Yambaru Art Festival 2024-2025, Okinawa, Japan
Art Collective YouRuMaru's work "Dance with me / Water Mirror ~A Heritage of Water and Light~" is being exhibited as part of the Yambaru Art Festival and will will be exhibited in the hotel lobby atrium from Saturday, December 14, 2024 until Monday, February 24, 2025.
Art Concept
Yambaru, Okinawa's northern sanctuary, is a realm bathed in sunlight and nourished by abundant water. Its pristine nature and vibrant ecosystem offer a testament to the enduring power of these fundamental elements.
Yet, as we often take these life-sustaining forces for granted, our spiritual connection to the natural world wavers.
The Omoro Soushi, Okinawa's traditional folk songs,contains many references to water, as well as references to former kings of Ryukyu being likened to the sun. Throughout Okinawa the many sacred shrines and places of worship highlight the deep-rooted significance of water and light in Okinawan culture.
Yambaru's inhabitants possess a unique spatial awareness, encompassing both the ocean and the mountains. Their rituals honoring nature blend seamlessly with daily life, as exemplified by the centuries-old Ugan festival in Shinugu in the Ada area where both the mountain god and the ocean god are worshipped.
This holistic perspective, rooted in traditional Japanese thought and seeming to be especially prevalent in Yambaru, fosters a free-spirited consciousness that embraces both the individual and the interconnectedness of all things.
In our age of AI-driven personalization, it's easy to lose sight of this broader perspective. By compartmentalizing our experiences, we risk limiting our understanding of the world. Okinawa, however, offers a different path. Its rich cultural heritage, shaped by the fusion of diverse influences, is a living testament to the power of embracing multiple perspectives.
Yambaru's landscapes, both tangible and intangible, are repositories of history and memory. The mountains, rivers, plants, and human stories intertwine, creating a tapestry of time and space.
This grand sense of beauty, rooted in a deep connection to nature, holds the potential to inspire and resonate on a global scale.
"Dance With Me / Water Mirror" is a visual representation of this interconnectedness. Layers of flowing water, mirroring the ever-changing world, symbolize the interplay of light and water in Yambaru. The artwork evokes gratitude for this heritage and the responsibility to pass it on to future generations. It is a dance of tangible and intangible elements, a harmonious celebration of life and nature.
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