Kagekiyodo consists of two audio installations. Exhibited in the Aulagalleria of Kunsthalle Turku, the piece introduces sounds and tangible clues of a space in the Akiyoshidai Quasi-National Park in Japan. The exhibition is an experiment of transporting aspatial experience from a dark cave thousands of miles away into a gallery space and how hearing and touching allows the space to take shape.
About 300 million years ago, Akiyoshidai was part of a coral reef. The karst formations in the area are the result of rainwater eroding limestone over a long period of time. The Akiyoshidai region features more than 400 limestone caves formed by groundwater, one of the largest of which is called Kagekiyodo. The caves are completely dark, and visitors are only able to sense the space through their sense of hearing and touch.
The pieces in the exhibition are called Tuntu(ma)and Pimeän ääni. Pimeän ääni (‘sound of the dark’) is a journey through the cave, recorded with binaural microphones. The piece was realised in cooperation with inhabitants of the Akiyoshidai region. Tuntu(ma)(‘feel(ing)’) is an interactive piece combining ceramics and audio. The ceramic parts of the piece are reproductions of the wall surfaces in the cave that have been eroded by water. The piece studies the onomatopoeic nature of language and proposes momentary togetherness with our surroundings through touch and sounds resonating in the body.
Helsinki-based artist Mari Mäkiö currently focuses on audio and installations in her work. Working in various groups and communities is an integral part of Mäkiö’s artistic process, and she is interested in various translations between the visual world, language and sound.
The production of the piece has been supported by the Akiyoshidai International Art Village and the Promotion Center for Audiovisual Culture AVEK / Production Consultant Tuuli Penttinen-Lampisuo. The exhibition has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Audio for the Tuntu(ma) piece produced by voice artist Miyuki Inoue, sound design by Saku Kämäräinen and technological implementation by Ikahu Media Art / Marko Tandefelt and Pasi Rauhala.
