Each presentation of young Japanese artist Ryoichi Kurokawa‘s audiovisual installations awes us more than the next. His precise ability to arrange sounds and images makes for a flawless performance from start to finish. We often feel like we’re facing an orchestra playing an expertly arranged and immaculately performed symphonic masterpiece when experiencing Ryoichi’s projects–especially in the case of his latest work, Octfalls.As part of the 54th Venice Biennale, Kurokawa created an installation that was designed to be “one of a thousand ways to defeat entropy.” Octfalls consists of eight hanging HD screens displaying images of a silver waterfall cascading down a cliff, while the sound of the water rushing over rocks plays over a pair of speakers attached to each screen.These screens are distributed throughout the space at varying heights, encouraging our eyes to wander freely through the installation. The stunning images and highly refined sounds immerse our senses and play tricks on our perceptions. The waterfall suddenly vanishes in vain, then reappears, shifting to another screen, a complex combination of loops in a unique sequence of orchestrated play. Octfalls allows us to travel to an exotic landscape without even leaving the room.
Images courtesy of Ryoichi Kurokawa.
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