I’m in Sapporo this week exploring the 2014 Sapporo International Art Festival. The theme of this year’s city-wide art show is “Nature and City” and is curated by the great Ryuichi Sakamoto. I’m documenting a few of my favorite installations. The art festival runs from July 19 – September 28, 2014.
Located on the beautiful, sprawling grounds of the Museum of Contemporary Art Sapporo is wooden pathway that extends out of a sloping hill. Standing in front of it, one can’t help but feel like a prisoner about to walk a pirate’s plank. That’s because the path, designed by artist Ryo Yamada, is just wide enough for a single person to walk out on, and stretches outward about 25 feet only to end in mid-air.
But anyone brave enough to walk the plank out to the ledge is rewarded with a magical sensation of freedom, rather than imprisonment; a new vantage point given to those able to step off the normal path (but also maintain enough balance to keep from falling).
It’s an installation that celebrates passage that’s rooted in experience, rather than a physical path.
“This piece of art represents a wish we all have in common that is invisible: A passage that leads us closer to air, which is the symbol of equality and borderlessness.”
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