Have some time to spend in Tokyo this summer?
Then why don’t you go and have some fun enjoying one of the newest forms of art?
In this article, I will be providing you with a brief report on an exhibition by Dr. Yoichi Ochiai, titled “Reminiscence of the Unknown, Image and matter, Digitally Natural, Naturally Digital, Sehnsucht nach Masse / 未知への追憶 イメージと物質・計算機と自然・質量への憧憬”.
This exhibition is now being held in Shibuya MODI until 31 August.
Admission is 1,800 JPY per adult, while students with a student ID can enter for free.
“Reminiscence of the Unknown (未知への追憶)”
Professor Yoichi Ochiai is a writer, media artist, and a computer scientist in Japan. He is most renowned for his work in art and academia to link nature and digital technology, creating a new concept now widely known as “digital nature“.
The exhibition “Reminiscence of the Unknown (未知への追憶)” focuses on his work after 2017, integrating his previous artworks with the dynamic digitization of the community due to the Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
You will be able to enjoy some of his previous artworks that went viral on the web, as well as appreciating the how Dr. Ochiai views the world from his perspective of “digital nature”.
The Exhibition
I visited this exhibition on a sunny weekday in August.
Although this was a summer break period, the exhibition gallery was not so crowded, providing an ideal environment to admire his works in peace, at my own pace.
In his words, Professor Ochiai’s concept of his art is to “cut out the ‘present’, and preserve it as the ‘past'”. Therefore, as the visitor, we are made to wonder what he was trying to capture at the moment of his work. May it be just an ordinary occasion for others, there was something that triggered him to “preserve that moment” and turn it into art.
Even if you don’t want to be so nerdy, just gazing at his works can be of great inspiration. It is quite interesting to see how things that are so “unnatural” can be displayed in such a natural matter.
Once you come to realize it, every bit of his art is quite awkward when being compared to your daily life. I’ve never seen a silver ball floating in midair, but the tatami flooring and the mesmerizing sounds make everything seem so “natural”, as gravity may have never existed in that atmosphere in the first place.
Unfortunately, most of the labels and descriptions of this exhibition is in Japanese. However, the important part about this exhibition is what you think and feel from his arts, which means that what “he” was thinking is not the most important message to perceive.
Although I have taken other photos of exhibits that zapped my mind, I will refrain from posting more of it here.
What you seek from his art is completely up to you.
I hope that you all enjoy the exhibit as much as, or even more than I did!
Some of his works in exhibit can be seen in the video of this link.
マイル旅、最高！
以上、マイルで旅する医学生「ちっぷ」(@aiueo_tips)がお送りしました！
早く次の旅に出たいよ！
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