Sea Birth: part one

2017

Curation and photographs by Haruka Iharada

This artwork starts with a search for spirits in the turbulent sea on the Pacific side of Okinawa. Amidst the background of war and occupation countless people have died in the sea. What lies beneath the surface of the saltwater in this historically significant port for trade between the Ryūkyū Kingdom and other Pacific nations? Despite many efforts to erase the past from memory, sea spirits are resilient thanks to work of generations of shamanesses. The story of Sea Birth begins with a wood fragment of an unidentified shipwreck in the coral near Minami Ukibaru Island. A reimagined map of the sea in between this island and others has been painted for this exhibit. Rituals enacted based on spirits of the sea are presented in a video installation. In reflecting imaginatively on these fragments, the potential for a new life born in the sea is opened.


Sea Birth: part one

2017
Digital video
17’55”

Sea Birth: part one

1876
Relic of a shipwreck

Spirits of Nakagusuku

2017
Handmade walnut ink on paper
76 x 56 cm

Sea Birth: part one

2017
Digital video
17’55”

Sea Birth: part one

2017
Relic of a shipwreck, digital video and handmade walnut ink on paper

Sea Birth: part one

2017
Digital video
17’55”

Sea Birth (trailer)

Triptych
2017-2020

Camera: Soma Takahashi
Music: Takeshi Ishihara
Trailer: Yi Qian Chan