Thousand Scrapes Thousand Response
2023, Razor wire, paint, washi tape.
Barbed wire is a symbol of confinement, exclusion, and segregation. In Thousand Irritation and Thousand Response, Yamamoto’s wall of wire represents processes of migration and her experience as an East Asian woman in the UK and its alien environment. During the exhibition, Yamamoto will create a durational performative piece, silently cutting the barbs from the wire and replacing them with delicate washi paper. Washi paper is used in Japanese Shinto and Buddhist ritual, tied to a tree or shrine to represent a connection to the gods and the sharing of energy.
In the corner of the room, there is the desk and chair where visitors can write their responses of the artist’s question “what did you do to be accepted?” With the exmaple of her experiences adopting and accepted to the new society, she asks visitors to write their experiences on Washi paper, which will be the part of the installation. Curated by Two Temple Place and Thorp Stavri at Two Temple Place, London.
