Mashita Wind / 益田風

A site-specific installation around the local seasonal wind known as Mashita Wind, connecting outdoor wind, local sound, past data, and the bodily participation of visitors.

This work was developed across two spaces, outdoors and indoors, around Mashita Wind, a strong seasonal wind that blows through the Hagiwara region from autumn to spring. A yew tree, related to Mt. Kurai, which is considered the source of Mashita Wind, was planted outdoors, and eight speakers were placed around it. Real-time wind data obtained from an ultrasonic anemometer attached to the tree was combined with past data on Mashita Wind, controlling the direction and volume of recorded wind sounds and music connected to the region.

Inside the Health Promotion Center, light, fans, incandescent bulbs, video, and data displays responded to present and past wind conditions. A piece of exercise equipment originally installed in the facility was modified. When visitors held its handles with both hands, a weak electric current passed through their bodies, causing the light and sound to change. Through these interlinked elements, wind is perceived as a relation between place, sound, data, body, and memory.