INTER-WORLD/Cocooner: Apparent motion of celestial bodies

Artist: OKUNAKA Akihito

Works by Akihito Okunaka are soft sculptures that amplify phenomena occurring in Earth’s environment through the interaction of air, water, and sunlight. The artist believes that “humans resemble air, water, and the sun,” and through his creations, visually and experientially presents the relationship between ourselves and the world around us.
The title of this work, Cocooner, evokes the slang term referring to someone withdrawn into a cocoon-like state. Amidst the uncertainties pervading society, Okunaka questions whether humanity itself is trapped within a cocoon created by human actions during the Anthropocene epoch.
Embedded within this piece is the artist’s hope for humanity to break free from the outdated, anthropocentric cocoon and emerge, spreading wings as beings essential in a more cosmic context.