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Earth Baby is the title of an installation for a major survey of the work of Japanese artist Tomoko Konoike. The installation involves a large revolving sculptural form - a child-like head, emerging from a small mountainous crag. Like a baby'e head being born from a volcanic eruption, the head sits atop the form, spinning around with mouth wide-open. The volcanic rise is propped in place by wooden poles similar to those used for rural and costal land shrines, while the floor is covered by thick swirling rope also employed in ceremonies celebrating the elements. The baby's head is covered with tiny shards of mirror, and an array of lights focussed on the spinning head creates a dizzying swirl of overlaid light beams circling the space. The installation is in a 13m x 13m room, and access to experience the work is via a suspended platform running along 2 walls of the space.
The sound design for Earth Baby is composed, engineered and produced by Philip Brophy. The installation mix is in 10 channel audio, with an additional 2 channels of sub-bass.
Earth Baby opened at the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery for the exhibition Inter-Traveller curated by Shihoko Iida on July 17th 2009. It runs there until September 27th. A stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1 remix of the sound design to Earth Baby will be released on the CD/DVDR-audio discs Filmmusic Vol.4 by Sound Punch Records in late 2012.
Contents of this page © Philip Brophy. Images © Tomoko Konoike - courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery, Tokyo