TREE SAYS「 」

TREE SAYS「 」
We took part in the art event SENSE ISLAND, organised by Yokosuka City on the uninhabited island of Sarushima. Sarushima was a "fortress island" with turrets during World War II. It is now a leisure spot visited by many people for its rich natural environment. Normally, visitors can only enter during the day, but for the event, visitors can specially visit Sarushima at night and admire the artworks in the dark. We took advantage of this special environment to create an installation with an 'unusual sensations and experiences' theme.
The site we chose for our exhibition is one of the five turret sites on the island. This is the last hastily constructed turret site, unfinished and deteriorating due to lack of resources, and is a special place where nature encroaches and co-exists. The former turret is gone, and a large tree that sprouted after the war and grew up with the history of Sarushima stands in the centre. In front of this tree, we feel the history of Sarushima, the passage of time and the power of nature.
We wondered if we could create a work that would allow people to experience the sense of dynamism and life hidden in this mysterious tree, which they would not normally be able to feel. The work consists of fixtures made of steel mono-tubes and vibration plates, and sensing equipment. All the fixtures are produced in advance at the factory and assembled simply on site, so that there is no burden on nature and archaeological sites.
Our approach is to attach special microphones to the trees to extract the sound inside, and then use speakers to resonate the vibration plates to change the shellfish pieces patterns on the plates. We thought that this would allow us to express the imperceptible sounds hidden inside the tree from multiple angles, both aural and visual.
But the aim of the installation is not only to allow people to experience the sounds and vibrations of the wood, which they cannot usually perceive. The sounds and vibrations, which change in real time, are dynamic and full of life, and are proof that the trees, which stand quietly, are alive at the moment. Nature is innocent, just being there in its very 'natural' state. But people are creatures of imagination and search for meaning. The experience of being surrounded by the sound of the trees and seeing their heartbeat-like vibrations in the darkness and in this mysterious place stimulates one's imagination.
Hence, people may feel as if 'the tree says something'. 
It is a communication between people and trees, and the message received is left to the imagination of each person. And trees are part and symbol of nature and Sarushima. The root-like lines of light spreading out from the tree represent this. This historical place has many contexts and the possibilities for imagination are wide open.
The aim of our artwork is to encourage people to reflect on the tree, nature and the history of Sarushima through this experience.
猿島の5つの砲台跡の中で、この跡地は他と異なり、自然と人工物が混在する不思議な場所である。
そこに象徴的に佇む大樹の内には何が秘められているのか。
この作品は樹のうちにひそむ振動や音を拡張し、樹と人との間に新しい感覚的な接点を作る試みである。
自然はどこまでも自然だが、人は感覚を無垢なまま受け取ることは難しい。
それゆえ「樹が何かを語っている」かのように感じるかもしれない。
それは人それぞれに異なる体験であり、「 」はそのような想いを込めて余白としている。
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