Hisakatano
Mixed Media Installation
by Chiyoko Myose
II
Artist Statement
My work expresses my personal feelings and experiences as a sojourner and my spiritual journey in search of a place to fully call home. As a sojourner, I have a physical place where I live, but simultaneously, my mind goes to the places where I used to live. This experience makes me explore various aspects of a sojourner’s life such as place, memory, imagining, cultural displacement, and spiritual journey.
Right now, it is the season of the cherry blossom in my original country of Japan . I imagine they are blooming beautifully now, as always. At the same time, I am concerned that the land and the people who are living there have been going through mourning and struggles after the earthquake and tsunami disaster and the nuclear accident from a year ago.
The image of this particular installation art piece was inspired by my memory of viewing the cherry blossoms and a shoji window, a Japanese paper sliding window. The petals fall off and form other flowers in another place. Together with the light, shadow, mirrors, and reflection of the mirrors, I expressed my thoughts and prayers for my original country and the people there.
The title of this piece, ‘Hisakatano’ is from a waka, a short poem, by Kino Tomonori from the 9th century. The word Hisakatano itself does not have a meaning, but it is a word that goes with the word ‘the light’. The poem goes like this:
Hisakatano hikarinodokeki harunohini
Shizukokoronaku hananochiruramu
ひさかたの 光のどけき 春の日に
しづ心なく 花の散るらむ
It translates to:
On such a light tranquil spring day,
Why do the cherry blossoms fall like restless thoughts?
Images with different light settings
See some more images here. http://chiyokomyose.com/section/298717_Hisakatano_Installation_3.html
Wow, great pictures! So glad you were in the class and the show.
ReplyDeleteThank you, friend! Hey, we are going to keep making installation arts.
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