Isamu Noguchi’s Slide Mantra
Emily Ma
Isamu Noguchi's (1904–1988) “Slide Mantra” is a monumental sculpture that combines artistic expression with functional play. Created in the late 1980’s, this work is part of Noguchi's exploration of sculptural forms that engage the public in interactive ways. "Slide Mantra" is essentially a large, marble slide, inviting people to experience the sculpture not only visually but also physically by sliding down its smooth, curved surface.
The juxtaposition of foundational forms with a platonic sense of play, inviting an act of joy in a brutalist structure, finds us wondering how we might best set out in building a new brand with a sense of jubilance.
"He was very good at expanding his envelope to encompass whatever it was he was interested in. The playgrounds were basically the most basic form of public space for protohumans, and trying to make them better versions of the kinds of humans that he thought we should all be: universal, open-minded, connected to the Earth and each other, and curious, above all." - Dakin Hart, speaking with Johnny Le for Isamu Noguchi Playscapes – Purple Magazine, 2021