root

I will project the changes I felt in my hometown during my daily life in Oita, where I returned after 15 years due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, onto the view of a redeveloped square in a depopulated area using AR animations. This AR application functions based on GPS information, allowing it to be viewed only in this specific location.

Click ▶︎▶︎ here to install the app.

Upon returning to Oita after 15 years, it felt like my hometown, where I was born and raised, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like the place I knew. It seemed like unfamiliar roots were occupying the soil, and the roots trying to grow from my own feet were not piercing into the ground but instead crawling in the air.

The functions and landscapes of places change mutually through human activities, and the communities there also change mutually. The things I once knew had completely changed. When I looked at this vacant outlook square, I thought about the forest that used to exist here.

The forest contains various elements. Bacteria eat fallen leaves, insects eat animal carcasses, creating rich soil. Trees absorb water from the ground, regulating the moisture content of the soil. Roots spread deep into the soil, branching out, firmly holding the earth and sand.

The functions and landscapes of places change mutually through human activities, and the communities there also change mutually. The trees that grew here were uprooted entirely, maybe turned into pillars of someone’s house.

How can we establish roots in such a blank square?