Exploring Visual Expressions to Articulate Thoughts on Human Existence

Rochester Institute of Technology

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Theses

Thesis/Dissertation Collections

2007

Exploring Visual Expressions to Articulate

Thoughts on Human Existence

Mieko Tachibana

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ROCHESTER

INSTITUTE OF

TECHNOLOGY

A Thesis

Submitted

to the

Faculty

The College

Imaging

Arts

Sciences

In

Candidacy

for

the

Degree

MASTER OF FINE

ARTS

Exploring

Visual Expressions

to

Articulate Thoughts

Human Existence

By

Mieko Tachibana

Thesis Committee Approvals

Chief Advisor

Signature

Date

Associate Advisor

Signature

Date

Associate Advisor

Signature

Date

Department Chairperson

Signature

Date

Dr. Thomas Lightfoot

Alan Singer

Keith Howard

Don Arday

I,

Mieko Tachibana

, hereby grant permission to the Wallace Memorial

Library of RIT to reproduce my thesis in whole or in part. Any

reproductions will not be for commercial use or profit.

Date

To my

husband,

Khosrow

Vakhshouri,

CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

1

Concept

My

Views

toward the

Human Race

2

Research

for

Concept Development

5

The Western

Philosophy

5

Cognitive Sciences

8

Influence

the

Western

Philosophy

and

Cognitive

Sciences

My

Work

10

Video Work

Materials

1 1

Music

1 1

Plot

Video

11

Conceptual Description

Goals

the

Video Work

12

Installations

Installation

1

Materials

1 8

Music

1 8

Visual Description

1 8

Scenario

the

Audience

20

Linguistic Expression

Influence

of

Conceptual Art

2 1

Audience Participation

26

Goals

Installation

Reflections

28

Installation

2

Materials

30

Word

the

Wall

31

Visual Description

32

Conceptual Description

33

Goals

Expression

through

Forms

37

Reflections

39

Installation 3

Materials

4 1

Visual Description

4 1

Conceptual Description

43

Reflections

47

Conclusion

56

Bibliography

Work Cited

58

PREFACE

I

have been

thinking

my

At

in

bed,

my

I

before

I

bom?,

happen

I

die?,

why

do

I

exist?,

is

existence?,

the

universe?,

is time?,

if

there

is

beginning

to

time,

before

happen

time?

These

the

everything

that

I

These

fear

that

my

itself

disappear

any

time.

I

that

has

thought

these

in

form

Most

forget

stop

thinking

them, because

they

too

busy

everyday life

they

that

it is

to

that

probably have

definite

But,

I

remained curious.

I

the

type

had

thousands

everything;

from

the

dog

next

door

to

the

Schools

the answers,

but my

curiosity

human behavior

has developed

time.

When

I

in

elementary

school,

I

the

TV. A

proudly

explaining

this

technology,

how

this

On

the

channel, there

the

broadcast

suffering

dying

from

in

impoverished

I

my

father,

ifthere

money

to

the

Apollo

why

they

did

feed

the

starving

first?

My

father

replied,

"You

know

up."

I

I

know

he

now.

The

the

Apollo

to

further

knowledge

understanding

science with whichwe

hoped in

turn

day,

help

But

intentions

far

We feel sorry

for

starving

but

easily ignore

Biologically

to take

happiness

to

We

live

by

taking

lives.

Although

don't

other,

do

fight

in

Interestingly,

have developed

morality in

society

that

harm

to

This

behavioral

interests

The

development

rights issues

further

this

dichotomy;

both

the

feeling

caring

for

living

the

to take

lives in

to

Recently,

my

interests

have led

to the

study

self-consciousness,

because

the

is

the

important

from

identity

"human

beings". The

human beings

identity

interests

has

to

INTRODUCTION

The

this thesis

is

to

broaden

my

thoughts

human

identity

in

nature and

the

It

is

to

the

my

thoughts,

feelings,

to

the

I

interested

in

behind

human

existence,

human behavior

its

relationship

to

Our

brains

far

developed

to

and as a

result,

to

this

But

the

time,

the

same

brain

inquisitive

creatures,

compelling

to

like

"why

do

exist?"

