Between Feb. 8 (Mon) and Feb. 14 (Sun), the Hybrid Art Assignment Class Team held an LED Light Art Exhibition, “The Ark in the Woods Art Project: Woods, Light, Water”, in Mishima-machi, Kawai district in the Oku-Aizu region of Fukushima prefecture.
The project is a continuation from last year, and the goal is to artistically visualize and show the world the subject of turning natural energy into electricity, an issue that Japan is dealing with, by employing art and leading-edge technology, and to make a beautiful presentation in Mishima-machi, which is a district with abundant forests and mountains.
The electricity for the exhibition is entirely powered by natural energy generated by micro hydro-power and by stove thermoelectric generators developed in collaboration with an NPO.
This year, also on display were works of light art with mechanical support from Color Kinetics Japan Inc. and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
In preparation for the exhibition, we stayed over night in the area, in November and December of 2015, to conduct surveys of the locality. Since the local people showed us their folk art and farming tools, introduced us to the local history and landscape, we became familiar with the culture of Mishima-machi and were able to incorporate some of the elements in our artwork. Light art in snow country was a first time experience for the participating students, and as they worked through trial-and-error and with the generous support of the local residents and public officials of Mishima-machi, a wonderful exhibition was once again created this year.
A beautiful zone unfolded in Mishima-machi with its natural riches and warmth and light art all in harmony.
(Bekki, 4th Year at School of Art & Design)