A note on Bivalvia: Act II

Once upon a time, a shell split in two halves. The right side was dropped into the ocean of the Northern Hemisphere and the left side was thrown into the Southern Hemisphere. When the right shell and the left shell were separated from each other, they began to have their own will. They searched for the lost counterpart in the ocean, day in and day out. There couldn’t be any alternative in this entire cosmos, other than themselves. Searching continued, and it has already been 550 million years since they dreamed of the moment when they would reunite…

As a sequel to “Bivalvia: Act I”, the structure of “Bivalvia: Act II” is based on Kai-awase, a Japanese game with shells to find the other fitting half. It is a 2-channel video installation in which screens are divided, and two videos are played back in loop and also in an unsynchronized manner. Each with a different duration, the two videos carry multiple scenes that have the potential to be synchronized and match under a certain probability throughout the exhibition period. Will the visitors be able to witness this perfect moment? This will be totally up to chance.

This new installation, which was made amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, reflects upon reconnecting with the others in this divided world.

Yu Araki, 2022