Junko Saimaru

An Attempt at Symbolic Art: ‘Time Landscapes‘ Sculpture and its Practical Application

Junko Saimaru – Kagohara Elementary School, Japan – attending virtually

Abstract:

This research is a practical study of the experimental attempt at creating ‘landscape-like sculptures’ that the author started around 2018. Firstly, it discusses the evolution of the ‘Mono-ha’ movement that emerged in Japanese contemporary sculpture history around 1970, as well as its successors who chose the direction of inheritance and overcoming known as ‘Post-Mono-ha’. Important terms such as ‘symbol’, ‘observation’, ‘contemplation’, and ‘space’ are then defined. Following this, the author’s concept is presented as the extraction, disassembly, and reconstruction of the appearance and structure of phenomena as if standing in front of a landscape, within the relationship between materials and space. The theoretical framework supporting this attempt is also discussed, drawing on theories such as Sumio Hamada’s idea that human perceptual phenomena are always segmented into a figure that consciousness is directed towards and the background behind it, as well as Husserl’s theory of inner time consciousness. Based on these theories, the research describes the actual thought expression process of the creative process and analyses the transformation during the creation process through the interplay of ‘bodily experience’ and ‘language’. Topics covered range from the attempt at symbolic sculpture referred to as ‘time landscapes’ through the suggestion of ‘blank space’.