We

have

tried to

find

the

to

for

centuries,

but

far

have

found

Without

knowing

purpose,

forced

to

in

from

the

born

into

Human

beings have

this

We

have

this

have disrupted its

balance.

We kill

but

do

for

this

makes us

feel

Ironically

brain

responsibility

that

burdens

lives. This

is

the

pay for

To

these

thoughts,

I

thoughts

the

human

beings,

especially

focusing

philosophy

both

have

had

influence

this thesis

I

tried

to

my

thoughts

feelings

through

four different installations. Video

installation

1

is

the

human beings. In Installation

1,

1 limited my

images,

instead

language

to

convey my

Installation 2 is

the

relationship

between human

beings

nature,

is

images

this

issue

using

CONCEPT

My

Views

toward the

Human

Race

Human

beings have

this

by

using

their

brains. As

result,

we

enjoy

the

fruits

But

forget

that

just

behave

if

is

We

if everything in

this

belongs

to

Mountains

through.

Green forests

into

the

gray

forests

We

keep

multiplying

consuming

This

has led

to

living

losing

the

opportunity

survive,

and so

they

have

The

humans

(both biological

non-biological)

easily

This

the

We

food

One

humanity

cancer,

away

healthy

environments,

then

to

healthy

leaving

behind nothing but

desolate,

barren

We

treat

if

them.

Many

forced

to

have

lives. Domestic

hens,

for

instance,

in

hundreds

thousands

hens

only

the

to

their

to

feed.

They

moveorspread theirwings.

Their

lives

eating

laying

socializing

Similarly,

in

laboratories for

the

purposeof medical researchare

too readily

We

"ruling"

attitudetowards our_planet,

but

don't

know

and

the

why

Biologically,

the

any

is

to

leave behind descendants. It

is

in

DNA,

it.

We

born

tools

to

in

We

fall

in

love,

marry,

While

live

day

instincts,

humans

amountof

time

energy

searching for

the

to

why

Anthropologist,

Loren

Eiseley

described

the

isolation

human

beings from

in his

book,

Star

Thrower

"There

is nothing

in

He

is

because

he

has

the

intellectual

capacity

to

know

that

he is

by

memory

from

the

lives

his

He has

into

the

history,

intellectual

change,

his

brothers

the

field

forest

to the

invisible laws

biological

Animals

by

forces

they

do

To

their

there

is

future.

There

is

only

the

everlasting

-its

trails

in

the

forest,

its hidden

the

in

Man,

by

contrast,

is

the

knowledge

his

history

the

day

his

death.

When

to

to

to

why

this

impossible.

Slowly

up

the

up into

the

solitary

human

adulthood;

left

the

lawn,

the

dog

to

his

(Loren

Eiseley,

37)

Ironically

the

organ, the

brain,

that

has

human

beings

flourish

has

isolated

from

has

in

for

identity. Our

fear

anxiety

towards the

has

to

beliefs. We

to

the

hoping

that

it

Unfortunately

different

beliefs have led

to

discord,

hate

As

consequence, there

be

in

All

in

teach

to

others,

do

We

synthetic

detergent

disposable

only

feel

like

recycling.

We

hypocrites.

But,

self-serving

behavior

is

instinct

that

every

life

form

possesses

in

to

We

build

life from

life forms

in

We

dominate

to

the

best

life for

This

is

in

Darwin's

evolution,

describes

the

having

Take

the

two types

birds;

each other andthose

that

themselves.

The

former group

better

they

remove

life-threatening

ticks

from

in

they

themselves

These

birds

because

interests.

Human

have developed

from

instincts

thousands

(Uchii). But

time

have

blurred

the

line between

the

instinct

to survive,

the

instinct

to take

Research for

Concept Development

In

to

further

my

understanding

human

existence,

I

the

their

thoughts

humans

their

relationship

their

surroundings,

in

the

field

(The Western philosophy)

What

is

Is

everything

that

perceive,

is

there

beyond

What

is

the

human beings in

to the

Why

do

These

the

questionsthat

have been

by

for

They

tried to

the

in

relationship

to

human

perception.

