Installation view at Espoo Museum of Modern Art. Finland.
Light Emitting Diode, Ic, Electric wire, Plastic net, Switching Power Supply.
2019
Courtesy Saastamoinen Foundation, Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Photo: Ari Karttunen/EMMA
This work is inspired by the "universe of time."
Immanuel Kant says, "Here are two things that continue to fill our minds with new admiration and awe more than ever before as we ponder on them over a long period of time. These are My Upper Starry Sky and My Inner Moral Law."
The stars of the universe continue to send their light to us equally and generously as they go through "life and death". For us, "time" also falls equally on us in the same way.
It is in the same way that Kant associated the sky with the inner rhythms of human beings, that 'human life', 'time' and 'the sky' (the universe) are resonant and inseparable.
In the work, the countless LED lights on the ceiling represent time, human life and the stars. The LEDs also count as numbers 1-9, with 0 being darkness. This is a metaphor for the eternity of human life; when it glows and counts, it means "life" and when it goes dark at 0, it means "death." Countless LEDs repeat it, but they all count at different speeds. But they will all work together in harmony to create a mysterious and beautiful piece of music, just like the aurora borealis in the Finnish sky.
Miyajima's hope is that the work will inspire people to think about the mystery of life, the wonder of time and the universe they weave together.