Sepultura
July 1 to August 31, 2007
Sepultura is an exploration of new natural materials originating from Japanese traditional use of bitter persimmon and utilizing the simulated
mumified effect in reference to the phases of dying according to
Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
Using natural elements of air displacement and deliberate lighting the installation invites the viewer to become the living element among the
light filled boats carrying the dead across the river styx. As the audience moves among the boats the tillers are set in motion and the
boats bob on an invisible stream. The purposeful inclusion of the audience as part of the installation interconnects their slowed pace
with the first ebbing of life.
“Since the mid 1990s I have changed the nature of my artistic practice and lifestyle to bring them into closer alignment with my concerns for the natural environment and our impact on the future of this planet. Although my art education was totally Eurocentric, I have broken away from traditional genres and begun to integrate methods and means that include elements from my Japanese ancestry, and holistic traditions common to many cultures in the world of hunters and gatherers. I am a process based artist, which extends my research and production time line considerably. I tend to use recycled materials, include more organic matter and to map my territory in search of the natural raw detritus I sometimes use in my installations. Collaboration is an earmark of my practice, whether that be in community developed art, working in tandem with other artists or in partnership with animals in their natural habitat”.
