Atsuko Nakamura Studio
アーティスト・中村厚子の公式ウェブサイト| Artist. Atsuko Nakamura’s official website
The Holy Precincts
Ink on paper 2011 Etching 400×600mm
Solo exhibition ‘The Pulsating Earth’ (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) In the conversation with biologist in Mallorca, Spain, I asked him ‘The most of land is made of rocks, how can they absorb rain water?’ ‘Under the ground, there are big caves that have lakes inside of it. Rain water enter the cave through the gap or crack between rocks, and they are collected and stored in the lake. This system supports all of life in this arid island. It is said that there are so many caves which human haven’t find yet, and indigenous olive tree has a long roots which reach to the lake in the caves…’ In the island, I visited a cave in the sea, so I needed to swim through the small gap between rocks to enter the cave, but inside it opened out into the almost 30m high huge space. The inside of the cave was completely dark, but strong sun light came from the small mouth and lit up the inside wall. This suddenly inspired me with awe… ‘this is the holy place where the deity of the mountain and the sea meet. Animals in the mountain and sea also join to discuss about the law of nature. This place is not for human beings who break the law. If such a people come in, this huge rock ceiling might fall down….