ART LIVES TORIDE Where Art Is Born

Iusually make documentary films on geological motifs such as volcanoes, active faults, and deltas. In recent years, while creating documents, I have also been exploring ways to present documents in virtual spaces. I am collecting and arranging documents not only as a result of my fieldwork, but also to focus on future fieldwork.

Toride is the main department of Inter Media Art at Tokyo University of the Arts, where I lived during my undergraduate years. The vast Tone River system is a fascinating location for the practical study of filmmaking, and not only visually appealing, but its profound historical and geographical context has also sparked interest in moving from fiction filmmaking to documentary.

I usually take on video editing jobs and use the technical knowledge I gain from these jobs to create my own productions. However, it is rare that my production knowledge gives insight into the commercial realm. It is a one-way.Yet, by doing so, I am exposed to current trends that I am rarely exposed to in myown productions, so it gives me the possibility of new inspirations to my own productions as well.

Starting point of my practice is several factors, including my interest in natural and energy sciences, the distinctive layers of that interest, and my own limitations in ability, therefore I am concerned with earthwork, which has the interface between natural science and art. Above all, the difference in quality between hands-on earthwork and the video images that can be converted into information and distributed is profound, so my creation begins when I am surprised and sometimes disturbed by this abyss.
Some of this difference is filled in as the technology becomes newer and more sophisticated, while other aspects become more extensive. I am always willing to confront these differences.

The images I produce sometimes indicate anxiety and danger. However, I focus on the feelings of anxiety, frustration, or even fatigue that occur simultaneously with a sense ofI anticipation toward a certain object, so that I reflect on providing feedback to the creators and viewers in a safer way.　

I believe that production and social events are adjoining each other.
When a certain technology is developed, there is a corresponding risk. I consider that the field of production is a place to look at both sides of this issue and take a certain critical attitude. In addition, I also believe that for me, both the positive and negative aspects of the subject matter lead to an opportunity to learn more about things more broadly.

In terms of targeting dangers inherent in society, the occurrence of the spread of the virus was truly a remarkable instance. However, I previously used images, a visually dominant medium, so I have been paying little attention to objects that are literally small and invisible.

Since the global spread of the novel coronavirus, I think that has allowed me to take notice of a rare sense that crosses the line between familiarity and estrangement for myself as anxiety about the air itself. Although the theme for me remained the same, the quality of images I use has dramatically changed since it befell me that the dangerous occurrence came from far away to near at hand.

Both domestically and internationally, I would like to document and photograph various exhibitions and workshops, and also participate in exhibitions using video mages. Moreover, I hope to get involved through art by participating in future projects, such as new movements at Geidai and Ino Danchi, or contact with the Tone River system.