Probable Perspective

This public work was created for three junior high schools in Takahagi, Ibaraki. Using ten-centimeter-wide belts, I connected everyday spaces such as playgrounds, classrooms, swimming pools, courtyards, rooftops, and corridors. By linking these areas, the belts formed three-dimensional figures that cut across the boundaries of school architecture and daily routines. 

The first hurdle in the process of making an exhibition is the budget. An artist has to learn to enjoy negotiating the budget, but it’s also the artist’s duty to work with the budget and space provided by the organizer (while keeping safety concerns in mind). At times like this, I always want to ask the museum staff in charge of the exhibition, “Have you used a string telephone lately?”

Before I submit a plan, I always ask myself if my work is more interesting than a string phone. A string telephone carries the voices or sounds between persons in distant locations through a string. While it is amazing to hear sounds through a string telephone, the rumbling sound also makes us imagine the situation tens or hundreds of meters away on the other side of the telephone line. We are connected simply by a thin string. I cannot think of any other form of play that stirs up our imagination so much. We can make it simply by using paper cups and an ordinary string.

For children who don’t use cell phones, just hearing the voice of someone at a distance is an overwhelming and exciting experience. Even as an adult, I still find a string telephone more fascinating than any artwork. A string telephone strikes the winning balance between production costs, quality, and safety. I have so much fun just thinking about my fascination with string telephones.

As an artist, I have opportunities to go to far-flung areas for site visits, research, and meetings with high-ranking officials. A person in a high position like a director would ask me, “Can you do something?” As soon as I answer, “Yes, I believe so,” they would ask me to submit a plan and time would fly by. I had so much fun making this work, Probable Perspective, with which I felt that my work achieved for the first time the quality of a string telephone. Anyone can do it anytime and anywhere. It can be removed quickly and it doesn’t cost anything. I can do it again tomorrow.

Expecting Spectators →