For

example,

if

in front

two people,

how do

know if

the

two

the

in

the

Perception

is

the

subjectively in

Furthermore,

the

that

long

subjectively

the

"real"

or "true"

existence of

the

in

the

As

result, the

how

the

Plato believed

that there

two

in

the

the

(subjective

world)

the

intelligible

(objective

The

in

be

by

the

five

On

the

hand,

in

intelligible

there

absolute

entities,

"Truth" or

"Essence"

whichare not

identifiable

through the

five

The intelligible

is

eternal,

to the

in

the

because

in

the

physically

time

how

them

is

But,

the

in

the

intelligible

According

to

Plato,

human's

be

to

the

highest

(intelligible realm) but

"essence"

ofall visibleobjects are comprehended

On

the

hand,

believed

that there

only

and

the

just

in

Such

believers

called"Solipsists." Descartes'

famous

statement,

"Cogito

sum"

(I

think,

I

am or

I

thinking,

therefore

I exist)

describes

We

endlessly

whether

the

in

this

really

But

to

the

existence of objects

in front

the

bodies,

because it

could

be

dream

However,

fact

that

in

thinking

activities,

that the

(which

"I")

(Takeda 25).

Kant

that

it did

the

intelligible

not, the

cognitive

ability

human beings

is limited

that

the

appreciate objects objectively.

We

is

existence

(whether it be

ours, the world,

God). We

only

and

the

things

(Takeda 28).

On

the

hand,

Hegel

that

the

As

children

have different

abilities, the

level

human's

gradually increases

time

eventually

the

level

the

(Ross 143).

Nietzsche

insisted

that

the

the

intelligible

does

exist,

but

instead,

there

only

interpretations

Individuals have different

interpretations.

There

is

right

wrong interpretation (Takeda 32-33).

Husserl's

theory

to

Kant's

theory

in

way

to

the

objective

truth.

However,

to

distinguish between dream

reality

because

we acknowledge

the

in

by

how

Human

is

roughly divided

into

memory,

imagination,

thoughts

perception.

We

factors

by

voluntarily recalling

repressing

them.

However,

this

does

apply

to

Perception

is

the

awarenessthat

there

is

than

just

that

there

is

something

Heidegger further

fundamental

question;

"what

does

it

to

in

the

first

place?"

He

the

relationship between human beings

the

the

meaning

to

for both human beings

the

To

live is

to

have

the

desire

to

live

that

depends

how

the

to

According

to

him,

has

been

us,

have desires

and

interests

in

world,

the

desire

to

live

long

possible, the

desire

to

be

comfortable, the

desire

to

have

suffering,

desire

to

many

things

(such

materials,

money

power)

the

desire

to

be

loved

by

In

to

fulfill

these

desires,

pay

to the

us,

objectify

it. For

example,

is

to

tired,

that

it

to

fulfill

desire

to

be

A

is

to

upon,

love letters

resume,

the purpose

to

fulfill

the

desire

to

be

loved

We

interests

towards things that

in direct

to

lives

the

look

mountaintop

in

deep

We

because

they

may in

lives

directly

indirectly.

Our desires

depending

how

the

to

The

value,

meaning

purposeof objects are

constantly

being

in

A

chair,

for

instance,

is

usually

to

upon,

however

in

fire,

it

to

break

to

escape.

This

time,

the

is

meaning (or re-objectified)

"an

to

be

used

to

break

window"

to

fulfill

the

desire

to

live (Heidegger

14).

As

these

show,

constantly have desires for

the world,

in

to

fulfill

them.

The

in

the world,

the

hand,

the

meaning

the

reason

to

by

by

desires. We have

time to

fulfill

(Cognitive

Science)

Since

Plato,

have

tried to

human

human

This

is

today

by

like David Chalmers.

