母音 (1992)

Overview

What colour is black? What colour is white? Hideo, who has been blind since birth, likes to have his wife Izumi recite Rimbaud's poem "Vowels" to him. On the day of his eye operation, when the bandages will be removed in three days' time, he asks Izumi to recite the poem in a state of heightened anticipation and anxiety. Rimbaud's poem, which begins "A is black, woo is white, ae is red...", was the starting point for this work, which confirms the "seeing" in everyday life: explaining a painting, watching a video, going for a jog. Gradually, even for the "sighted" spectator, ordinary scenery such as a wire in the sky or a vending machine at night begins to look beautiful. It is as if the "will to see" is the reason why we "really see".