About the artwork

In the mountain town of Matsunoyama, two small communities, Kotani and Mizunashi, flack opposite sides of a hill. The sculptural installation, Storehouse of Names, references both this juncture of the two communities, and a kura ― a storehouse for rice. Sited across the field near the forested boundary, the installation’s form suggests a gathering place. Two openings offer entry within, aligned with the entrance to the field. Hundreds of small ceramic bowls form the walls, their size and shape similar to a rice bowl that is cupped in one’s hands. I gave workshiops in Matsunoyama to produce the bowls. Local residents and volunteer students engrave each bowl they made with their own name or one of a family member. The bowls are deposited in the structure, with the names turned to face the interior: an archive of the two communities, a storehouse of names.