He

has

tried to

human

human

He actively

and participates

in

associations,

the

Association

for

the

Scientific

Study

Consciousness

(ASSC)

the

biennial

in

Tuscon,

"Toward

Science

(sponsored

by

the

University

Arizona,

in 1994).

These

bring

different

fields,

scientists, neuroscientists, psychologists,

scientists,

Today,

the

issue

is

longer

limited

to the

field

philosophy,

but

it

has

into

disciplines

the neurosciences,

to

the

questionthrougha more scientific method.

Human

beings

the

them

five

-vision,

hearing,

smell,

taste,

touch.

These

by

in

brains.

It

is

thought that

there

100 billion

in

human brain. Their

is

to

transmit

impulses

from

to

The

chemicals,

from

to the

(diagram

1)

(Mogi 25).

We

the

through

these

However,

these

For

example,

apple, the

information

is

through

the eyes,

to the

brain

to

be

processed.

When

two

individuals

the

apple, there

is

way

to

that

the

that

the

that the

the

(Crick & Koch 1998).

We

to

degree

the things that

in everyday

life

through

tools

language,

but

objectively

those

others.

We know

that there

is

but

only

things

from

neurons

inside

brain.

Neuroscience

has

human beings

the

objectively,

had been

arguing

for

Many

living

recognition, but human beings

the

few

distinguish

the

For

example,

only

apple,

but

ability

to

weare

recognizing

This is

It

is

thought that

is

the

link

between

the

five

that

leads

to

experience.

For

example, the

eating involves

the

the

food,

its

its

taste

its

texture.

These

input simultaneously in

into

our

brains,

information is

treated

independently

in

different

the

brain. The

role of self-consciousness

is

thought to

be

in

to

connecting

these

separate sensestogetherand

eventually converting

them

into

(Mogi 84).

This

the

and ones existence

in

is

by

in

the

brain,

it

in

the

brain (Mogi 13).

Neuroscience

has

tried to

how

the

brain

its

the

However,

have

long

to

dendrites cell bod

Diagram

1

Simplifieddiagramoftypicalneuron. Electricalcharges are receivesfromothercells

by

dendrites.

Theiroveralleffectonthecell

body

(The influences

philosophy

my

work)

The

theories

the

the

have

had

influence

my

For

Installation

iand

2,

installation

human

brain.

A

viewer,

is inside

the room,

is

physically isolated from

the

by

the

walls.

By

isolating

the viewer,

I

try

to

how humans

world; the

in

brain. For Installation

1,

hidden

the

It

implies

the

way human beings

others.

For Installation

2,

faces

brain.

This

self-consciousness,

from

the

looking

into

brain (Diagram 2).

Installation Room Installation Room

o

(z)

viewer

r

o

Viewer

Diagram 2

Installation

1

The installation

brain. A

is in

isolated

from

Installation 2

VIDEO WORK

Figure

1,

Untitled

(Materials)

Camcorder:

Sony

DCR-VX2100

Editing

Premiere

Final

DVD

(Music)

Electro-acoustic

"Feather

"Soma

"Panic"

Composed

by

Vera

Ivanova,

Edited

by

Mieko Tachibana

This

in

installation

that

the

preliminary

Installation

1. The preliminary

installation

24

feet

24

feet,

was

bigger

than the

Installation

1. Installation 1

due

to the

the

the

The

endlessly,

listen

to

sound and

the

the

using headphones.

(Plot

the

Video)

A human

(a female in

video)

suddenly is dropped into

completely

roomwith whitewalls, ceilings,and

floors. She looks

turning

her

head

if

is

trying

to

figure

is,

but

there

is nothing

but

the

She

starts

to touch

the

her

hands,

then,

by

fabric. As

to

the

fabric

walls,

finds

behind

fabric. The

the

fabric

the

fabric

the

She

her fingers

the

fabric

along

the

to

"Why

do

Right

sentence,

image

appears;

black ink

is

gushing

covering

a white screen

rapidly

changing its

form,

like

bad

She

continuously

behind

the

fabric.

"Where

before

born?

The

involves

image

black

ink.

"What happens

die?

