Scenery seen from a cut branch

This is a view from the perspective of a fallen twig. The twig is also attached to the work. I draw on the black sandpaper with its branches and leaves, just like chalk on a blackboard. In Japanese, the word ‘doku wo koninu’ means ‘to work hard’. The little branches and leaves literally dust themselves off and paint the world around them from their own perspective, in their own colours. Both its point of view and that moment in time around it are unique. A twig falling on the road looks like a worthless object. But that standard of value is only for humans. We humans are part of nature, but we tend to forget that.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

　It was created for the Chuo Line Art Festival held in Tokyo in the fall of 2024 and exhibited at the “Space Sharing Program.”

I draw by rubbing branches and leaves directly onto black sandpaper. It is drawn by scraping branches and leaves and adhering to the surface of sandpaper. The landscape was drawn using the green color of the leaves, the brown color of the bark, and the white color of the branches. Since it is drawn with natural materials, there is a possibility that the color will fade due to ultraviolet rays. Since the ground is sandpaper, it is a work that makes it difficult to remove dust and dirt. We recommend casing or framing with UV cut acrylic.

The location is in a suburb of Tokyo. There is a large shopping centre next to the station, with trees planted in places. An apartment block can be seen to the side. This landscape was seen from a fallen twig. Even a familiar place looks different from another perspective. People also have diverse perspectives, diverse situations and diverse personalities. Such differences give rise to diverse judgements. Both the surroundings and yourself are constantly changing and changing day by day.

　I think we should think about society, including people in hospital beds who can't communicate with each other and fetuses in the mother's womb. People in hospital beds have a tremendous impact on families, and fetuses grow while being greatly influenced by their surroundings. If you think of society as a place where only a small number of people called members of society live, many social problems cannot be solved.

　Let's say there are people who are withdrawn and think they are being held back by society or are isolated from society. Even if you think that you have nothing to do with society, there is a current society, including the influence that person has on their surroundings and their thoughts, and the future will be created from there. Japan's aging population has progressed, and non-regular employment has increased. In Japan today, I think there are many people who think they are not at the center of society but in the periphery.

　When thinking about things, if you put people at the center, you will be thinking mainly about value judgments made by people. If you stay in the human world for a long time, there are many cases where your worth is not recognized. We are part of nature. In the face of the fury of nature, we are only small and ephemeral beings. How small are the values of the human world in the natural world. Being aware that you are part of nature and breaking away from a human-centered way of thinking may lead to a path of living with nature without being swayed by the values of the human world.

about 15 days

About donations: A portion of sales from this work will be donated by the author to charitable causes.

About reselling: If you resell this work, please donate 10% of the profits to charity.