Daydream in the Night
Written by: Reina Chen
Art connects.
Sometimes it connects to the future, other times to the past. Through connections, we are able to temporarily travel into a different world and discover our peace of mind.
I attended a talk session by the artist Yuichiro Tamura and archivist Hitoshi Kubo organized by Keio University Art Center in collaboration with Roppongi Art Night 2019 (https://www.roppongiartnight.com/2019/en/) as a part of the “Cultural Narrative of a City” project. Tamura Yuichiro specializes in art which involves various installation to transform the perception of a three-dimensional space.
In their talk, Hitoshi Kubo first walked us through how he, as a museum visitor, sees the connections between different elements of Tamura Yuichiro’s work. Then Tamura explained to us about how he as an artist found materials and connected between the dots to build a somewhat relatable story for the viewers. Both Tamura Yuichiro and Kubo emphasized the importance of connections. Indeed, the visitors are only able to feel certain emotions because each element of Tamura’s work is placed in a specific space at a specific time and with a specific manner. Similarly, I think the visitors are only able to feel certain emotions because they have had experiences in the past that they can relate the art to. Without such connectable pre-established thoughts, one is more likely to feel either nothing or confusion by the artwork.
Looking at the artworks in Roppongi Art Night 2019, I could feel a kind of tranquil and peaceful personal connections. Under the deeming lights, the street of Roppongi almost seemed like a different world from how it was in the daytime. My friend and I went into the night with very little prior knowledge about the artworks. We also did not focus a lot on the artists’ description of the work because we thought it is interesting to interpret the work ourselves. I especially enjoyed the performance “Sounds and Colors of Life”. In this performance, many machines were decorated with colorful circular cutouts that looked like bubbles set up inside an empty area in a park. Along with the sound of live electronic music, soap bubbles came out from the machine and decorated the dark sky with their enchanting presence.
While officially, the bubbles related to fading ephemerality, they brought my mind back to childhood days when I would make giant soap bubbles from water and body wash every time when I had a shower.
I also enjoyed the installation “sleep” which was placed close to the play area inside the same park. In this installation, balloons we re attached to a small child’s bicycle and a global jungle. The balloons li up while they slowly inflated and beca me dark again when they slowly deflated. In the tranquil night, the balloons inflated in a slow constant rhythm like that of the belly of a sleeping child.
“What dreams is this child dreaming of?” I wondered to myself.
When I was little, I also had many dreams. I wanted to become a fun teacher, a world-renowned artist, a proud author… Overtime, the lights of those dreams dim and new lights of new dreams began shining. In a slow rhythm, I am constantly discovering new aspects of the world and myself. Dreams and goals are being updated. But who is there to say that I need to keep dreaming the same dream?
I love my experience at 2019 Roppongi Art Night for it provided me with a time and space for my mind to wonder in its own thoughts about the past and the present. With no fully defined answer and solution, I was free to get lost in this train of thoughts. In such a process, I was able to look inward at myself in a comprehensive manner and to appreciate more the world I am living in.
Reina was born in China and moved to the United States of America when she was 11. She studies business administration at her home university in Boston. She came to Japan as an exchange student at Keio University located in Minato City. In her free time, she enjoys following street cats, cooking with friends, and exploring new places.