"How

do

know

really

"How

do

know

things

really

She suddenly

feels

As

looks

her

hands

they

begin

to

disappear into

the

along

her

legs.

Images

the

gradually

overlap

top

her.

She is slowly

quietly

disappears into

There is

only

tranquilly

serenity

the

left behind.

(Conceptual Description

Goals

the

work)

Closed

Space

(The Room

the

shot)

The

the

human

Emptiness

the

The

the

the

born

into

this

We

start our

lives from

nothingness;

the

from

have been

in

genes

but

brains

to

carry

information

-They

White Fabric

Just

the

humans delineates

the

inner-self from

the

world,

does

the

white

fabric.

It

to

boundary

between

inside

the

The

fabric

The

behind

the

fabric.

They

fundamental

to

human

existence,

but

too

busy

in

their

everyday

lives

to think

them.

The

"veiled"

from

busy

lives

just

thin

away

from

The

Color White

The

-when

babies

born,

they

from

White

the

everything;

the

converge,

it becomes

The

Our

lives

full

uncertainty;

don't know

future. As

through

life,

by

the

uncertainly

it,

just

the

in

through the

fog.

Touching

Exploring

the

Fabric

by

Hand

Exploring

the

fabric

by

hands

individual's

for

meaning

life,

and

the

human

identity

both

in

in

the

Abstract

Ink Images

The

ink images

imply

the

feeling

anxiety

from

theunknownandthe

uncertainty

human

This

is

lives;

from

the

bom,

to the

die,

searching for

the

to

the

lives

are,

but

inevitably dying

without

them.

At

the

beginning

the scene,

human

suddenly

in

empty

This

denotes

the

birth

the

into

this

The human life begins from

nothingness.

We know

nothing

born;

do

know

are,

we

are,

why

here. Our first

to the

is

Newborn

babies

try

to

figure

them

by

touching,

they try

distinguish

the

boundaries

between

bodies

by

touching (Platek,

Thomson,

&

Gallup

2004).

After

in

the

in

the

empty

space,

starts

exploring

the

her

hands.

This

implies

how

the

world around us.

The

in

the

to

This

implies

struggling

to

searching for

the

meaning

lives. We

by

everyday

busy

lives

in

this

The

exploring

white walls also suggests

seeking

the

future. Our lives

full

uncertainty;

don't

know

the

future. It is just like

walking

fog,

by

white

fabric. We usually forget

fundamental

in

busy

lives.

However, they

in

consciousness,

just

the

words appear

behind

fabric.

Once

the

fundamental

life,

they

in

turn

invite

questions,

an

uneasy

feeling

the

gradually

us,

just

black ink in

spreads and

eventually

the

We

desperately

for

but

leave

them.

Just

are

bom into

this world,

back

to

(like

the

in

the

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Figure 1

VideoWork

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Figure

1

Video

INSTALLATIONS

Installation

1

Figure

2,

Untitled

(Materials)

White

fabric

Words

(Words

the

Wall)

"Please

feel free

to

in

to the

the

"This

the

human

beings.

We

suddenly born into

the

without

knowing

the

meaning

We

struggling

to

find

this meaning,

but leave

the

the

(Visual

Description)

Installation 1

is

4

feet

8 feet

the

(the

ceilings, the

floors,

the

four walls)

by

fabric. The

light

from

the

ceiling

through

the

fabric. The light

the

bright

room.

On

the

texts

hidden behind

fabric. The

is

designed

to

be

The

texts;

Where

to

birth?

What

happen

die?

What is

Why

do

What

is

the

meaning

in

this

How

do

know

really

How

do

know

the things

really

What

is

this

that

living

in?

Was

there

beginning

to this

If

so,

before

beginning?

Will

this

Then,

happen

the

Is

time

infinite?

If

time

is

infinite,

how does

infinity

in

this

Is

there

beginning

to time?

If

so,

did

before

time?

If

the

born

from

is

(Scenario

the

Audience)

A

the

installation

The

by

itself

behind

viewer,

they

empty

The bright

white space surrounds

the

in

The

is

loss

"what

is

this

place,

I

to

do

A

later,

the

that the

walls are covered

by

fabric,

to touch

it.

