Miyajima Tatsuo's final work in his tripartite "Death Series" is "1000 Real Life Project -Deathclock-". This unique work deals with the important and highly sensitive issue of death specifically, one's own. Musician Tachibana Hajime, who is active in the art and design world, visual creator Tanaka Noriyuki, and fashion brand SOPH. (i.e., Shimizu Hirofumi) participated with the artist in a four-way collaboration on the work; as a result, we look at it here not merely as the latest embodiment of a powerful motif, but also as a case study in the fusion of art and design. Miyajima and Tachibana gave us their thoughts.

Since 1987 Miyajima Tatsuo has created works based exclusively on three concepts: "that which continues to change", "that which connects everything", and "that which continues eternally". The numeric counters contained in his works symbolize the time and space available to each person ﾐ the vast universe each of us holds. These counters, when individually lined up together, develop relationships amongst themselves, becoming parts of a whole; the complexity of this interrelationship, wherein each counter is both whole and part of a larger whole, forms a vision of the vast universe in which we exist.
The recently unveiled "1000 Real Life Project -Deathclock-" is the final part of the tripartite "Death Series", following "Death of Time" (1990-1992) and "Mega Death" (1999). Yet "Deathclock", conceived in 1989, is both a final, comprehensive survey of the decade-long "Death Series", and its beginning.

"I want people to be aware of the time they are living"

Miyajima
I created a prototype work called "Thirty Thousand-Year Watch" in 1987 expressing the three concepts underlying my work. A fourteen-digit counter metered out time incessantly, expressing the eternal nature of raw life. The "Death Series" is, then, a work done in response to this: I conceived a piece that would express the eternal nature of death. Within that context, "Deathclock" is a work that deals with personal death, counting down the moments until the instant of one's demise. As death is a highly personal thing, I imagined a work that viewers would encounter one by one, but due to the various technological issues involved I wasn't able to realize it until now. The remarkable advancement in personal computers in recent years, however, made it possible to create a work like "Deathclock" on a computer. In this format the viewer will encounter the work one-on-one, through a computer monitor, making for an exquisitely personal environment.

" Deathclock" will have a dual copyright, as it were: in addition to the artist Miyajima Tatsuo, the viewer will collaborate in creating the work. One finds in this concept traces of the "Art in You" philosophy, which Miyajima has championed in recent years.

M
The idea of "Art in You" was born during development of the currently underway "'Revive Time' Kaki Tree Project". In essence, it is a vision of works of art as tools for awakening the artistic and aesthetic sensibilities that are inherent in all of us. Art does not exist independent unto itself, cut off from the viewer. It is that moment when viewers appreciate it that it begins to live, to become real. Inherent in "Deathclock" is my desire that through calculating their estimated time until death the consumer of the work will feel the reality of that moment and, as a result, more acutely sense the time in which they are living. It is a form of communication. By bringing death to the fore, the work intensifies the sensation of living. Naturally, the active participation of the consumer is a prerequisite; without that, the work does not exist. My hope is that consumers will, through interacting with the work, come into contact with their artistic and aesthetic sensibilities, and from thence discover a bit more about themselves.

The perspective underlying his realism, i.e. illuminating life by thinking about death, seems to return to what has been a classic proposition for mankind.

M
We forget. No matter how important something might be, as time passes we forget. The theme of Death is, for us, an issue that reaches back through time to the very root of our existence. It has been the subject of countless representations in every phase of history. Yet the old representations become irrelevant, and notwithstanding the importance of the issue we gradually forget them; with age, the meaning is lost. Thus I believe we have to continually develop new representations ﾐ to give new meaning to Death. We must make eternal those burdens of humanity such as Auschwitz and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, great follies though they were. If this is said a hundred times and not conveyed, we will have to say it again, and again, thousands of times. Why? Because it is important, and must not be forgotten. We must have the will to continually question. I repeat myself, but "Deathclock", a work dealing with death that makes us sense more vividly our lives, is a tool for questioning the sanctity of life itself.

" Designing the form of Collaboration"

This limited edition, two hundred-piece SOPH. version of "1000 Real Life Project -Deathclock-" is the result of a four-way collaboration between Miyajima Tatsuo, musician / graphic designer Tachibana Hajime, visual creator Takanaka Noriyuki and fashion brand SOPH. (i.e., Shimizu Hirofumi).

