Biotope Circles - Where the Breathing of Living Beings Can Be Heard- Yoshidayamar・GROUP・The Institute of Art, Okutama・ISHIGE KENTA・FUJIKURA ASAKO・HOSOI MIYU・WATANABE SHIORI

This is an outdoor exhibition centered around the theme of "Cycles." Curated by Yoshidayamar and in collaboration with the architectural collective "GROUP," along with the contribution of collaborators from the Okutama Art Institute, the stage for the exhibition has been meticulously designed. Emerging contemporary artists will utilize both inorganic and organic materials, employing their unique artistic approaches to intricately craft "Biotope Circles" – places where the very essence of living beings can be sensed from their creations.

Supported by：Suzaki-Kanemaki Laboratory, Kanagawa University

"Consult the genius of the place in all; That tells the waters to rise, or fall; Or helps th’ ambitious hill the heav’ns to scale, Or scoops in circling theatres the vale; Calls in the country, catches opening glades, Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades, Now breaks, or now directs, th’ intending lines; Paints as you plant, and, as you work, designs."
-Alexander Pope

The soil packed inside the containers is collected from this landfill area. The scattered herbaceous plants are the result of countless seeds that naturally existed in the soil, which germinated and sprouted due to sunlight entering through the polycarbonate windows. Moisture circulates within the container through absorption, evaporation, and transpiration, moving through the air, stems, and soil.
If you were to acquire this artwork, I hope you'd load it onto a large container ship and transport it to a free port somewhere in the world for storage. The intermodal garden exists within the realm of logistics, nurturing life from reclaimed soil.
The artificial system becomes natural in relation to the wild, creating a garden that evolves over the years or with each changing season, continually moving and changing form.

The Tire Tracker is a collection-based project that gathers information about tires on their way to achieving 'Fulfillment.' In logistic terms, 'Fulfillment' primarily refers to all aspects of operations from order reception to settlement.
In this project, focusing on the theme of achieving 'Fulfillment,' attention is directed towards tires that have been removed from cars and are found in corners of fields, parking lots, residential premises, and gardens. This artwork combines an Information Center that seeks information about such tires and a 3D visual artwork composed of the collected tires, creating a multi-faceted installation piece.
Logistics continually aims for 'Fulfillment,' but from the perspective of achieving 'Fulfillment,' there's no awareness of its own state. Amid this one-way communication, the artwork points out the journey towards achieving 'Fulfillment.' The Tire Tracker is conscious of the subtle anticipation embodied by the tires in transit and aims to record and convey whether 'Fulfillment' truly exists.

In the past, people used to peer through "peepholes" in devices known as "Raree show" boxes or "nozoki karakuri" in Japan. By doing so, they imagined a different world, unrelated to their current surroundings. They looked through small openings in these boxes and imagined vast worlds beyond. As time passed, we became captivated by these small glowing boxes, allowing us to observe the everyday world through them. Other people's experiences became our own, and as we battled déjà vu, we eventually discovered a visual utopia within our minds. From modern containers that have journeyed the world, Miyu Hosoi now create the "Raree Show," an institution that encourages us to listen to the world once again.

The notion of objects moving implies the simultaneous vast migration of billions of microorganisms and creatures that inhabit those objects. At ports, which serve as hubs of logistics, ships, containers, and even humans act as intermediaries for various organisms to clandestinely interact. Since modern times, vehicles have been symbolic of human mobility. This artwork attempts to manifest functionalities beyond vehicles by opening them up more than humans.

Participating Artists (In Japanese syllabary order):
Natsumi Akaike, Takaaki Akaishi, Fumiaki Akahane, Ko Kamo, Takashi Sakurai, Masahiro Satsuka, Kentaro Shimoyama, Tomohiro Nagahata, Kanta Matsuo, Masashi Mikuma, Goro Murayama, Atsushi Yamamoto, Masahiro Wada,