Paper handmade by the artist (kozo), repurposed sliding doors, water, moss, stone, repurposed clay roof tile
This 2nd-floor space at the Nishino Heritage House in Japan was once used to store sliding doors for different seasons: airy shoji were used in the warmer months, while solid fusuma were used in the winter months to insulate homes. Many pre-war homes in Japan were oriented favoring a seated position; major elements of a home were located within view while seated on tatami or cushions — such as hearth, sleeping arrangements, and storage space.
The idea of home is a frequent theme in my work, and for this, I sought to capture the original purpose of this room alongside a sense of loss we might feel in our contemporary age, when there seems to be fewer mysteries, more artificial light, and less intimate interior arrangements. Tanizaki Junichiro wrote: “Our ancestors, forced to live in dark rooms, came to discover beauty in shadows, and to guide shadows towards beauty’s ends. By cutting off the light from an empty space our ancestors imparted to the world of shadows that formed there a quality of mystery and depth superior to that of any wall painting or ornament.”
For landscape shifting, a continuation of the “landscape” series of low relief handmade paper works, repurposed, discarded sliding doors were used as frames for patterns resembling a rock garden. The frames cascaded in height to show a progression from rooftop to pond — the lowest frame was waterproofed and filled with water in the gallery. This piece was lit by natural light; in the mornings and afternoon the light would hit the water, a gentle breeze would roll in, and ripples of reflected light would dance on the ceiling (see the video below).
