My Heart Floats in the Water | 2025

Medium: Video installation with binaural sound, silk organza (dyed with lichen from the pond)

My heart, drifting and drifting,

Like floating watershield,

Shall neither reach the shore Nor be carried to the open sea.

「我が心 ゆたにたゆたに浮蓴辺にも沖にも寄りかつましじ」

This poem is one of the waka composed by Otomo no Yakamochi, featured in the Man'yoshu, Japan's oldest anthology of poetry.

Mizorogaike, located in the northern part of Kyoto City, is a mysterious natural pond that holds both rich biodiversity and deep cultural significance. As one of Japan's oldest natural ponds, it features rare floating islands and remnants of a raised bog ecosystem, and is home to relict species from the glacial age. It has been preserved for centuries through coexistence with the local community. Due to its ecological importance-hosting plants like Brasenia schreberi (watershield), rare dragonflies, and aquatic flora, it has been designated a Natural Monument. The pond was once known as "Mizoro-ike/Bodhisattva Pond" (I fi), a name that reflected its sacred status within the context of Buddhist belief.

This video installation, inspired by Mizorogaike Pond, weaves together underwater footage, on-site field recordings, and interviews recalling memories of the land and lost childhood moments, illuminating the subtle connection between the human unconscious and the hidden world of the muddy pond.

From the exhibition “Actions for Water”
Tin Sheds Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Curated by Sharmila Wood
Sound Design: Takeshi Azuma
Research Support: Mizorogaike Aquatic Biology Research Group

Photos by Jessica Maurer