Like the air we breathe
In this work, Ryan Gander asks you to consider whether the most precious things in life are visible to the eye. In the Shinto religion, kami, or deities, manifest themselves in multiple forms, including waterfalls, trees, rocks, and animals. While these forms are not “precious” per se, they nevertheless represent the essence of people’s belief in the divine. Buried beneath this wooden pillar is a time capsule packed full of “precious” items donated by 75 children from the kindergarten adjacent to Dazaifu Tenmangu. These items were put in an airtight container and placed underground; the only evidence of their existence is this wooden pillar emblazoned with pictograms of each object.