In the story The spider’s thread written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the Buddha decides to give one chance to a criminal in hell who did a good deed of saving a spider when he was alive.
Tokujin: Spider’s Thread
Tokujin Yoshioka presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo a sculpture made of a growing crystal structure that, using only seven thin threads, set the form of a chair.
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- 11 October 2013
- Tokyo
The Buddha takes a thread of a spider in Heaven and lowers it down to Hell so that the criminal can climb up from the Hell to the Paradise.
In the story, a thread of a spider is a symbol of slight hope and fragility. In the process of making “Venus – natural crystal chair (2008)”, a chunk of fiber was used for growing crystals. However, Spider’s thread applies the structure of natural crystals in an advanced way aiming to produce a form even closer to the natural form. Seven threads are stretched and tighten between the frame like a spider’s web, and draw a three dimensional sketch of a chair in the air.
By growing crystals on this structure made by only seven thin threads, it becomes a crystal structure that set a form of a chair. Simplifying the volume of its form as much as possible and following the natural form, a sculpture of chair will appear formed by the power of nature.
Tokujin’s Spider’s Thread was presented at his solo exhibition "Tokujin Yoshioka_Crystallize" at Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. In the exhibition, there were three pieces exhibited including the chairs in process to show how the only 7 extra fine threads turns into the shape of a chair.
Until 19 January 2013
Tokujin Yoshioka_Crystallize
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT)