Shigeko HIRAKAWA
- Connected Air & Domesticated Water 2003

installationart_airbranche_2
Installation commissioned by the Herault Departmental Council in Montpellier, France. This temporary installation occupied an area of over 1000m2 between the castle and the main entrance to the grounds. The exhibition was organized by the Herault Department of Culture on the occasion of the Festival «Saperlipopette, Voilà Enfantillage», and took place from 8 to 18 May 2003.




 



 installationart_airbranche_1.jpg
In the grounds of Château d’O, in Montpellier, an installation entitled CONNECTED AIR & DOMESTICATED WATER 2003 occupies a large area of 1000 sq metres located between the main entrance and the castle. In order to breathe life into these protected surroundings, I specifically conceived an installation in situ composed of air and water, the two most essential elements on earth, both delicate and transient. I made the invisible become visible to the point where it is tangible and present amongst us.


airbranchchat
Château d'O in Montpellier
may 2003
   
airbranchebulle Transformation of Space

 

Connected Air 2003

1 sphere 500cm in diameter, 530cm high
(crystal-clear PVC, wood, turbine, air, electricity),
1 sphere 200cm in  diameter, 2 spheres 150cm in diamaeter (crystal-clear PVC, air, water, turbine)

 

Domesticated Water 2003
4 elements 180cm in diameter,
4 elements 150cm in diameter
(water, crystal-clear PVC, fluorescein, wood)
  airbrahchefille

airbranche_ed

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In the mirrored-pond, there are two small spheres. One, filled with air, is pushed by the wind and moves very rapidly on the surface of the water. The second, which is filled with air and water, is much heavier and more stable. The air inside the sphere is hot and helps the water to evaporate; its inner surface mists up completely. The quantity of water used may alter the appearance and behaviour of these two spheres.
 
 airbranched
 
 
  pondvert  
  the mirrored-pond
airbranchenfant pondbulle


CONNECTED AIR
In the garden, CONNECTED AIR, is a giant transparent sphere full of air measuring 530 cm high. The ventilation system linked to an electrical device blows air into the sphere which is what gives the impression it springs into life. Is CONNECTED AIR connected to an electrical device, to the human invention for artificial survival? The air is circulatory and interacting with the surrounding air, the planet, and our universe. CONNECTED AIR is a tiny bubble of air lost amidst the planets of our universe. It only represents our limited knowledge in relation to the vastness of reality. It is the representation of our world, from the infinitesimal to the infinitely great. In the mirrored-pond, there are two small spheres. One, filled with air, is pushed by the wind and moves very rapidly on the surface of the water. The second, which is filled with air and water, is much heavier and more stable. The air inside the sphere is hot and helps the water to evaporate; its inner surface mists up completely. The quantity of water used may alter the appearance and behaviour of these two spheres.

 

DOMESTICATED WATER 2003

I created eight giant drops of water scattered according to space, the distance between the drops and the pond which characterizes that idea of water. The water is retained in a crystal-clear plastic container and awaits to be coloured with a chemical pigment called fluorescein. This pigment is used by scientists to track the flow of underground water once the water has been dyed. This method of tracking the flow of water demonstrates the idea of anticipation and intention as opposed to nature and its natural cyclical phenomenon. Inside each of the crystal-clear plastic containers, there is a black circle which absorbs the light like a bottomless pit and gives an impression of darkness. Once fluorescein has come into contact with the black circle, the water changes into bright green.
(S.Hirakawa)
     
  airbrancheed  
  Connected Air 2003
1 sphere 500cm in diameter, 530cm high
(crystal-clear PVC, wood, turbine, air, electricity),
1 sphere 200cm in diameter, 2 spheres 150cm in diamaeter
(crystal-clear PVC, air, water)
 
     
  Domesticated Water 2003
4 elements 180cm in diameter and 4 elements 150cm in diameter
(water, crystal-clear PVC, fluorescein, wood)