Installation view of the exhibition “Design Anatomy: A method for seeing the world through familiar objects” at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT (2016–17) Photo: ASAKAWA Satoshi
At factories, all kinds of machines work for various purposes. One normally doesn’t have much opportunity to take one’s time and observe such machines carefully. When you look at a machine that isn’t moving, you may wonder what is made with that machine. This exhibition focuses on the work of machines at factories. The works on display extract the operations of machines at a chocolate factory ¬– “mixing,” “transporting,” “removing from molds” or “grinding” ingredients – and imitate them. Take a closer look, and be surprised to see how fascinating and sometimes beautiful those movements are.
ARAMAKI Haruka creates works with a focus on structures, mechanisms, and human perception. She inspects all kinds of materials with her own hands, and identifies the different materials’ characteristics that inspire her to create objects of various shapes. Some of them move, others don’t. While it is difficult to imagine from the shapes and movements alone what those machines were made for, their operations are so elegant or intriguing that they captivate those who look at them.
For this work, the artist made moving objects inspired by the operations of production machines and other devices at a chocolate factory. It is only after being liberated from their functions (or from their labor), that machines seem to reveal the pure beauty of their movements.
This work was made for the exhibition “Design Anatomy: A method for seeing the world through familiar objects“ that was shown in 2016-17 at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT.