Then,

they

something

behind

fabric.

Suddenly,

"Why

do

exist?"

The

texts

through the

fabric only

the

fabric is

the

The

texts

sporadically

the

In

to

the

texts,

has

to

press

the

fabric

the

it along

the

length

the

The

audience searches

for

hidden

by

exploring

the

the

fabric.

(Linguistic

Expression)

Influence

Conceptual Art

There

time

I

strongly

influenced

by

60's

I

visually

impressed but

interested

by

the

way

they

their

through the

Furthermore,

energy

driving

force

that

they

to

try

break

the

fascinated

The

language

form

by

the

Their

largely

influenced

to

language

this

installation.

For

instance,

Lawrence Weiner's

work,

AN ACCUMULATION OF SUFFICIENT

ABRASION TO REMOVE ENOUGH OF AN OPAQUE SURFACE TO LET LIGHT

THROUGH WITH MORE INTENSITY

(1981),

has

the

written on

the

Because

information

is

to the viewers, the

imagines

the

freely

from

the

The images

only in

the

AN ACCUMULATION

OF

SUFFICIENT

ABRASION TO

Lawrence

Weiner,

ENOUGHOF AN

OPAQUE

INTENSITY

(1981)

Weiner's

horizontally

the

limits

But

Robert

s

Heap

of

Language

(1966)

by

how

the

words arearranged.

Over

100

to

language,

'hieroglyphic'

are written side

by

into

triangular

The

word,

'language'

is

top

the

triangle

(Rorimer

75). In

to the things

imagine from

the

words,

this

triangular

them

it

to

something

The

that the

abstract enough

to

the

the

freedom imagination.

Robert

Smithson,

Heap

(1966)

While Weiner

Smithson

tried to

from

the

fixed image

encouraged viewers

to

images

their

from

words,

Robert

Barry

intended

to

invisible

concepts,

infinity

through

language.

For

example,

his

Inert

Gas

Series: Helium (2

feet),

Seth

Siegelaub

Gallery

in

March

1969,

on

the

'Sometime

during

the

morning

March 5.

1969,

two

feet

Helium

be

into

the

(Rorimer 85). The

try

to

imagine

the

from

his

He

described

the series,

"made

kinds

energy

arbitrary

limits

Robert

Barry,

Series:

feet)

*Thephoto wastakenastherecord oftheproject and usedfor

his

exhibitions.

The

for

these

in

the

linguistic

to

imagination

from

the

images,

such as

paintings,

drawings

sculptures,

to

let

imagine

freely

from just

the

language.

Ian

Wilson,

is

using

linguistic

expression,

described

his

'I've

freed

from

It

is

for

everyone.

I'm

diametrically

to the

My

is

visual,

but

visualized'

(Rorimer

91).

I

language

for

the

first

this

installation.

At

the critique,

it

that

I

two

three-dimensional

images

instead

language,

however I

to

language because like

Weiner

Barry,

I

tried

to

fixed

images,

namely

my

images

human

The

human

fundamentals

that

human beings

share,

but

ideas

different

depending

different

beliefs.

If I

these

images,

the

my

culture,

the

images

be

Visual

images

as

distracters

from

fully

purely

focusing

the

human

existence.

To

situation,

the

be

hence

language is

for

this

My

targeted

peopleregardless of

their race,

ethnicity,

nationality,

beliefs.

The

the

the

have

been

pondering

for

the

that

I had

I

However,

language for

installation

too

direct

The

the

to

be

more,

by

adopting riddles

Ian

Wilson's

text

is

His

text

from

discussion

his

held

Stedelijk Van

Abbe

museum,

Eindhoven

in

March

1983,

the

invitation

for

that

is

both

known

unknown

is

is

known

that

is both

known

unknown

as

both

known

andunknown

whatever

is

known

is

just

He

the

Socratic

to

text

the

discussion

the

relationship between

the

known

the

While

text

carry meanings, I

tried to

by

arranging

words,

like Smithson.

