A Strong Wind (in Kameoka) A Strong Wind (In Berlin)


 

A sound and text installation made in the childhood home of Eikoh Tanaka, an artist who founded and runs No-Mu residency in Kameoka, Japan. It was then reinstalled in Berlin at Treptower Atelier two months later in an exhibition connecting Kameoka with Berlin. As a kind of perfomative installation, the work makes use of a recording of a farmer's use of recycled materials, tin cans on sticks as a way of helping the growing of plants. The recording can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/christine-cheung-499885620/cans2 The vibrations created by the wind rattling the cans on the sticks deter moles from destroying the plants. The rattling of the cans remind one of the bells of Shinto and Buddhist temples nearby, a connection between the heavens and earth. The use of the cans remind one of the interconnectedness between the mundane drinking cans and the landscape, the food we eat, and ourselves. As in the shrine, the sound and sight of the rattling can serves as a catalyst for futures wishes and imagination. The accompanying text, "A Strong Wind" follows a woman as she takes a walk in the nearby farm and river. The piece invites the viewer to channel one's personal history and makes reference to the subconscious collective memories and histories in both Germany and Japan.