Akai-ito #2 > Completed.

My second project with my 30ft long scarf has finally been finished. If interested, please contact me for a viewing.







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“Akai-Ito @ Playa Del Ray 2006“
Video Projection (9 min)
Mika Soma 2006


“Akai-ito” means a thin invisible red string that connects people in Japanese. It is often used for describing how two people are attracted to each other, and how there is a mind-to-mind communication, instead of describing and putting the feelings into words to understand what you are feeling.


My brother wanted to run with my scarf on, so that the other end of the scarf would not touch the ground, like how ninjas used to train themselves to run very fast. I really liked how energetic it sounded. My brother and I went to a beach together. Every time I go to the beach, I think of Japan beyond the horizon of the Pacific Ocean. There seems to be a sense of connection to the “other side” beyond the horizon over the sea, while the ocean is so big and spread that it is very vague.


My brother and I physically use our connection, the scarf, to achieve an invisible connection that we both share. My goal in the process of creating the work became to generate another invisible string, the waves of energy, which comes out from my video for the viewer to experience, while bringing questions of boundaries. People often want to put things into their categories so that they feel that they understand things better. But what is the space between people? What connects and divides things? What is honesty and fallacy? What is documentation? What is an illusion? What is the line between art and life? What is the line between anything?