For

the

first

this

installation,

the

dispersed

four

walls,

but they

horizontally,

like

Weiner's

work,

the

heights

At

critique,

I

that

viewers

found

the

first

text,

they

easily

the

the

texts

with

this

arrangement,

that there

for

the

fabric

hiding

them.

So for

thesecond model of

this

installation,

I

tried to

the texts

in

way

that

could not predict

their

locations.

The

installation,

but

by

3 feet

7

feet

flat

fabric

covering

hiding

the texts

the

The

texts

no

longer

horizontally

heights, instead,

they

winding,

curling,

up

down

from

floor

to

the

heights

heads.

Furthermore,

I

the texts

creating

lines. I

also

tried to

human beings

by

images,

because

the

human

I believe that, like

Smithson'

s

work,

image

that

it didn't

my

biases.

Only

few

actually

the

the profile,

but I

feedback

from

the

how

they had

to

find

the texts

using

their

bodies. The

secondmodel was exhibited

for

Gesture Show

Gallery

in

Rochester

in 2003. In

order

to read, the

had

to

only

arms,

but

their

bodies

sometime

squatting

getting

their tiptoes

tilting

their

bodies.

I

this

idea

into my

final

this

installation,

my

thesisshow.

The

the

arrangementsas

the

However,

I

that

the

questionsthat

I

be

to

human

image,

it

up

with

just

texts.

This

further

(Audience

Participation)

In

this

installation,

the

by

touching

the

finding

hidden

words.

The

to

involve

them

actively.

However,

the

become

form

entertainmentand

the

behind it

may

be

The

installation,

The

Marionette,

the

installation/

performance,

Sodan

Cafe,

The

installation,

The

Marionette,

by

American

artist,

Douglas

Stanly,

in

IC

in Japan

in

1997. It is

picture of a puppet

that

is

three

The

is

to

participate and

interact

the artwork,

manipulating

by

pulling

three

handles

table

in

the

the

When

the

pulled,

internal

back

the

force

preventing

the

from manipulating

the

This

in

turn

the

to

they

manipulating

the

is

manipulating

them.

With

this,

the

tries to

imply

the

relationship between human

beings

technology.

For

example, computers,

to

improve

the

quality

lives, however,

feel

that

to these

by

them.

Like The

Marionette,

the

installation /

performance,

Sodan

cafe,

the

participationaswell.

In

this artwork,

Japanese

working

in

Watarium

in

Japan for

3

in 1997.

"Sodan"

means

to

to

in

Japanese. With every cup

served, the

hands

to

the

(audience)

asking

them to

to

improve

the

Every

two weeks,

cafe,

the

furniture

the

interior

decoration

the

based

the

that

he

The

the

involves

them

in

making

shaping

his

(i.e.

Initially,

the

is

by

this

However,

they

intrigued

by

their

involvement

in

the

making

to

degree

that

they

to

how

their

have

the

The Marionette

Sodan

Cafe,

both involve

but

different

approaches

to

One

tries to

the

by

getting

them

physically

involved

the

by

providing

the

the

opportunity

to

input

into

the

running

the

The Marionette

is

because it

interest

the

through

As human

beings,

individuals

drawn

to

that

to

be

than

that

don't

The

work,

by

itself,

is incomplete

the

audience

physically

the

handles.

By

doing

so,

interaction

between

the

artwork and

the

is

the

is

the

is

better

to

the

behind

the

There

disadvantages

to the

that

participation.

The

is

that the

form

invites

interest

toward

the

People

to

that

has

hidden

than

which

already

Audiences

tend to

time

the

artwork.

However,

the

disadvantage

is

that

installation may be

too

entertaining

it

may

distract

from

understanding

the concept,

is

the

the

So

dan

Cafe.

The

don't have

to

convey

the

accurately,

but it

should

be broad

to

the

to

have

diverse

way

thinking

interpreting

the

Installation 1 is

this

intention.

I

tried

to

the

the

by letting

touch the

fabric

for

the

hidden

The

be

completedwithoutaudience

participation,

them

it

be just

empty

room.

