Tetsuya Umeda

The subtle things in everyday life still move us, inspire us

Tetsuya Umeda uses everyday materials that anyone can find: water, plastic bottles, empty cans, rice, cardboard, light bulbs, home electronics, and more. He creates a physical space and a temporal experience by homing in on, and at times integrating, a location’s nature, its functionality, and the context of the land. Perhaps this is why the boundaries that define his works are blurred. In extreme terms, if someone strikes up a conversation with you on your way home after viewing, you may wonder whether it’s also part of the artwork.

Umeda’s latest touring piece is built from the fruits of his spatial observations and interventions, which enable him to make the most of the venue’s architecture. The result is something between an exhibition and a performance. Audience members are guided at staggered intervals through a distinctive three-floor building built in 1930, which once served as a bank. On each floor—composed of installations that utilize the building’s structure—audience members encounter tour guides and people incorporated into the work, stumbling across numerous minor occurrences. Will they witness a particular moment? What will draw their attention? Umeda’s work deftly leads us beyond our actions and perceptions, showing how it’s possible for us to “alter” our experience of the piece. This realization then echoes in our daily life. When we emerge onto the streets of Kyoto, what kind of landscape will we see?