Visualization of Wind by Bllizard and a Laser
2023
Gallery
collaboration as a member of SIAF LAB..
SAIF LAB. website:
https://siaflab.jp/artwork-engineering/p10414/
Every winter, social media posts proclaiming that “blizzards in Hokkaido are incomparably more severe than those in Honshu” go viral, along with photos of blizzards taken by Hokkaido residents. Whiteouts, in which the wind blowing snow from the ground obstructs visibility, are common in Hokkaido, where caution is necessary due to the low temperatures. While driving in these conditions requires special caution, the movement of snowflakes floating in the headlights, and changing in complex ways as if alive, can be fascinating to behold. In whiteout conditions, it is impossible to follow individual snowflakes with the naked eye because the snow obstructs visibility. However it may be possible to see the movement of snow (wind) by shining a laser beam to illuminate only the snowflakes in a small area. Such an idea led to the start of this experiment. For this exhibition, members drove through the night, chasing blizzards, and compiling documentary footage of their trial-and-error experiments with laser direction and filming methods, while simultaneously exploring the possibility of new visual expressions using blizzard motifs, laser beams for stage direction and the like. The film was shot on four occasions, including on January 25 of this year, when a major cold snap hit Hokkaido.
The S.I.D.E. Project (*1) introduced at SCARTS Mall C aims to implement “IEIE”, in which “wind” is a major component of each element of the work. This experiment, which refocuses on natural phenomena unique to Hokkaido, is one of the byproducts of S.I.D.E., which operates under the theme of “side effects”.
(*1) S.I.D.E. is a platform for a new era of research and development by SIAF Labs in collaboration with Hokkaido University CoSTEP and SCARTS. In preparation for the Sapporo International Art Festival (SIAF) 2024, curatorial researcher, Hiroko Myokam, and artistic researcher, You Nakai, have been invited to work on “Side Effects 2022-2024”. (*2) “Island Eye Island Ear” is an unfinished concert project which would transform an entire isolated island into a musical instrument. It was conceived in the mid-1970s by musician, David Tudor and has been undertaken by artists, Fujiko Nakaya, Jaqueline Matisse Monnier, and E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology).Credits
Direction: Kei Komachiya, Norimichi Hirakawa (SIAF LAB.)
Shooting: Kei Komachiya, Norimichi Hirakawa, Katsuya Ishida (SIAF LAB.)
Laser design: Kei Komachiya (SIAF LAB.)
Programming: Norimichi Hirakawa (SIAF LAB.)
Technical support: Takuro Iwata (SCARTS)