LIFE (complex system) – No.7, Tatsuo Miyajima, 2016, L.E.D., IC, microcomputer by Ikegami program, electric wire, passive sensor, plexiglass, aluminum honeycomb panel, stainless steel frame, 1274 x 1754 × 130 mm

The solo exhibition “LIFE (complex system)” by Tatsuo Miyajima will be held at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE until 22 April. Miyajima’s new series ‘Life (Complex System)’ consists of “IKEGAMI Model” digital counters neatly positioned on an electronic circuit board, and housed in a stainless steel case.

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These counter agents glow gently and are connected with coloured electronic wires resembling fine blood vessels, evoking the image of artificial life generating breath in a laboratory incubator. Manifesting individual characters as they flash in the three primary colours of light, the diodes’ luminosity eventually fades into a moment of darkness replacing zero. This darkness suggests death – though only momentarily – and light reemerges to count again following the Buddhist belief in reincarnation. The semi-permanent life of LED technology evokes an eternal time flow, unifying the mystery of life, scientific theories, and religious doctrines.

Last year, Miyajima presented a light installation Time Waterfall (2016), spanning the entire façade of Hong Kong’s iconic 490-meter-high International Commerce Centre (ICC) building. Named after this installation, ‘Time Waterfall’ (2017) is a projected sequence of the numerical digits on a 3-meter-high LED panel, with digits of various sizes cascading at different speeds. It stresses how time is irreversible, and breeds an ethos of “living in the present”.

Alongside the exhibition at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE, a solo show “Counter Drawing” by Tatsuo Miyajima will be held at CAPSULE, Tokyo from 8 April to 21 May.

Tatsuo Miyajima “LIFE (complex system)”
Date: 3rd March – 22nd April, 2017
Open: 12:00 – 18:00 (Closed on Sunday and Monday)
Place: SCAI THE BATHHOUSE
Address: 6-1-23 Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 (0)3 3821 1144
http://www.scaithebathhouse.com