Repairing Earthquake Project – Second Phase

The Repairing Earthquake project is an art project dealing with the extensive natural disaster called the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, which took place in Japan in March 2011. I undertook the attempt of finding things at the disaster area that had been destroyed in the tsunami and repairing them in the temporary studios in Yokohama(2011) and Mito(2012). Taking this as a starting point, the project has been evolving slowly towards such subjects as: management of the objects after repair, the tsunami debris which has washed ashore on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the marine debris problem in general.

While interacting with all sorts of people through the action of collecting and repairing, I faced the mind-stopping wonder of nature, and the people who have had personal experience of this trial. I would like to preserve the findings as raw as possible but clean, without adding any creativity of my own. It is like making a frame around it. A shard or a crack makes us relive or imagine the memory of the disaster. It reminds us of the day we saw the news and the numerous sad consequences. On the other hand, a countless number of important things became clear because of the disaster. Through the project I would like to create opportunities to mull over any matters related to the disaster, so that it will remain unforgotten for a little longer.

For the First and Second phase, I publicly performed the work of repairing the collected items inside the studios which were in the exhibitions. The Third phase was research for the Fifth phase, on the subject of the Tsunami Marine Debris. I would like to find and repair the debris which has traveled to the other side of the Pacific Ocean after being washed away by the tsunami in 2011. I am planning to work on this subject in Victoria in Canada in 2016.

The Fourth phase is ongoing. I have been making a wooden case for each repaired object, so that it can be stored and transferred easily. Together with the agreement stating, “the object should be sent back to the owners in case somebody appears and requests it”, I am giving the objects to people who have been supporting the project.

Text: Nishiko, Yuu Takehisa (Contemporary Art Center, Art Tower Mito), Dyveke Rood
Photography: Nishiko, Yuhki Yamamoto
Translation: Roxane van Beek, Nishiko
Graphic Design: Ayumi Higuchi, Nishiko
Proofreading: Eri Iwata, Nao Sugaya (JP), Rachel Bacon, Roxane van Beek (EN)