In this third phase of Omori’s career, there has been a noticeable challenge towards bronze, along with a reflection on his own position in the history of sculpture. The prototypes for his bronze sculptures are derived from the assembly works of plastic models he tackled earlier in his career. Owing to the fact that the shapes in these works were too intricate to be replicated with wax, a unique casting method called “lost plastic model precision casting” was employed. Going forward, the artist’s sculptures would be cast by pouring bronze into the space vacated by the destruction of the original model. This was made possible through collaboration with the leading figure in precision casting in Japan, Sakuraibijutsuichuzo.

It is crucial to note that even the pedestal is cast, and emerges as an integral piece of the sculpture itself. In modern bronze sculptures, if the pedestal is made of a different material, it might not be recognized as part of the sculpture and could become unseen. Because Omori’s sculptures are meant to challenge one’s sense of scale, it is necessary to unify everything into one material to prevent compromising his vision.

In this series, Omori has included figures of soldiers and other human bodies from military model sets as a common motif. Serving as a definitive point of recognition and size reference, human body parts are easily recognizable, and provide a striking reminder to the audience of the scale of the concepts the artist is addressing. This is also the reason human figures were included in plastic modeling kits at all.

At first glance, Omori’s bronze artworks appear to be beautifully crafted sculptures with perfect forms. However, one notices upon closer inspection that the scale of component parts, juxtaposed next to each other, varies significantly. Furthermore, the artist refrains from treating the pedestals as conventional bases, instead using them as an uncommon medium to elaborate on the theme of his work. For instance, small statues are cast into the back of the pedestals of the artworks “ADAM” and “EVE”, engendering these pieces with a certain monumentality that results in the impression that they are just small scale replicas of statues many times their size. To achieve this effect, he refrains from treating the pedestals as conventional bases. Whether viewed from a distance or up close, his bronze artworks challenge our sense of scale.

While the lost plastic model precision casting technique enables a sculpture to be cast in the exact form of its prototype, it makes replication or mass-production of a piece impossible due to the destructive nature of the process. While the bronze sculptures might appear like identical replicas of their prototypes at first glance, the truth is that the prototype has been utterly consumed, supplanted by a new material: bronze. Consequently, the reconstructive aspect of mass-produced items that the artwork initially possessed transitions to a different dimension, turning into a unique sculpture. However, this seemingly irreplicable image exists concurrently with the mass-produced items that it was once composed of. The materials the artist uses are commonly available plastic model kits, with many people assembling the exact same product in the  exact same way as per the instruction manual. Despite the disappearance of the works created in the second phase, there exist countless identical components worldwide.

Much like how we ponder the recently uncovered statues excavated from Roman baths or ritual sites, Omori fantasizes about his bronze sculptures altering how our era will be perceived by future generations. Even if someone recognizes a singular bronze sculpture or notices its unusual design, the prototype that could answer any questions no longer exists, and any hope to replicate it is practically unattainable. On the other hand, the actual parts or kits used to build plastic models are ubiquitous. There are enough exact copies of each part that constituted the original prototype to produce hundreds of exact copies; they exist but don’t exist, or perhaps they don’t exist but could.

Today, plastic models serve as a symbol of Japanese culture despite their foreign roots. These intriguing toys, designed to resemble disassembled finished products and then reconstructed into their intended form, arrived on the island nation of Japan in the post-war era. This toy that builds the whole from its parts evokes an image of Japan itself. In recent times, there’s been a phenomenon in Japan where anything and everything, ranging from food to anime, is transformed into a plastic figurine. The fact that Omori’s particular style of creation was birthed and cultivated in this environment is intriguing, and it’s likely that he will further delve into his own relationship with this plastic figure culture while expanding research, contemplating the state of the world, and exploring his sense of scale in a global context.