Japanese Cherry Blossoms Inform Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Design
- 2019-03-21
- Dezeen
The 2020 Olympic torch has been unveiled ahead of next year's Games in Tokyo, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka to resemble the cherry blossom flower.
Crafted from extruded aluminium, the 71 centimetre torch column gradually opens out into five sections to form the motif of a Sakura cherry blossom – the traditional flower of Japan – when viewed from above.
Yoshioka made the torch from aluminium construction waste taken from temporary housing that was built in the aftermath of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
This was a way of "transforming materials that witnessed the rebuilding of shattered lives into a symbol of peace," according to the creator, "to convey to the world the extent to which the affected areas are recovering, one step at a time."