A Hurdles Epiphany ⟫
Zounohana Terrace, Yokohama
A Hurdles Epiphany
Zounohana Terrace, Yokohama
This was the first occasion for implementing this hurdles gates project. Zounohana Terrace lies adjacent to the foreshore/port as well as the many attractions of the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama. It is also a historical area, getting its name from the trunk-shaped rocky embankment, projecting into the water that has remained as a landmark since the port first came into use several hundred years ago. It was also the location where Japan was known to have opened its borders to trade after remaining in a state of “Sengoku” or isolation from outside countries. Although the nature of the sudden opening of the country could be though as questionable, these days it is a trendy destination with many people frequenting the area for site seeing and leisure. It is also a well-known date spot with a romantic atmosphere by the harbour and with special attention paid to the light up and night-time scenery.
Due to the constant movement of people in the area, and special installation requirements, this location was particularly challenging, however the level of participation and curiosity that it aroused was positive far beyond my wildest imagination.
About the hurdles project
Although simple in design, the kind of interaction that I received through this project was unprecedented.
Having endured strenuous training in elite hurdles during my teenage years in Australia, I had not really thought of the metaphorical aspect of hurdles until years later. They had only been physical hurdles in the past, a utilitarian sporting equipment. Through these interactive art events, they became metaphors for wishes or barriers to be overcome.
It was also through the experience of walking under hundreds of tori gates such as those which spread up the mountain in the Kyoto Fushimi Inari shrine or the many other temples or secular streetscapes in Japan, that I made a connection to gates as well. The gates were higher than hurdles but of a similar shape, and the relationship to the body became inverted. They were a kind of spiritual marker to be passed through. In this way, a structure could be regarded as a hurdle or a gate simply depending on the height in relation to the human size of our physical body. In this way they were not defined in themselves but in relation to us.
This epiphany was fascinating to me, and with the anticipation of the Tokyo Olympic Games I finally decided to turn the design into a reality, to create a kind of parallel artwork. Continued ⟫
Rather than running and jumping as is the usual way of approach, participants could enter in an orderly manner, by walking and stepping over the hurdle like structures. These would raise in height incrementally until the person would have to decide whether they would step over, go around or move underneath. Through the cognitive action, participants could make their own kind of conclusions from the experience. For me, there was a kind of struggle in clearing each hurdle, however small, but the moment that they become a gate I could simply walk through unhindered. It is a kind of realisation that even the most difficult of life situation can become a gateway depending on how you approach it. Due to popular appeal, I also tried the installation in reverse. Participants could move under the gates until they encountered the hurdles to be cleared. The tunnel like spectacle of the reverse is rather awe inspiring and instills a feeling of excitement. It can also give a sense of achievement to clear over something which seemed so out-of-reach and unattainable at first. I thought it would be wonderful to create a circuit of two rows in which both could be experienced within a single encounter.
Due to the pandemic conditions, I continued different versions of this project for several years, before, during and after the official Olympic Games. Running in parallel at different art festivals, in public parks and spaces.
Special thanks to everyone who helped me with this project along the way.