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Southern Comfort: I Wait for Wind 30 Days in Room 305

Rikuo Ueda sets into motion elaborately engineered mechanical devices that are designed to harness the wind to create his “wind drawings.” A writing instrument mounted on a flexible arm records both subtle and dramatic variations in the wind by transferring the energy onto paper, canvas, or another surface. The “machines” are constructed of natural materials such as bamboo and hemp rope, making the structures themselves beautiful and sophisticated in design.

After his studies at University, Ueda set out for a three-month travel adventure that turned into three years.  Upon his return to Japan, he was at a loss for what to do with his life, until he decided that his aim in life would be to be “aimless.”  Of course, becoming aimless required an aim!  He decided that this would still be possible for him, if only in a small way. Thus, he prefers to live each day as an adventure, without planning too much.

When asked why he works with wind, his reply reflects his approach to life.  He literally stumbled onto using wind while on an artist residency in Denmark.  The other artists in the program were working industriously while Ueda was casting around for what he might do with his time there.  He came upon an abandoned railway worker’s shed and began poking around inside.  He started putting a few things together, and then stuck something out the window to catch the wind.  This early wind machine created a small drawing inside the shed.  When one of the other resident artists saw this, he said, “So, that’s what you do!  Interesting.”  Since that time, he has made wind drawings. 

Rikuo Ueda’s favorite artist is Henri Matisse .  He says he likes the artist because his work is full of joy, and makes one smile.  Ueda says whenever people stop and ask what he is doing, they break into a smile when they hear “wind drawing.”  This is the motivation that keeps Ueda going.   This urge to bring joy by demonstrating the beauty of nature seems to be this artist’s special gift.  In an interview, he said that he has learned in his life that if one wants to work with nature, one has to be imperfect or “loose.”  Rigid attempts to overcome nature are doomed from the start.  He collaborates with nature in order to provide a model for how we might coexist with our surroundings.

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