This view of the IDEIMISTE UNIVERSITY reveals a Japanese influence. The relief sculpture of the vase on the lower level is a copy of one of my favorite pieces of ceramics from the ancient Jomon era of Japan. I discovered it in Tokyo's Idemitsu museuem, and decided to incorporate my memory of it into one of my buildings. The masks in the tympanum, seen on the second level, are also from the Jomon era. Though it is too small to see on this photograph, another element I borrowed from Japan is the filling of the rim tiles with a round plug. In the 1990's, Ventiçello incorporated many design details from Japan, while keeping its essential Italian flavor.

The dedication of the university's name to the Idemitsu museum in Tokyo was altered slightly to accommodate Italian, which had once dominated over Tapissary as the official language of Ventiçello until the early 21st century. Therefore, I matched the sound of the word Idemitsu with appropriate Italian words. I chose idei + miste, which means "mixed ideas"... a logical title for a place of learning.

Click on the photo above to get a closer look at the western wall.