Panta Rhei, for light and living
Yumi Kori, an architect-artist, uses qualities of light in her pieces to challenge conventional ideas of space. Panta Rhei, or “all things are in constant flux,” is one such piece:
For Kori, light and shadow imply the passage of time, induce human activities, and deconstruct and construct space, as demonstrated in her installation project …. The work was titled Panta rhei, or “all things are in constant flux,” an axiom of the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus. … The gravel becomes the medium of light and shadow, reflecting the sunlight that enters through the gallery’s glass block walls and enabling the viewer to see the changing color of light, as the day goes by.
As we work with the Philip Johnson Glass House, we were struck to hear about the significance of light as an entryway to knowing: one can’t truly know a place until you’ve spent enough time there to see the light change, we heard. Light and shadows not only imply the passage of time — should you stay still long enough to pay attention — but the changing and living attitude of a space.
Kori continues the in-flux theme to describe where she lives:
These days, I believe the word “living” has adopted an entirely new meaning. With fast Internet connection, I can “live” in multiple places. While I “live” in New York, I “live” in Japan and other countries. … I feel that I live in the site where I work. For example, last year I “lived” in Switzerland by participating in an artist-in-residence program. I also “lived” in Brazil for the preparation of my art installation. I am constantly traveling: I “live” in the cities I stay in.
“I live in the cities I stay in.” When all things are in constant flux, it is as simple as that.
