Prayer may be an act of listening—quietly, attentively.
In this installation, the entire mountain was conceived as a single experiential field—
from the system of signs that guide one across the terrain, to the stage that emerges as a musical performance.
At its core lies a narrative and concept woven through scent.
At the summit, a circular structure was placed at the center—
a symbol of mu, the presence of emptiness that embraces silence and pause.
It embodies beatfic_experiment’s vision of a “new form,” while also offering a place for rest,
and for the beginning of a dialogue with nature.
Along the entrance path to the summit, the guiding signs, and at the heart of the circular form,
soil was presented.
This soil was created as a potpourri shaped like earth itself—
blending actual soil that had supported a towering red pine at the summit for many years,
with a bespoke fragrance composed of approximately fifteen natural essential oils.
At its core is an essential oil distilled from Nioikobushi (Magnolia salicifolia),
harvested and distilled in Fukushima, with all other materials selected through extensive research into the surrounding vegetation.
The scents of familiar plants—such as red pine, mugwort, and sage, long associated with calming and purification—
act as mediators between people and the land.
Through scent—an invisible presence—
a quiet communication emerges between place and time, nature and human beings.
A central element of the installation was the sound work
“Tuning for pray” by musician Miru Shinoda,
a sound installation performed through radios.
Scattered throughout the space, the radios were tuned by visitors themselves,
allowing the music to surface through their own actions.
The work permeated the entire environment, creating an experience where bodily sensation, emotion, and memory gently intersected.
People sat on the ground or along the circular structure,
listening closely to the sounds from the radios, the surrounding nature, and the drifting scent.
The stillness that arose became an unforgettable landscape—
one that could only exist in this place.
The performance came to an end with the arrival of dawn.
As the sun rose beyond the mountain ridge,
it felt as though the beginning of a new day was being quietly celebrated.
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TIME TO REST IN THE LAND
Touch the wind.
Listen to scent.
To return, and to receive.
From these quiet gestures, space begins to emerge.
Perhaps they allow us to gently touch the “prayer” that resides within each of us.
— Have you ever spoken with the soil?
