I went to Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM) to see Sakamoto Ryuichi + Takatani Shiro’s new installation LIFE - fluid, invisible, inaudible… (on 3/10 + 11). On the first day both artists gave a laptop concert, and on day two they appeared in a talk session hosted by Asada Akira. The piece is based on Sakamoto’s opera "LIFE", which premiered in 1999, and although it consists of elements that were used (plus those that were not used in the end) in the opera, the installation has to be considered as a completely different work. This is mainly an achievement of the exquisite costumes that were originally designed and produced for this exhibition.
Upon entering the dim venue, Studio A, the visitor notices nine peculiar, light-emitting objects. The objects are clear acrylic cases measuring 120x120x30cm, and speakers. All of them are suspended from the ceiling, so it’s slightly troublesome to appreciate the work, as one has to look up all the time, possibly while sitting on the floor. But the sight and the sound of the objects that seem to be sprinkling from the ceiling is abslutely rewarding and makes one forget the stiff shoulders. It’s an experience comparable with looking up to one’s very own little piece of the sky.
The acrylic cases are in fact water tanks, filled about one third with water. Millimetres above the water surface are nozzles that exude — reportedly through ultrasonic waves — artificial fog every once in a while. By now you can probably imagine that this fog is used as a "screen" onto which images are projected from above. Since the white fog changes from thin to dense and back, the projections appear to be tossed about by the inconstant screen, and change every second. The fog is of course computer-controlled to match with the images, but the details are beyond control and are being collected and distributed slightly differently from the artists' original plans. In moments when the fog dissolves completely, and the projections are bright enough, the images pierce the water and are reflected directly on the floor. When images of clouds are being projected onto the fog, this creates inexpressibly unique and appealing textures.
There are images of natural landscapes, cities, humans, animals and plants, along with maps, diagrams and texts, plus the voices of the Dalai Lama, Pina Bausch, Robert Wilson and others talking partly about such tragic and destructive things as war or environmental destruction. Braving fragmentation, the images keep reforming, and, be it intentionally or randomly, appear on the white fog one after another. On top of this visual spectacle comes well-calculated sound/music that — again, intentionally or randomly — sprinkles down from the ceiling while sometimes (seemingly) matching with the images, and sometimes being (or appearing) independent. The different tanks all emit different images and sounds, that together form a multilayered, audio-visual entiry. This however doesn't result in a disharmonic overkill, but creates the pleasant sensation of being gently wrapped in particles of sound and light.
Sakamoto Ryuichi explains laughing, "I wanted to create a sound garden, so you can call me a gardener from now on." That’s of course not really a revolutionarily new concept (see for example Shimizu Yasuaki’s "Sound installation for six gardens" at the 2004 Lake Hamana Flower Expo, which resulted in the brilliant "Seventh Garden" album. Both artists work of course in totally different ways, and their "gardens" are as different as the works of Kobori Enshu, Andre Le Notre, or Gilles Clement). What distinguishes the piece by Sakamoto/Takatani is the obviously tenacious labour and handling skills that is reflected in a sonic environment made up of a wide variety of sounds. Like the above-mentioned Shimizu Yasuaki, these artists are immensely experienced in selecting and clipping sound elements. What is also interesting is the sound installation in the patio that leads into Studio A, combining a delicate feel and a disquieting sense of massiveness of sound that seems to be coming straight from the center of the earth.
Among the invited guests was also Nakaya Fujiko, a friend of the two artists. The creators of the "fog tanks" owe of course a lot to "fog sculptor" Nakaya’s original idea. Nakaya’s father, scientist Nakaya Ukichiro, is known for his studies of snow, and it’s a fun idea to imagine how his scientist’s spirit traveled through his daughter and into Sakamoto and Takatani. Anyway, it’s not only the idea behind it, but I'd like to stress that the realization through the tanks as exquisite instruments is outstanding as well. Shown at the venue is also a video documenting the making of the installation, and when watching this it becomes clear that the key to producing high-quality media art is, like in the manufacture of automobiles for example, the creator’s craftsmanship. In this case it is of course the skills and enthusiasm of project curator Abe Kazunao and his team at YCAM. Asada Akira keeps joking that they should "sell the piece to a high class beauty salon", whereas I think "fog tanks" are nice new tools/media that should be used also by other artists. It’s their uniqueness and quality that makes me believe this.
In his speech at the reception, which was attended also by the mayor of Yamaguchi, Sakamoto remarked about YCAM, "Excuse the expression, but I was amazed to see an institution as wonderful as YCAM in such a remote place. Now that the budget of Tokyo’s ICC is dwindling, YCAM is Japan’s only stronghold of media art on an international level. Since Takatani and the other members of Dumb Type used YCAM as a quasi-homebase for their work, the institution boasts top quality sound and visual equipment, and the members of the technical staff are highly skilled. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, who provided the opening piece for YCAM, along with the likes of Ikeda Ryoji, Carsten Nicolai, exonemo, and many others have used YCAM as a venue to unveil their new works, and on the program next to art exhibitions are also film screenings, theatre and dance performances, and other events.
The inconvenient location is something that in my view shouldn't be taken negatively. It’s true that it is rather troublesome to get to YCAM unless you're a resident of Yamaguchi, but the environment is perfect for creative work. For original productions such as "LIFE - fluid, invisible, inaudible…", YCAM suggests being used as a starting point for exhibitions traveling to other places from here. YCAM (and the city of Yamaguchi) has earned an international reputation for producing high quality exhibitions and performances, and as long as the results are being shown around also elsewhere, we are all benefiting from it. In a way it’s like Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater and Wuppertal. And who knows, maybe they really sell the "fog tanks" some day…
Ozaki Tetsuya / Editor in chief / REALTOKYO