Tatsuru Arai: Schauburg
Interview: Bettina Pelz. Published 15 SEP 2024.
Dear Tasuru _ we are quite happy that we will be able to work with you in the historic environment of the Schauburg, the local cinema with a history of more than 100 years. We will present your complex work “Face of the Universe”. Let me ask you some questions to look into the making of the work and its conceptual leitmotifs.
— What is interesting about joining a light and media art project in Gelsenkirchen?
I believe that this type of light festival will be an exhibition that is relatively open to the public. Unfortunately, I can only be involved in the preparations, but I hope that the viewers will enjoy it.
— Why did you agree to join this year’s GOLDSTÜCKE edition?
The director Bettina and her team were very honest in choosing the way and place I wanted to exhibit. This is my first time in Gelsenkirchen, so I hope many people will get to know my work.
— How does the context of Gelsenkirchen inform your piece?
The original concept of this work was to take photos of flowers in each city, I would have liked to do it in Gelsenkirchen if possible, but this time it is an existing work, I would be happy to have the opportunity to create a new work in Gelsenkirchen in the future.
— Can you walk us through your creative process for this piece, from initial ideas to the concept to the final execution?
The principle of our ecosystem was born from the nuclear fusion energy of the sun. At the beginning of the earth’s birth, atmosphere contained a lot of carbon dioxide and nitrogen and was high temperature. After that, over hundreds of millions of years, earth’s surface cooled, and the water vapor turned into rain and fell on the earth’s surface, forming the sea. About 4 billion years ago, plants were born in the sea. Long after that, our human civilization formed urban environments. There are several papers, through NASA’s observation that plants on Earth are increasing as plants that require carbon dioxide absorb carbon dioxide emitted by humans. Here we can find principles and tips for how urban city and ecosystems can coexist.
— How does this work relate to or depart from your broader artistic practice?
I created this piece “Face Of Universe” as part of the CIKE/EMAP Residency program in Kosice, in collaboration with Slovakien Arstist Boris Vaitovic.
“Face Of Universe” started at the ZERONE Festival in Seoul, and in 2023 exhibited at CIKE (Creative industry Kosice) as EMAP (European Media Art) Residency in Slovakia, ISEA 2023 in Paris a.o., MADATAC 2023 in Madrid, SHARE Festival in Turin etc.
In a similar projects like “Re-Solarization” and other collaborated performances were held SONICA Glasgow, LPM Muenster, JAPAN FEST in Kaunas. Also, in April 2023, video work performance “Face Of Universe” has been performed at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. In December 2023 “Re-solarization” will be performed at Philharmonic de Paris at NEMO Biennial in Paris.
— How do you approach creating art for public spaces? What unique challenges and opportunities does this present?
By projecting what are usually small flowers on a large screen, I hope to convey the history of the ecosystem behind them and that they are part of the universe.
— What kind of site did you choose for your work? How did you find it?
At CIKE/EMAP in Slovakia it was eight meters high and we are hoping that this time it will be similarly large.
— How does your artistic practice engage with light and media as mediums? What drew you to work with these elements?
My works are often implemented with LEDs and projectors. For us, the challenge is how to use technology. This is an attempt to express a sustainable world where humans do not conquer nature, nor do they bow down to nature, but reconcile and coexist with nature.
— What technologies are you employing in this work? How do they contribute to your artistic vision?
I am researching flowers in cities around the world and create works that make full use of technology A.I. I will exhibit as the perception of the universe and the history of our ecosystem.
In this project, I conducted a survey focusing on plant geopolitics, topography and ecosystems in the urban and rural areas of each city. I created works of art that make full use of technology and A.I. increase. I would like to create works that allow us to perceive part of the history of humans and cities, the universe and its ecosystems.
— Looking ahead, how do you see light and media art evolving in response to our changing world? What future directions excite you in this field?
The evolution of technology in the 21st century, especially the emergence of computers and AI, is opening up new possibilities for creation in the fields of art and beauty that exceed human capabilities. These technologies are positioned as part of the long history of the universe and the earth, and we live in it. True scientific development is about accepting technology, improving its negative aspects and contradictions, and having the power to create a world in which humans, the universe, and nature coexist. Based on this vision, human wisdom and technology must be fused together to create a world of universal beauty and science.
— In what ways does your work for this festival respond to or reflect on current times of tension, conflict, or crisis?
We are in the midst of war, energy crisis and inflation. Europe in particular created the causes of the energy crisis and inflation itself. The damage has reached many poor countries. What we should look at is how much we reflect on ourselves when we do something wrong. In this work, Face Of Universe, I created it with the hope of recalling the history of the Earth’s ecosystem once again.
— How do you balance aesthetic considerations, content focus, and societal engagement in creating public art during challenging times?
The reason I chose flowers as a theme is because I believe it transcends ideology, ethnicity, and religion.While acknowledging the values of democratic freedom, equality, and diversity, we must improve the contradictions of the industrial revolution and ecology through scientific advances and build a world in which we can coexist. Furthermore, for the Global South, we must offer a new worldview that transcends race, ethnicity, and religion by presenting Art created through technology and science that is not based on race, ethnicity, or religion, and aim for a world in which we can coexist.
— How do you hope viewers will interact with or experience your work? What do you want them to take away from it?
“Face of the Universe” is an attempt to express part of the principles of “the universe itself” and “nature itself” liberated from human sensibility. I imagine that the evolution of science and technology will create a world of universal “beauty” that transcends race and ethnicity. The 21st century will be an era in which “beauty” and “truth = science” will be integrated, and I hope we will transcend the long history of the Earth compared to the short history of humanity and create universal values common to all people.