Have you noticed a small, stone building on the north-west corner of Ueno Park, right opposite to Kuroda Memorial Hall? It’s the Former Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station, once operated as one of the Keisei Line stations. Though now closed, it opened its doors to the public for a limited time in 2019 autumn as a part of “UENOYES” art project where two Spanish artists exhibited their works with the theme “Metal Silence”. The building played a unique role, providing one-of-a-kind atmosphere to exhibit and appreciate art; visitors immersed themselves in the surreal feeling while going down the stairway, hearing the roar of the train passing right below their feet.
The Former Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station opened to the public for the limited period.
What does the bronze statue of a broken apple tree symbolise?
Former
Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station stopped operating in 1997, and officially closed
down in 2004, and has been closed off from the public for a while. However, its
grand architectural design and historic value were recognized and it was
designated as Tokyo Metropolitan Government Selected Historical Structures in 2018. And that is
where the installation of contemporary art pieces took place.
Going
inside the building, a wood and bamboo objet catches the visitors’ eyes. The
sculptural work by Fernando Sánchez Castillo consists of a natural bamboo tree,
and a bronze statue moulded out of a broken apple branch, deceiving the
viewers’ eyes for its realistic texture.
“I heard
Ueno Park provided shelters during the WW2. The broken tree can be interpreted
as a tragedy of humankind. An apple caused Adam and Eve to leave the Garden of
Eden in Genesis, Old Testament. But It is also an apple that helped Newton
discover the law of gravity.”
The broken tree seems to be able to stand upright only with help from the bamboo tutor. Some may see themselves in the broken tree that still tries to grow “up”.
The history of aerial bombing, and an ever-growing visual installation.
The
visual installation by Cristina Lucas is placed at the bottom of the stairs.
Tri-faceted screens project the documented images of aerial bombings, and its
locations and the number of casualties. It gives an impression that aerial
bombings have been constantly (and in many cases simultaneously) happening all
over the world. The entire movie is 6-hour long stretching over three parts;
the first one starting from 1911 to the end of WW2 in 1945, the second one covering
the phase of the cold war until 1989, and the third one leading up to 2019, the
present.
“The
first bombing from the aeroplane was in 1911, when Italy attacked Ottoman
Turkey. It surprises me, seeing the footage, how technology has advanced since.
It is now possible to use drones to drop bombs, just like playing a video game.
But it does not change the fact that civilians are being killed under those
bombings.”
Lucas
conducts extensive research in the area her work will be exhibited, adding
detailed, latest data to the installation. Since it was going to be exhibited
in Ueno this time, her focus was on the Tokyo air raids, as well as Hiroshima
and Nagasaki atomic bombings. The movie became 6 hour long as a result, adding
one extra hour to the previous version.
“By the next time this movie is going to be exhibited, more data will be added. This project is still on-going, unfortunately.”
As long as the conflicts happening all around the world remain unresolved, her work continues to grow.
Multiple meanings have been woven into the theme “Metal Silence”, says the International Division Director Aomi OKABE. Metal as a source material for weaponry can also be used to create an art piece of Castillo, sending out humane messages through its silent statue. The exhibition was a reminder of the past and history of Ueno, as well as an invitation to re-think our future.
Text: Naoko AONO Photography: Kuniko HIRANO
Grand architectural design of Former Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station
“Reminding Future: Metal Silence 2019″
Event Period Fridays, Weekends, and Public Holidays from Friday, October 18 to Sunday, November 17, 2019 (*Open 11/4 , a substitute holiday) *16 days in total Time 10:00 to 17:00 Venue Former Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen Station Building (13-23 Ueno Koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo) Website: https://uenoyes.ueno-bunka.jp/2019/en/events/metalsilence.php
*This exhibition has ended.
From left, Cristina Lucas, Aomi Okabe, Fernando Sánchez Castillo
