Mystery 169 If the Wind Blows
project
Description
Mystery 169 was a sound installation by the artist Mariko Hori “with winds, fabric, seeds, soil, stones and a collage work“, that was presented at the Elefsina Old Town Hall from September to October 2023. The project explored the relationship between language and the city, prompted by the Japanese proverb which goes “If the wind blows, the barrel makers prosper”, which means that any event can bring about an effect in an unexpected way.
[When the wind blows, dust will be blown into people’s eyes, some people will go blind. The traditional employment for blind people in Japan was itinerant shamisen (traditional Japanese musical instrument ) -playing story-tellers. More shamisen will be purchased. The skin of the shamisen is made of cat. So cats will be killed for their skin. If cats are killed then there will be more mice.Then people will need to make sure that their rice is kept in barrels. So they will order barrels. And barrel makers will get rich.]
The artist attempted to refresh this proverb into a modern version, through communication with Elefsis, so that it reflects the city's current situation and the future dynamics of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture. This new version of proverb also started with the words "if the wind blows" but ended with alternative sentences, which reflected the modern world and the local character, while prerecorded stories were inserted in between.
Mystery 169 was carried out with the support of the EU-Japan Fest Japan committee. It was first presented in Florence, Italy in 2021 in collaboration with the Artegiro Contemporary Art, the AILAE Associazione Culturale under the supervision of Renata Summo – O’connell and with the support of MAD- Murate Art District.
Archival Research
Stages of Implementation
Duration of the installation: September 16 to October 1, 2023
Opening hours: Wednesday to Friday, 17:00 – 21:00 Saturday & Sunday, 13:00 – 21:00
Tickets Policy
Free admission
Category
Axes
CC-License
Main Categories
Files to download
