A Day When Fractures Melted

ink, oil based paints on paper

2018 - 2021

These works, created by turning the cracked screens of smartphones into prints, are based on their resemblance to the “Minakata Mandala” and “Futomani.” The “Minakata Mandala” is a schematic representation of how the world is structured, attributed to Minakata Kumagusu, a Japanese folklorist, naturalist, and slime mold researcher. Meanwhile, “Futomani” is an ancient Japanese divination practice in which a deer’s scapula is burned, and the resulting cracks are interpreted to predict the future. I was captivated by the romance of a mandala and prophecy suddenly appearing on a symbol of modern technology. This is an attempt to capture that spirituality by transforming the cracked screen into prints.

　割れたスマートフォンの画面から「南方曼荼羅」と「太占」を類推した。「南方曼荼羅」は日本の民俗学者、博物学者、粘菌学者として知られる南方熊楠が、この世界の有り様を図式化したものとされている。また「太占」は古代日本で行われた鹿の肩甲骨を焼き、そこに生じたヒビで未来をみる占いである。現代のテクノロジーの象徴に突如現れる曼荼羅と予言。そこにロマンを感じ、画面を拓本にすることでその霊性を写し取ろうという試みである。