Water gives Ichi Ikeda inspiration<\/p>\n
Asip A. Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Water is the most valuable natural resource on earth needed by
\nhumans in their daily lives. A scarcity of clean water would
\ncause great suffering, but only a few people in this country have
\nany concern for water conservation.<\/p>\n
Japanese contemporary artist Ichi Ikeda, however is very
\nserious about the issue. He consistently uses and explores water
\nto create art that is strongly connected to global environmental
\nproblems, particularly water conservation.<\/p>\n
Ikeda's work Through Arcing Ark to Asian Water\/Art Channel,
\nwhich is being displayed at the Cemeti Art House from May 10 to
\nMay 30, reflects his deep concern about water.<\/p>\n
Three bamboo boats hung from the gallery's ceiling are the
\ncenter of his unique piece. Each end of the three boats is
\nconnected to each other using transparent tubes through which
\nwater can flow from one boat to another.<\/p>\n
The three boats' chain -- beginning from a higher boat hung in
\nthe corner of the room and ending in the mouth of the well of the
\ngallery -- symbolizes the water cycle. In Ikeda's imagination,
\nthe three boats float in three rivers in Yogyakarta, the Progo,
\nthe Code and the Winongo.<\/p>\n
"We need water just like the boats need the rivers," Ikeda
\nsays. "Whether the rivers here will be polluted or not in the
\nfuture depends on all of us."<\/p>\n
Ikeda's ideas about water are a common theme in his art.
\nHowever, his long-time dedication to water conservation efforts
\nas well as his consistence in creating art can raise
\nconsciousness of the masses on the importance of clean water.<\/p>\n
Attached on the wall of the exhibition room are photographs of
\nwhat he calls water senders, pictures of dozens of people taking
\nwater with the palms of their hands, people's faces washed with
\nwater and people's feet washed with water.<\/p>\n
"Be water senders, sending water to all people living in the
\nfuture regardless of cultural, national or religious differences
\nand disagreements," Ikeda exhorts.<\/p>\n
The exhibition is, in fact, a continuation (extension) of his
\nearlier work entitled Arcing Ark, which was created between 1997
\nand 1999 in some Asian countries which included indoor and
\noutdoor exhibitions.<\/p>\n
Feeling guilty for being a part of the first group of students
\nto join research in high polymer chemistry in early 1960s -- when
\nhe was student at Japan's Kyoto University where he obtained a
\nbachelor's degree -- the 58-year-old Ikeda became a "green"
\nactivist.<\/p>\n
"The high polymer industry produces such materials as
\nstyrofoam and nylon that pollute the environment," he said.<\/p>\n
Ikeda has been involved in art since the mid 1960s becoming a
\nplaywright and an art director with a theater group. Years before
\nhis Arcing Ark project, he had been keenly interested in water as
\nthe subject of his art.<\/p>\n
His artwork and thoughts are like a science-fiction story. The
\nengineer-cum-artist becomes "water admirer" not only because of
\nwater's real meaning to people's daily life but also because of
\nits unpredictability or its uncontrollable state.<\/p>\n
"We can create a sculpture from solid material but we can't
\ncreate it using water," he simply says.<\/p>\n
He believes that water is the basic unit of Eastern
\ncivilization as opposed to the Western base of land.<\/p>\n
He compares all of Western civilization to "Stonehenge", a
\nstructure of stones arranged systematically and symmetrically.
\nWherein the absence one stone in the structure would cause the
\ncollapse of the whole structure.<\/p>\n
"Waterhenge" is the term he uses to describe Eastern
\ncivilization which does not have a systematic structure, yet, it
\nhe claims the power of water cannot really be controlled by
\nothers or outsiders.<\/p>\n
"And since the Industrial Revolution, culture in the modern
\nage land-based civilization (The Occidental world) seems to have
\noverwhelmed the water-based civilization (Asia). However, the
\n21st century will be the 'Water Era'in which the East will ask
\nfor a restoration of the water-based civilization which
\noriginates from Southeast Asia and spreads to form a water front
\nall over Asia," he said.<\/p>\n
He said that establishing an art network in Asia can be a
\nbeginning to extending the water-based network wider aimed at
\nsaving the future with regard to the adequacy of clean water.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/water-gives-ichi-ikeda-inspiration-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}