The title of the work comes fromthe Greek word for home, which is the root for words such as eco-logy and eco-nomy. The project took place in the Urada community, in a 100+ yer old house, and visualises the house as an ecology of inner and outer energy flows. The primal material of wood, and the cosmology of the tree/forest are the source of these energy flows. Oikos was a lyrical response to a dwelling and community shaped by and in turn shaping the surrounding mountain forest landscape.
The work used found materials (long poles used to reduce the pressure on the house of the 5m + snowfall each winter) in an intervention which harmonises with the elemental material of the house (wood) and its skilled, archaic construction. At the same time a tension and counterpoint to its orthogonal, architectural structure is manifest by the radial composition. The poles radiate, creating a vector like composition “exploding” outwards and upwards from the nexus of the disused hearth, the iroiri, the focal point for energy exchange, sustenance and heating of the dwelling in former times. Some of the poles transect the walls of the house and appear to be “spearing” the house, or perhaps returning to their source, and connecting interior and exterior. The poles were painted white to contrast with the soot covered, carbon dense and blackened space, and also suggested floating weightlessness, spirit, bones, death, snow, and space.
In addition to the pole-construction a miniature “dead forest” was installed consisting of chop-stick “stems” and charcoal pieces found in the house (used as heating and cooking fuel when the house was inhabitated - and produced from Nigaata wood)> the whole whole project was informed by the interconnection between domestic activity and the environment beyond
The ecology of the house, the community and its surrounding area are largely centred on the metaphysics and energy exchanges of forest, plant growth and the element of wood. The work addressed the spatial, ecological and material complexity and ambience of the house to form a provisional “ecology of dwelling” referring to both the in-habitation of the house and the house’s inhabitation within the forest environment. It continues a long term dialogue and visualisation of the carbon cycle, and its ubiquity and importance (click on thumbnails for enlarged image)
The artist wishes to thank the Australia-Japan Foundation, the Urada Community, The Australian Embassy, Ayumi and all the volunteers and individuals who made this work possible
