Yuki Odoshi <雪威し>
Art Installation, 2015The name ‘Yuki Odoshi’ (雪威し) originates from ‘Shishi Odoshi’ (鹿威し), which literary translates as ‘scare the deer’ – an old Japanese device made to scare away birds and beasts damaging crops. Now, ‘Shishi Odoshi’ has become a popular sound sculpture found in most Japanese gardens.
In winter Sapporo sees heavy snow, residents are forced to fight against the challenges presented by snow and coexist with it. The work ‘Yuki Odoshi’ was in some ways created by the people of Sapporo in borrowing the idea of ‘Shishi Odoshi’. The original principle has gradually changed from a functional tool to an entertainment/decorative object, ‘Yuki Odoshi’ is made of various snow prevention tools in order to ‘scare the snow’.
Socks soaked by the snow is an everyday nuisance experienced while walking through the streets in winter. In the artwork, the socks are vessels for the snow, allowing water to drip as the snow melts onto the shovel below creating a sound. This transformation of the snow (problem) becoming a sound (entertainment), represents the love-hate relationship between the Sapporo people and the snow.
Exhibition
2015 – Sapporo Tenjinyama Art Studio
