“間 : Between Heaven and Earth”
by Jen Leung Johnson
Created as part of The Kintsugi Spirit Virtual Exhibit with the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center
0:00 THE KINTSUGI SPIRIT intro
0:37 間 : Between Heaven and Earth
間 : Between Heaven and Earth is a screendance inspired by the Japanese concept of 間 (Ma) and mirrors the artform of kintsugi in structure and metaphor. The spaces we create and the breaks we rejoin through the process of healing unfold in its visual and sonic layers. It is an attempt to shed light on the physical and figurative materials we use to fill spaces we encounter in life: between moments of waiting; ideas manifesting into physicality; thoughts translating into words; or the distance between humankind and the earth, two people, or the fractured layers of self. Within emptiness, a glimmer of hope might emerge if we first witness, then move forward with empathy toward connection. By filling the void with attentive listening, fluidity and adaptability, we bridge distances with something of value transforming the places and spaces created by a break into precious reminders of the work, struggle, and growth of the healing process. This screendance offers viewers a moment to settle into a space of resonance, listen empathetically, and witness a representation of healing as an impermanent process requiring continual effort and readjustment.
“Length of time depends upon our ideas.
Size of space hangs upon our sentiments.
For one whose mind is free from care,
A day will outlast the millennium.
For one whose heart is large,
A tiny room is as the space between heaven and earth.”
~ Translated by Kyoto Journal from Saikontan (Vegetable Roots Talks), Yuhodo, Tokyo, 1926