MAUNA FUJI
VIDEO INSTALLATION, 2014
This video was included in a site-responsive multi-media installation for the KJ Baysa curated exhibition "Mauna Kea" as a part of the Honolulu Biennial selects program. Imagery of Mount Fuji was projected onto a retired Parker Ranch (located under Mauna Kea) cowboy. Imagery of individuals protesting the building of more telescopes on Mauna Kea were projected on to two Japanese children. All three were first shown what would be projected and were then asked to behave, dress, and be - in response or not, to what they saw. The audio is from NASA's recordings of sun radiation.
Countries from all over the world have telescopes on Mauna Kea. I chose to focus on Japan's Subaru telescope because of its heavy emphasis on children's education. Imagery from the Subaru children's program is also included in the piece. I do not think anyone is against the education or children - or anyone of any age for that matter. I do not think anyone is actively interested in desecrating sacred places - or any place for that matter. Yet somehow that seems to the only options available. Mauna Kea and the telescopes located on it are currently in an argument that has anti-Hawaiian pro-education on one end, and pro-Hawaiian anti-education on the other. This piece was aimed to point out the absurdity of these two sides by (literally) projecting them on to one another, in hopes to create dialogue for another approach: pro-education pro-Hawaiian.
