The universe in a beauty salon: ArKhe by Moriyuki Ochiai.

Curls of recycled aluminium sheet provide an appropriate metaphorical form for the ceiling of this beauty salon just outside Tokyo. But philosophically, the ceiling represents the cosmos in which all things exist. Arkhe, in Greek philosophy, came to mean the cosmos and everything in it, and was often represented as water, the giver of life to all. The architect that designed this project, Moriyuki Ochiai, sought to represent flowing water with the curling aluminium sheet, an expression of the search for natural beauty. The sheets themselves sparkle in the light, something like a stream, but they fill the otherwise simple space with drama. The visual representation of curls also provides an accessible interpretation of the space for those not trained in the Greek classics, or for those that simply want their hair done! Gratitude to Spoon and Tomago.