Terrestrial Tapestry#0705

A birds-eye view from an airplane can show subtle changes of colors and textures, similar to a delicate tapestry. As the plane descends, one begins to see that the colors that looked like “stains” from above are an aggregate of countless towns and villages. This realization makes one feel that the “humans” dwelling there are humble existences. But if one comes to realize that those individual beings are leading rich and profound lives, then the earth’s surface that encompasses their lives and stretches out below would also look beautiful.
If the plane were to descend upon a specific “stain” and find that the town, with its community, history and cultures created by the residents, was completely ruined by humans attacking one another, then that appearance would be the direct result of intolerance. People who can step out of that situation might find a path toward mutual understanding, so that people on different sides could be able to face one another through overcoming their resentments and sorrows—for there are only slight differences in their backgrounds. Such differences are small in the same way as the plaster fragments are arranged in this work.

(Using plaster fragments, the question “How can we understand others?” is written in two different languages inside each of the two forms that face each other.)