-162°C, Tokyo
This project explores the economic connections contributing to Japan's current energy strategy as it has evolved away from nuclear power since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
At -162°C natural gas becomes liquid, reducing in volume by a factor of over 600, the key innovation that makes it an economically viable export. Japan is the largest importer of Qatari LNG and is projected to continue shifting its infrastructure toward using LNG as a primary source of energy. Although mostly economic, this exchange impacts the culture, lifestyle, and geopolitics of both countries.
This kinetic installation is composed of 41 printers organized into 3 spatial constructs, each suspended from the ceiling in different locations within the space. Each construct is controlled by custom software that choreographs the printing of text and images extracted from the internet and synthesized into graphic compositions. The resulting performance ebbs and flows in varying intervals, exploring the constant exchange that feeds the economies of both Qatar and Japan.
At -162°C natural gas becomes liquid, reducing in volume by a factor of over 600, the key innovation that makes it an economically viable export. Japan is the largest importer of Qatari LNG and is projected to continue shifting its infrastructure toward using LNG as a primary source of energy. Although mostly economic, this exchange impacts the culture, lifestyle, and geopolitics of both countries.
This kinetic installation is composed of 41 printers organized into 3 spatial constructs, each suspended from the ceiling in different locations within the space. Each construct is controlled by custom software that choreographs the printing of text and images extracted from the internet and synthesized into graphic compositions. The resulting performance ebbs and flows in varying intervals, exploring the constant exchange that feeds the economies of both Qatar and Japan.
As this project explores ties between two countries, it was conceived as two exhibitions taking place in each nation's capital city, Tokyo and Doha. The installations occurred in sequence, 3 months apart, and took slightly different approaches (both formally and conceptually) to exploring the economic, social, and cultural implications of the energy trade between these distant neighbors.
The Tokyo exhibition was the result of a collaboration between faculty and students at VCUarts Qatar and Tokyo Metropolitan University’s AIIT. The work was made possible with support from the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology at Tokyo Metropolitan University, W+K+ Tokyo, and Arakawa Tokyo.
The Tokyo exhibition was the result of a collaboration between faculty and students at VCUarts Qatar and Tokyo Metropolitan University’s AIIT. The work was made possible with support from the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology at Tokyo Metropolitan University, W+K+ Tokyo, and Arakawa Tokyo.
Innella, Giovanni., Simone Muscolino, Levi Hammett, Michael Hersrud, Maryam Al Homaid, Nathan Davis, Hind Al Saad, Sarah Elawad, & Reham Ahmed. -162°C, Tokyo. (Installation of 41 printers outputting procedurally generated visual content). Wieden & Kennedy Gallery, Tokyo, Japan. 13 - 20 December, 2018.