Butterfly Effect

Amsterdam Light Festival (2019, 2021 Amsterdam, NL), Aarhus Festuge (2021Aarhus, DK)

I have always sought to incorporate in my works expressions in nature such as the leaves of trees swaying in the wind and waveforms in the water, which are randomly created by variations in factors such as time, temperature, pressure, and humidity. This work features butterfly-shaped objects floating on the water surface as they are rocked by the wind and waves, which shift the color of the light in their wings from blue to white in tandem with their movements. These changes in color are unpredictable as they are largely affected by the waves generated by waterfowls flapping their wings and boats passing near the work, as well as by the direction of the wind. This work was inspired by the butterfly effect, a phrase that refers to the unpredictability of chaotic behavior described in meteorologist Edward Lorenz's lecture, "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?"

Photo: Reinier Varkevisser Fotografie

風に揺れる木々の葉の動きや水面の波の形のように、時間・気温・気圧・湿度などの要素によって偶然に生まれる自然の表情を、作品に織り込んだ表現に取り組んでいます。この作品は水面に浮かぶ蝶のオブジェが風や波によって揺れると、その動きに合わせて羽の模様の光の色が青から白へ変化していきます。作品の近くをボートが通ったり、水鳥が羽ばたいたりして起こる波立ちや、風の吹き方によって大きく影響を受けるため、それがどのように変化するかは見ている側は予測ができません。今作は気象学者のエドワード・ローレンツが行った講演のタイトル ”Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?”（予測可能性：ブラジルの1匹の蝶の羽ばたきはテキサスで竜巻を引き起こすか？）に由来するバタフライ効果というカオス運動の予測困難性を意味する言葉から着想を得ています。

Photo: Janus van den Eijnden

Photo: Janus van den Eijnden