Tachibana
I designed the collaboration on Miyajima's work, "Deathclock", between myself, SOPH. and Takanaka Noriyuki. Specifically, I designed the overall configuration of the connections that form "1000 Real Life Project -Deathclock- / SOPH. Version": the system of placing radio frequency ID (RFID) tags in original knit pieces by SOPH., the composition of musical pieces corresponding to various events, the development of a "Deathclock" suitable for cellular phones, and so on. When we first began discussing the idea, I was thinking about how we could create a new kind of network, one that linked a local network, finitely limited in terms of place and time, to the infinite environment of the world wide web. "Deathclock" is as local as one gets, limited to one person, in which the participation of the visitor is extremely important. As the work deals with what is the most personal of problems, that of one's death, we designed the entire structure with the understanding that Miyajima Tatsuo's intrusion on the privacy of their death would provide a sense of security.

Miyajima's work "Deathclock" forms the nucleus, but the participation of creators from different genres, each stimulating one another, gives a multifacted nature to the project. One can say this about "'Revive Time' Kaki Tree Project" as well, but the collaboration adds components on levels that Miyajima would probably not have conceived on his own. As a result, the project as a whole proceeded not as he forecasted, but with its own organic essence, which of course made it all the stronger as a work of art. These projects, although they are Miyajima's works, throw off his name and take on a life of their own; even after Miyajima's death they will live on, albeit perhaps reincarnated in different forms.

M
In the past, Art and Design were separated by society into the work of the Divine and the manipulation of the physical environment, respectively. However, this was a problem of society's systems, and as that system has dissolved so has the separation of roles. Under the present social system, Art and Design take on not so very different roles, I believe. The way this collaboration has brought concrete objects and information sound, clothing, RFID tags and the like ﾐ to what is highly conceptual work in "Deathclock", and in doing so made it possible for the consumer-visitor to receive tangible feedback from the artwork, I find very gratifying. However in that respect, and again one can say this of "'Revive Life" Kaki Tree Project" as well, the collaboration, particularly as it grows to involve more people, makes it impossible for me to control the project, and possibly even to grasp the whole of it. However, it is precisely because of this that I receive such intense stimulus from the people involved, that I am encouraged, that I can really sense the work evolve. Absolutely, I think that the work no longer needs or deserves to be called the work of Miyajima Tatsuo.

T
At the moment, I define Art as "that time in which you can feel something". That is to say, Art is not only what is defined today as Art, but can be found in every place, every moment of our daily lives. While I can't identify that specific something, through this collaboration, Art provided a sense of hope, a sense of anticipation. For instance, the RFID tag technology is in its infancy at the moment, though it is growing rapidly; however, we're building this system with "Deathclock" at its core, so even if the RFID tag technology goes obsolete it would be a minor problem ﾐ the relation between the whole network and the local network, i.e. the RFID tags, would survive undiminished. I think that in and of itself has something in it of Art.

The limited edition, 200-piece SOPH. version of "Deathclock", a work which deals with Death, the oldest, most eternal issue for mankind, was developed through a collaboration with other creators, but the package and form of the work will continue evolving until it has dealt with one thousand deaths. Will yet another way of measuring "time of death" emerge in the process, and what form will it take? On that, Miyajima himself is presently unclear.

M
The issue of "packaging" these works, being as they are the co-creation of artist and individual visitor, changes with the situation of the time. I am planning, though, to make the next version a simpler realization of the "Deathclock" concept.

A personal fantasy of mine is to see "Deathclock" become a work held in common by mankind, accessible from all over the world, an enormous platform with records of "time of death" for all manner and age of people. I dream that once visitors have visualized this gargantuan space they will universalize Miyajima's concept of "Art in You", without even being conscious of it; that humanity will become aware of their existence, which holds such sacredness and such vulgarity, once again and more strongly; and that a new and different world will unfold.

1000 Real Life Project Official Website
http://www.1000reallife.net

1000 Deathclock in Paris Official Website
http://www.1000inparis.net

Limited edition posters and CD-ROMs signed by Miyajima Tatsuo are available as promotional gifts. Please see page 114 for details.