The cock
2019
Production cooperation: Kanazawa Sawako
This work was exhibited at the "Rokko Meets Art Art Walk 2019" held annually on Mount Rokko.
In the northwest region of Mount Rokko, there is a legend that Empress Jingu buried a golden chicken. This golden chicken was forbidden to be excavated unless the village was in decline. I created the chicken by assembling golden petals made from the modern material of plastic. The strong presence of the golden chicken, gazing out from the center of the pond, contrasts with the reality that the legend is now as fleeting as a petal. The work expresses these two aspects. During the art festival, visitors were also taken on a boat tour that conveyed the rise and fall of the pond and the history of the mountain, creating an opportunity to experience the history and time inherent in the place.
"The cock" was made for Rokko Meets Art 2019.
The Rokko mountain, where the place of "Rokko Meets Art", has a legend that the gold cock was buried and we can dig it up only when the disaster happens. This work was inspired by its story.
A large quantity of gold plastic flowers, cut and folded by my hands, express our primitive fear of traditions or legends − like a lot of tide omikuji (fortune) in Japanese Shinto shrine. On the other hand, the imperfection of abstract sculptures on the water surface are the metaphor of what our emotion to traditions, legends or mythologies we are forgetting in urban cities.
Photo by TOSHIYUKI HIRAMATSU
By viewing the works with commentary from the artist, you can learn about the history of the works and the exhibition location while also enjoying the view of the pond.
Workshop "Let's enjoy the artworks from a small boat"
The cock at Taiko-no-yu
2019
Photo by TOSHIYUKI HIRAMATSU
Research
