Koi

Abstract

Koi was filmed in 1979–1980 for an installation that, like Cause, features natural elements controlled and transformed by the human idea of nature. The Japanese landscape reflects a culture in which all elements exist in a tightly functional and aesthetic choreography. All aspects of the Japanese garden are orchestrated in one seamless relationship between materiality and mastery. Within the water elements of Japanese gardens, the aesthetic control is brought into relief by the koi, a type of carp that moves freely and unpredictably, presenting dramatically colored and abstract reflections. The koi represent an element of randomness and a spiritual release from the sublime conditions that synthetically attempt to perfect nature.