Art workInstallationInteractiveKinetic
The Room of the Sun and Moon
2020 ~
00:07:36
One of the interactive artworks created around the theme of engaging with nature and expanding physicality, housed in the “Museum of Inhospitable Nature and Human,” established in Bungotakada City, Oita Prefecture.
This work is conceived as a room where visitors can play with sunlight. As visitors walk through the room, the small openings in the ceiling automatically open and close, enveloping their bodies in light, while the patches of sunlight on the floor constantly change shape, like the waxing and waning of the moon, in response to the opening and closing of those openings. The viewer’s position is detected by sensors, and only the small openings on the side facing the sun are activated. In addition, the interior is adjusted by analyzing weather data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, so that the most suitable effect is produced at any given moment: on sunny days, mist fills the room and shafts of light can be seen streaming down to the floor. Moreover, piano notes sound when the small openings open, and a piano piece is performed as visitors walk through the room.
In this work, the technology is not directly presented; instead, it is used solely to capture sunlight and deliver it directly onto the viewer’s skin, allowing them to feel nature. Rather than artificial light, natural light is delivered to the viewer, evoking not only sight but also the warmth that light holds, and designed to sharpen the senses and awareness of those who experience it.
