About the artwork

“Walking”-our daily movements-poetry in motion-each step reaffirms our connection to the earth. Our project “Step in Step out” brings “walking” into a lifeless two-story house-where our grandparents might have lived. This empty space becomes invigorated with video images, sounds, colored light, worn shoes/boots, all from the Echigo-Tsumari region along with cast sculptures of residents’ feet. Tatami-mats and shoji-screens house images of feet walking on moss, sounds of cicadas resonate in the space, soba-hulls from the region cover the floor, and a large sculptural wall of shoes trace residents’ foot-print paths. Images of children’s feet playing in kindergarten are projected inside a bathtub, their squeals of delight echo throughout the room. Above, firemen practice their drills. In a tea-room with an orange-hue, a woman in kimono elegantly walks and engages in a tea ceremony; in a long corridor with a light-green hue, figures walk inside a tunnel traditionally used during heavy snow. Walking through the house, the visitors discover hundreds of moments celebrating the vitality, beauty, and diversity of the region. Along with their foot-steps, the vacant house begins to breathe again.