Oita Sightseeing Wall “Mai Miyake’s World Cuckoo−Clock− WORLD could be a safer place CLOCK”
"Kankou"(sightseeing) literally means "to show/see the light": in other words, "to show/see local excellence." On the Oita Sightseeing Wall, excellent objects and artworks from Oita appear as displayed through the eyes of a contemporary artist. Mai Miyake, a contemporary artist active both domestically and internationally, worked on the project "Cuckoo-Clock for the World". The project aims to call back doves (symbols of peace) to the world by creating peace (safety) for even the smallest units of society, such as one’s family, company, and hometown. Due to this project, the west area of OPAM’s atrium will be filled with "the light of Oita."
Place: Oita Prefectural Art Museum
2-1 Kotobukimachi Oita-shi Oita, Japan
Photo: Satoshi Shigeta
Oita Prefectural Art Museum Website
World Cuckoo-Clock
WORLD could be a safe place CLOCK
The roots of discord and world peace are in our homes. People can be kind towards others when they are in love, when they live in a safe and calm environment, and when they have a comfortable home life. However, the opposite can be equally true.
Large communities such as nations and the world originate from smaller communities, such as families and the home. A clock that people can always see in their homes can be representative of a time bomb ticking ahead for peace or war. A dove that symbolizes peace appears from the Cuckoo-Clock.
The concept of the work is that people can make peace return, by making our families and regional communities happy and harmonious. The work is a sublimation of the support and commitment of those who agree to the concept.
Suifu(The city of sea bottom)
Still Waters Run Deep
The human body is composed 90 percent of water. In the womb we float in amniotic fluid and are unable to live without water. In the modern world, we live a short walk from convenience-stores and automatic vending machines. We can buy bottles of water and various other goods using the internet and websites such as Amazon. We have forgotten the importance of water in our lives. When we go to near by seas, rivers and waterfalls, we can experience the beauty of the environment and breathe in the fresh air. When we float in hot springs, seas and lakes we are aware of our bodies connecting to the earth and becoming restored. There are somethings we should take the time to look at closely, to listen to carefully, and to look for whilst holding our breath, because it is only a matter of course before things that are a common sight, such as water, become uncommon. It is important to recognize their importance with out being distracted by noises or people. There are somethings that should not be swept clean.
Home Sweet Home
To be unable to see the forest for the sight of the trees, and to fail to see the trees for the sight of the forest leads to both being viewed imperfectly. People say ‘God is in the details’, however, the detail escapes us if we do not look closely enough. A complete view is found only after over looking. To see something clearly is often difficult for us.
We are usually overconfident to grasp the facts and the whole picture without fully seeing. What we thought we saw is only a portion of the whole picture after all, because what we see is often distorted by our minds.
Where All Gods Have One Name
Oita has typically Japanese features. People in Oita have many gods and beliefs, ranging from nature worship, Shintoism, Buddhism and Christianity. These beliefs coexist in many layers developed over a long periodoftime.
Originally Japanese people sometimes expressed their feelings and emotions through objects. Multitudinous gods are big-hearted and greedy, and through their eyes and hearts they can ascertain the essence of things. This notion can be used to express to features of Oita.
Oita lanterns are displayed as a guide post for ancestors and lovers to return safely to their families during Bon Festival. Each of these figures represents a divine spirit. The objects are made from wood and tree pulp, and symbolize a forest in which our souls exist. It may be a place where lives return, a house in which souls come back to, and a hometown to which minds return. This work was created with a prayer that every ancestor and lover return safely to their families.