I/O I/O

MOHRI Yuko (1980-) combines machines and mechanical parts with old instruments and daily objects to create installations in which nature and artifact organically interrelate, animating the exhibition space itself with a quiet sense of rhythm. In the work I/O, rolls of paper suspended from wooden frames slowly rotate on a motor, touching the ground and picking up dust as they move along it. An installed sensor reads this dirt and dust as signals [input], which serve to trigger the blink of light bulbs, the playing of a glockenspiel, the moving of a feather duster, blinds, and rolls of toilet paper, creating ripples across the surface of the water tank into which it hangs [output]. Since the rolls of paper are installed in a loop structure, the feedback received per rotation amplifies / decelerates the movement of each object, thus constantly transforming the experience of the work. Elements such as the dust accumulated in the exhibition room and the rumples in the rolls moving through the structure can be considered as unpredictable “errors,” however, they are both engraved into the paper to create an endless musical score that result in a rich performance. Through incorporating “invisible forces” that are inherent in the environment and beyond her control, such as the flow of air within the space, gravity, and static electricity, the entire exhibition space is configured to operate like a cohesive ecosystem. Mohri had developed ideas for the work in 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake, on the occasion of an exhibition held in Perth, Australia. The title of the work derives from “Input/Output” and is also based on the Indian Ocean that was situated next to the exhibition site. The flowing waves across the Indian Ocean Mohri had witnessed during the process of production is linked with the slow movement of the rolls of paper, almost as if attempting to loosen the sense of time in contemporary life that permeates with an abundance of visual information.