The Ultimate Eco-Friendly? | 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa

I would like to introduce a special piece
that left a lasting impression on me after visiting an art exhibition. Together with you all, I want to freely and joyfully savor an 'Art Dinner'.

This time, it is SUPERFLEX's "Fermentation" which I encountered at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa's "Collection Exhibition 1".

This work is

1 Water collected by dehumidifiers installed in the venue (such as the breath and humidity from visitors) is used with tea leaves and kombucha cultures to produce a fermented beverage (kombucha) and stored.

2 Using that fermented beverage, copy paper used at the museum is dyed and dried within the building.

3 The paper is used by its new owner, and the moisture evaporated during the drying process is returned to the air.

It is something that creates a cycle like this.

It is said to be "something that gives form to the 21st Century Museum's practice of how to build relationships with local people through art."

When I was looking around, a female guide kindly explained it to me.

While she was explaining, perhaps she found my blank expression funny halfway through,

"Geez, what are we doing, it makes you laugh, doesn't it?",

and we both ended up laughing.

It's wonderful to have a work that sparks communication like this.

Extracting tea with water collected by a dehumidifier to dye paper.
An infinite loop of water.

For someone like me who assumes that water is something you get from rivers and lakes, I would never have thought of such a thing.

The breath I exhale and my sweat (moisture) are also incorporated into the artwork.
I felt like I was contributing to a cycle, which was fun.

What is the use of art?

It is often thought that way, but it is something that provides us with such new realizations.

When drying laundry indoors during the rainy season, I sometimes use a dehumidifier, and a significant amount of water collects.
I am surprised, thinking, 'Huh? Is there this much moisture in the air!?' but I only use it to water plants.

Actually, the water produced in this way might be an incredibly important resource.

I was thoroughly impressed while enjoying the artist's ideas.
It was a work that leads to inspiration.

How did you all feel about it?
Let's experience wonderful works together again.