(Goals

the

Installation

Reflections)

In

the

work,

the

This

is

an objectiveexperience.

However,

in Installation

1,

the

actually

the

installation

for

themselves.

This is

Although Video

installation 1

together

the

show, these two

independently.

My

intention

to

the

think

the

they

entered

it

by

finding

reading

the

words,

I

tried to

the

to

fundamental

human

that

they

have

about when

they

My

in

encouraging

the

to

only

metaphoric

(our

lives begin from

nothingness),

but

I

trying

to

"engaging"

experience.

Today,

live

in

information

Media,

advertisements,

art

try

to

in

different

information

to

conveniently

We

"active"

in

understanding

the

information

that

bombards

It

is

conveniently

in

that

easily

by

The

this

installation

to

to

the

from

passive viewerof

the

to

the

To

this,

viewers

had

to

discover

the

hidden

behind

the

fabric.

I

had hoped

spontaneously

the

installation

their

but it

difficult

to

them

the

behind

the

fabric.

By

placing

note

in

front

the

installation

that read,

"Please

feel free

to

into

the

A

I

that the

installation

to

This

oneof

my

I

to

"emptiness"

where

the

audience could reflecton what

it

to

Installation

2

Figure

3,

Untitled

(Materials)

White Vellum Paper

(to

floor)

Black Ink

Glue

Meshed Metal Wire (to

the

dome

object)

Plastic

(to

hang

the

dome

from

the

ceiling)

(Words

the

Wall)

(These

texts

in front

the

installation

entrance.)

"Please feel free

to

in

"I

believe

that

human beings

just

the

Just

like

in

river.

All

in

the

There

is nothing

nothing

below

However,

because

just happen

to

thought,

the

human

to

multiply

As

result,

aggressively

destroy

the

harmony

nature.

As

nature,

struggling

to

find

the

meaning

and our

identity

y

j

:

Figure

3-2

(detail)

(Visual

Description)

Installation

2

is

12

feet

8

feet

The

is

in from

the

by

four

walls,

ceiling

floor.

The

light

is

only

the

domed-shaped

(about

3

feet in

diameter)

that

is

floating

4.5 feet

the

floor

hanging

from

theceiling.

The dome

is

formed

by

by

translucent

(made

by

glue)

that

like flat

Countless

light bulbs

the

Although

is

flat,

they

overlapped

vertically

horizontally

The

light from

causes

the

to glow,

casting

though

they

As

whole, the

dome's

dim

light

softly

illuminates

the

installation

Several

cordswithsmall

light bulbs

emerging from

the

dome like

tentacles,

forming

branches,

stretching

towards the

surrounding

When

the

the

walls,

they

the

like ivy. The intersection

the

the

walls are stained

black resembling

There

is

black

the

floor

dome,

the

the

dome. A

falls behind

the

(Conceptual

Description)

Dome

The

dome

the

human brain.

The

like

dendrites,

The

light

bulbs

firing

neurons

(see

the

diagram

3,

P8). The

dome

living

The

amoeba

like

objects,

their

irregular

wavy

shaped,

the

The light

bulbs

life. The heat

the

light bulbs

represent

the

body

temperature;

the

light bulbs

that

turned

life,

that

turned

death. The

that

in

direction

like

tentacles

tree

branches

the

growing

living

The

dome

the

the

human

being

in

Figure 3-4

(detail)

Figure 3-5

(detail)

Walls

The

dome is

by

ceiling just

human beings

by

nature.

Cords

The

the

from

the

brain

into

the

surrounding

represents

the

development

the

human

brain,

along

human

the

desire

to

gain more

knowledge

has

led

to

Black Stains

The

black

intersection

the

touch

the

human

with

nature,

the

blackness

human's

destruction

The

swirl-shaped

black

floor

the

dilemma

that

human beings

face

between

the

instinct

to

help

the

instinct

to

kill

We

help

destroying

because

have

to

lives

in

to

However,

our moral

instincts

feel guilty

this

Figure 3-6

(detail)

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