Mariko Mori, the Alien Queen
Japanese multidisciplinary artist Mariko Mori used to study fashion prior to switching to art, feeling that fashion limited her expression and promoted consumerism. None could have guessed that making that change could have brought her to where she is today. Despite no longer being in the fashion industry, she integrates her knowledge on fashion into her works. She makes her own costumes which revolve around futurism, space and Japanese themes. She models her cosplay-inspired costumes in her works such as Birth of a star and Play with me, where she is dressed up as a Japanese pop star and a cyborg girl respectively.
Besides photography, the 55-year-old tampers with sculptures. Wave UFO was the interactive exhibition which helped her rise to fame. The sculpture is 34 feet long, 17 feet wide and 14 feet tall and made of fibreglass. The shape of the sculpture could be interpreted to be that of an alien spaceship, hence its name. It is silver in colour and faint rainbows can be seen on the surfaces when viewed from different angles. 3 people are allowed inside the installation at once, with 3 Technogel chairs that would mould themselves to accommodate the form of the participant sitting on it.
Before stepping into the otherworldly sculpture, one must have electrodes attached to their head. This will allow data of their brainwaves to be transmitted to the installation, creating visualisations unique to each person’s data and activity. When multiple viewers are giving off the same brainwaves, a ring of small orbs will light up together to show coherence in thought. This shows how an individual is connected to the universe, that we are one. She also conveys this belief in her works Tom Na H-iu and Transcircle 1.1. In Transcircle 1.1, each individual LED installation represents a different person. Arranging them in a circle connects back to her belief as it represents a gathering and unity.
Additionally, Mori feels strongly about gender inequality which is a very significant topic in society. She says that ‘equality for women in the West is more developed’ than that in Japan. She based Tea Ceremony II on a situation that she saw in her home country (‘an educated woman who only served tea in the office’), saying that it shocked her. She was motivated to produce that piece since she ‘thought this has to be changed’. The scenario is very stereotypical and shows old-school views on how women are supposed to do chores instead of going to school. In the piece, Mori is dressed up as a female alien who is serving tea to several businessmen in an office. With that, she exhibits her disapproval of gender norms with the fusion of her own style and interest with aliens.
To end off, these are some of the words that drive Mariko Mori. She believes that individuality is very important as an artist and that art is ‘like a mirror that reflects life and mind’. Overall, she ventures out into different mediums and themes to challenge and influence her viewers.
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References:
- Di Marzo, C. (2013, October 29) A Traveller in Time, from Standing Stones to the Distant Stars: an interview with Mariko Mori. studio international. https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/interview-with-mariko-mori
- Michalarou, E. (1999) INTERVIEW: Mariko Mori. dreamideamachine ART VIEW. http://www.dreamideamachine.com/?p=2070
- Public Delivery. 2022. Mariko Mori’s UFO — Your thoughts come to life. https://publicdelivery.org/mariko-mori-wave-ufo/
- Robert, H. (2020, October 7) Mariko Mori and the ‘Tea Ceremony’, an Illustration of Gender Inequality in Japan. Pen. https://pen-online.com/arts/mariko-mori-and-the-tea-ceremony-an-illustration-of-gender-inequality-in-japan/?scrolled=0