Motoi Yamamoto's 'Return to the Sea: Saltworks' -- Spoleto Festival USA at the College of Charleston

-- Free and open to the public -- College of Charleston's Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art has organized a major traveling exhibition of new work by contemporary Japanese artist Motoi Yamamoto. The exhibition will premiere in Charleston, SC May 24-July 7, 2012, as a featured presentation of the Spoleto Festival USA. Return to the Sea: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto will travel nationally after its inaugural presentation, including stops in Los Angeles, CA, Charlotte, NC, and Monterey, CA. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be a site-specific installation created entirely out of salt by the artist during his two-week residency at the Halsey Institute on the campus of the College of Charleston in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

#Boundlesscofc

[angiesfolkhearts]

I'm in awe. I love the symbolism of purification during the mourning of his sister, "futile but necessary to his healing". I'm surprised to learn that the patterns aren't random, the whole process is thought out so purposefully. I'd love to participate in the sweeping and returning of the salt to the sea.

[collegeofcharleston]

From the Halsey's web site: An important aspect of the installation is the dismantling of Motoi’s work at the end of the show and delivering the salt back to water in collaboration with the public, hence, the title Return to the Sea. During gallery hours, 11am to 4pm, on the last day of the exhibition, Saturday, July 7, the public can visit the installation and gather a small amount of the salt. Then, as a group we will return the salt to the sea at the Aquarium Wharf on Concord Street.

[golfmaniac]

amazing. what patience and precision.

[LuisEduardoGalindo]

it would have been funny to see someone mistakenly mopping the installation during the fast camera.

[bianchibruno]

Remarquable ! L'objet artistique doit-il être pour toujours ou doit-il disparaître de sa belle mort, naturellement ?

[hijra]

where's that box of slugs and snails i have lying about...