2022
TALKING HEADS
Analog radio, 2 channel audio, media player, radio transmitter, acrylic paint
9 min loop
24 x 8 x 2.5 in. each
Talking Heads is an exploration that converges audio, visual, and conceptual elements, manifesting as an installation featuring painted radios and radio transmitters. At the core of this immersive auditory experience lies a duality of transmission, with two distinct audio tracks broadcast through the radio transmitters, each reverberating through its respective blacked out radio.
The audio composition intricately weaves a tapestry of sirens from diverse global contexts, spanning various nations and pivotal historical moments. Among these are the haunting echoes of the nuclear strike test siren from Hawaii in 2017, the stark emergency siren sounded in Japan during North Korean nuclear weapon testing, and the solemn resonance of the initial siren that signaled the onset of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. These sirens, once utilized as signals of warning or alarm, are now transformed into a layered, drone-like musical composition.
Overlaying this multifaceted auditory landscape is my own voice asking the questions, "Who is going to be the next Sacrifice for Peace" and "Who is going to be the next Sacrifice for War?" These poignant questions are echoed in other pieces of mine such as Teach Me How to Love This World or This Age of Ours. These probing inquiries punctuate the sonic landscape, inviting contemplation on the cyclical nature of conflict, sacrifice, and the elusive quest for peace.
2022
TALKING HEADS
Analog radio, 2 channel audio, media player, radio transmitter, acrylic paint
9 min loop
24 x 8 x 2.5 in. each
Talking Heads is an exploration that converges audio, visual, and conceptual elements, manifesting as an installation featuring painted radios and radio transmitters. At the core of this immersive auditory experience lies a duality of transmission, with two distinct audio tracks broadcast through the radio transmitters, each reverberating through its respective blacked out radio.
The audio composition intricately weaves a tapestry of sirens from diverse global contexts, spanning various nations and pivotal historical moments. Among these are the haunting echoes of the nuclear strike test siren from Hawaii in 2017, the stark emergency siren sounded in Japan during North Korean nuclear weapon testing, and the solemn resonance of the initial siren that signaled the onset of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. These sirens, once utilized as signals of warning or alarm, are now transformed into a layered, drone-like musical composition.
Overlaying this multifaceted auditory landscape is my own voice asking the questions, "Who is going to be the next Sacrifice for Peace" and "Who is going to be the next Sacrifice for War?" These poignant questions are echoed in other pieces of mine such as Teach Me How to Love This World or This Age of Ours. These probing inquiries punctuate the sonic landscape, inviting contemplation on the cyclical nature of conflict, sacrifice, and the elusive quest for peace.
© 2023 by Kei Ito.
Created on Editor X.
Sungazing
2015 - Ongoing
108 of 8”x10” prints, Scroll: 12” x 150’ to 220’ depending on the edition
On August 6th 1945, at 8:15 AM, my grandfather witnessed a great tragedy that destroyed nearly everything in Hiroshima. He survived the bombing, yet he lost many of his family members from the explosion and radiation poisoning. As an activist and author, my grandfather fought against the use of nuclear weaponry throughout his life, until he too passed away from cancer when I was ten years old. I remember him saying that day in Hiroshima was like hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.
In order to express the connection between the sun and my family history, I have created 108 letter size prints and a 200 foot long scroll, made by exposing Type-C photographic paper to sunlight. The pattern on the prints/scroll corresponds to my breath. In a darkened room, I pulled the paper in front of a small aperture to expose it to the sun while inhaling, and paused when exhaling. I repeated this action until I breathed 108 times. 108 is a number with ritual significance in Japanese Buddhism; to mark the Japanese New Year, bells toll 108 times, ridding us of our evil passions and desires, and purifying our souls.
If the black parts of the print remind you of a shadow, it is the shadow of my breath, which is itself a registration of my life, a life I share with and owe to my grandfather. The mark of the atomic blast upon his life and upon his breath was passed on to me, and you can see it as the shadow of this print.