crane dance

crane dance

lephilong 2019. research assistant /photographer: tu uyen. hokkaido 2019

The work is an experiment involving the Ainu tribe  in Sapporo, Japan. Phi Long  chose the yellow of the fabric from their traditional attire: "Atsushi" - traditional bear-worshiping attire, and "Hataraki", the Ainu costume for their cranes dance ritual on snow.

The work is a romantic poem with yellow cloth fixed in white snow and diamond dust. Like an unnamed game that is both fun and able to express the harsh conditions of the region. Due to the characteristics of the super-cold climate, the thin fabric quickly freezes and forms a solid shape after about 10 seconds in below -15 degrees Celsius temperature.

Like the Ainu survival lessons, He want to discuss their creative ways of survival and how the Ainu people blend in with nature and with the Japanese. Thus, work presents a method to discuss issues of race and migration, connecting the community through visual arts.

@lephilong 2019