Boxes, Etsuko Sato

By combining the three elements of the “Booklet,” the “Memo Block,” and the “Box,” the work brings several themes characteristic of contemporary society to light, using everyday items. Furthermore, leveraging the dimensional nature and depth of the “Box,” the work is an interactive piece in which a single exhibition venue is completed by assembling several parts of the booklet. This work is an interactive Art Book that provides a three-dimensional, pseudo-experience (as if one were actually visiting an exhibition venue) from a two-dimensional printed matter.

The images printed in the “Booklet” are photographic works created by reproducing everyday items that have been used by someone in plaster, and then re-arranging and photographing them as a room landscape. These images were then re-composed as an exhibition scene for this work. The replicated plaster casts capture the marks of the owner’s use (indentations and scratches) as they are, inscribing past memories. Forgotten stories emerge from these minor scratch marks that are usually overlooked. 

The “Memo Block” possesses the “temporary” characteristic of being “peeled off one sheet at a time and discarded when its purpose is fulfilled.” It is constantly consumed, and what was written on it is quickly forgotten. The aforementioned exhibition landscape also has a temporary aspect, as it is dismantled after the exhibition period. I have integrated these two elements, which share this commonality, by gluing and connecting them. 

And the “Box” appears in various aspects of our daily lives, used for storing important things, or sometimes stacked or lined up. Its functional aspect makes us associate it with words like “boundary,” “order,” and “system.” In this work, two boxes of different sizes are stacked to form a single piece, focusing on the essence of the box itself through its mere presence. On the other hand, the box also possesses elements of a “product” or “package,” as it is used for gifts. In this work, the piece is offered as a “package” by including everyday office supplies—a ballpoint pen and a card stand—in addition to the Memo Block. The fact that the memo pad, ballpoint pen, and card stand are actually usable reinforces the sense of it being a “product.”

A boxed set consisting of two nested boxes containing:
・2 x Accordion-fold booklets (10 pages each)
・6 x Double-sided photographic sheets (12 pages total)
・2 x Memo blocks, 1 x Ballpoint pen, 12 x Card stands

True to the title, “Boxes,” the work features two pale grey boxes, one large and one small, stacked upon each other. The title of the work, “Boxes,” is letterpress printed on the upper (small) box. Inside the boxes, the photographic works are housed within an accordion-fold booklet and a sheet booklet. The design (mechanism) allows the viewer to recreate a three-dimensional exhibition space by standing up and arranging multiple sheets using the included card stand. The accordion booklet and the included Memo Block are glued together, with the booklet serving as the cover for the Memo Block. A ballpoint pen and a card stand are also included as accessories.