Nature Study: MIST
Exploring perspectives and expressions that encourage us to have an empathy with nature
Manufacturing methods lead to the destruction of nature, while consumption trends accelerate it further. Alarmed by this current situation, we are seeing various initiatives being promoted around the world. Without being restricted to a one-size-fits-all perspective on environmental protection, we+ is reassessing the relationship between nature, the social environment and human beings, then exploring the possibilities for designs that build a close coexisting relationship.
One such initiative is “Nature Study”, a research project that aims to encourage empathy with nature by studying humanity’s history of living alongside it and utilizing nature-derived materials and phenomena. Through historical analysis and fieldwork, the project examines the relationship between nature and people while repeatedly experimenting with natural phenomena and materials. These experiments are then elevated into methods for creating products and elements of installations, proposing new ways of thinking about and interacting with the material world.
“The Nature Study: Mist” exhibition comprises five sections on the theme of mist.
- Language and Literature
- Fieldwork and Experimentation
- Inspiration
- Prototyping
- Installation – Waft
Project Details
- Year
- 2022
- Category
- Venue
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- nomena gallery Asakusa [Tokyo]
- Photo
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- Masayuki Hayashi
Installation
Waft - the installation that make the behaviour of mist more perceptible
Waft recreates the behaviour of mist in a certain space to make this part of nature more perceptible. People have lived with nature since ancient times. In Japan, with its abundant nature, there are countless words for mist, including usugiri (light mist), kawagiri (river mist), yugiri (evening mist), moya (mist) and kasumi (haze). The delicacy and empathy with nature is apparent in haikus, calligraphies and paintings, as well as in seasonal events. However, in modern life, where convenience and rationality are sought, mist tends to be seen as a mere change in weather that obstructs the view, and the sense of nostalgia and tenderness for it are disappearing. Gazing at flickering mist in a frame, just as we do with a painting, or observing it swirling in a circular window and touching it from time to time: these experiences offer opportunities to awaken people’s innate sensitivity to nature and to reconnect with it.
Process
