. When I translated this experience into my own personal production, there were many areas where I realized that I was running away from it. I would like to take this opportunity to go back to basics.

H：
What Shagyan is aiming for is "beginner's intention".

——What do you want people to see about Marunouchi?

H：
What I focused on was the relationship between the person with the hidden anger and the saint-like character. I would say it's a contrast between a young chubby person (Regent) and an experienced person (Afro) who has been to various venues. I hope it's something that conveys the communication between these two people more than the motifs and details.

I also want it to become a landmark that people walking on the street will remember, regardless of whether our intentions are conveyed or not. It's scheduled to be installed for three years, but when it's gone, it's the kind of thing that makes you feel sad. But wouldn't it be a relief if it disappeared? It's nice to see Yankee students who come from outlying areas on Travel take commemorative photos in front of it, or take shelter from the rain under the Regent (lol).

P：
It would be interesting if Regent came back again. It is said that the name "Regent" comes from the fact that the hairstyle (the part at the back of the head) resembles "Regent Street" in London when viewed from above, and Marunouchi-Nakadori Ave. is also a street like that. I want it.