[spectre] Exhibition&Discussion "Possible Water" July 7-21 @ Goethe Institut Tokyo

[yukiko shikata]

Exhibition & Discussion
"Possible Water"

July 7 (sat) - 21 (sat)
@ Goethe Institut Tokyo

Organizer: Goethe Institut Tokyo
Curator: Yukiko Shikata

http://www.goethe.de/ins/jp/tok/ver/de9480407v.htm
*in german/japanese

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“Possible Water” introduces 8 German and Japanese artists in various
generations and expressions who investigate the potential of “water”
for present and future societies in relation to science, technology,
environment, with critical and poetic perspectives. Over half of works
exhibited are produced after March 11, 2011,  to re-investigate the
relation of human, nature and technology directly/indirectly.

Artists: Agnes Meyer-Brandis, Ekkeland Götze, Kenshu Shintsubo, BCL
(Shiho Fukuhara + Georg Tremmel),  Ryo Hirano, Michael Saup, Rolf
Julius, Sakumi Hagiwara (only for screening)


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EVENTS on July 7, the first day of the exhibition (and the day of
TANABATA, that people send wishes to the sky by writing on papers)

1) Discussion  "Possible Water"
July 7 (sat) 15:00-17:00 Shinichi Tsuji (Antholopologist) and artists
(moderated by Yukiko Shikata)
*admission free, with German/Japanese translation


2) "Water Planet Festival"
July 7 (sat) 17:00-19:00 Live (Katsumi Nonaka with Indian Flute,
Michael Saup with Saz Baglama), TANABATA bamboo trees with people's
wishe to write on a strip of paper and hang on tree, and opening
party..!!
*admission free


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Screenings:

July 13 (fri) 19:00-
July 21 (sat) 14:00-
Screening works of: Agnes Meyer-Brandis, Ryo Hirano, Michael Saup,
Sakumi Hagiwara
*the same program, admission free


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PDF of Possible Water flyer:
http://suns.1001suns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/120525FINAL_possiblewater-3-6-72dpi.pdf


Yukiko Shikata

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*FYI: preliminary text (unofficial, in starting phase) on Possible Water;


The Earth is a miraculous planet with water affording various kinds of
living creatures. Water is the origin of all creatures and it
circulates all over the planet by transforming between gaseous, liquid
and solid states – in a vast scale of time, as the whole amount of
water stays with the same. In the age of digital technology,
environmental satellites visualize the weather and medical instruments
visualize the circulation inside the body. We are in the phase of
rediscovering the role of water from the inside and the outside, from
the micro- to the macro-scale.

In the 20th century, vast amount of water spent by humans caused
environmental destruction. The self-cleansing action of water is
especially hurt by chemical and radioactive pollution that would stay
for incredibly long periods. And there is a gap in the world on water
supply, with a lot of people being suffering by the lack of access to
safe water. Water is fundamental and common to all creatures on Earth,
and humans are the only ones who consciously can keep it clean.

Japan is one of the few countries with abundant water, but at the same
time also threatened by constant Typhoon and Tsunami disasters.
Historically Japanese people raised their society and culture based on
the flow-based nature. On March 11th, 2011, the country was hit by
incredibly strong earthquake and the following tsunami caused the
nuclear plant accident at Fukushima Daiichi, resulting in the release
of contaminated water to the sea, which became a serious worldwide
problem. In Germany, the environmental activities since the later1960s
made the country one of the leading countries for recycling and post
nuclear energy. Both countries, at　the same time, share the global
tendency to regard the water as an urgent global issue and an
important source beyond difference of social background and consensus.

Not all “Water” is visible; rather most of it is invisible. There is
water inside of trees and living creatures, being kept deep
underground for long duration, or move very slowly in thousand-year
cycles. The water is flowing, circulating, but its substantial nature
of being a “commons” is not fully discovered. In the 21st century, it
becomes more and more urgent for us to seek and discover the potential
of water beyond human-centered perspectives. This exhibition makes us
face the new potential of water by introducing works that sensitively
seek the aspects of “Possible Water”.