死無

lined up SIMcards

29.7 × 42 (cm)

2018

 In Japanese, there are many examples where the same sound is applied to words with the same meaning. For example, “bridge” and “chopsticks” are seemingly different things but they have the same meaning as “pass something across" so both are pronounced “HASHI” in Japanese. There are limitless examples of them. 

  I changed the way of reading “SIM” which enables communication by inserting it into a mobile phone to “死無”. “死無” has the same pronunciation as “SIM” and it means “There is no death”. It leads to the spirit of Buddhism. I tried to find an Oriental religious spirit in Occidental science by lining up the cards to the shape of the Buddhist flag and the Bodhisattva and etc.

「渡すもの」という意味が同一の「橋」と「箸」。「隔てるもの」という意味の「川」と「皮」。

同一の精神により、同じ（または似た）発音をする日本語の例を挙げればきりがありません。

私は、携帯電話に挿入することで通信を可能にしている「SIM」を「死無」と読み替えました。「死無カード」を、仏旗や菩薩の形にならべることで、西洋科学の中に、東洋的な精神を見出そうと試みました。