Leaks in the Tokyo subway inspired the Japanese pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Yuko Mohri is known for her installations and sculptures that focus on “events” that change with the conditions of urban space.

The exhibition, specially prepared for the Japan Pavilion at the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, is entitled Compose and fills the space of the Japan Pavilion in the Giardini with sound, light, movement and fragrance that change according to environmental conditions, while transform the existing architectural space into movement.

The exhibition consists of two works – Moré Moré (Leaky) and Decomposition.

Moré Moré (Leaky) was inspired by various ad hoc efforts seen in Tokyo subway stations to stop water leaks.

The staff often use everyday objects to deal with such small urban “crises”, which are quite common in this city of frequent tectonic activity.

Yuko Mohri actually artificially creates leaks and then tries to fix them by improvising with various common household goods available near the Biennale’s venue, the Giardini Gardens.

In a world where flooding affects the environment, and especially in a city like Venice, which is constantly threatened by flooding, Moré Moré takes on multiple meanings that we can reflect on.

Decomposing some fruits generate sounds and light by placing electrodes in the fruits themselves and converting their moisture into electrical signals.

Distinctive speakers and flashing light bulbs adorn the wall in the space.

The internal state of the fruit is constantly changing, modulating the height of the drone and the intensity of the light.

Over time, the fruits begin to dry out, giving off the sweet smell of decay. Yuko Mori buys the fruit for the installation from a local grocery store in Venice.

With a title that etymologically means “to put together (com+pose)”, the exhibition asks what it means for people to be and work together in a world facing multiple global “leaks” and crises.

Paradoxically, crises evoke the greatest creativity in people – this is the main idea behind Mohri’s project

It was originally inspired by Tokyo subway workers’ resourceful measures against water leaks.

The water leaks are never fully fixed and the fruit ends up in the compost to rot in Mohri’s installations, but these apparently futile efforts show glimpses of the solutions our (human) modest creativity can produce.