<div><p><strong><em><a></a></em></strong></p><p>Two bird’s-eye-view projects are the artist’s contribution to the World Weather Network’s global web of climate-conscious art&nbsp;</p></div><p><strong></strong></p>

As told to Skye Sherwin

Hiroshi Sugimoto on humanity’s relationships to time, Earth, and (outer) space

<p>‘I am creating two conceptually related works for the World Weather Network. One concerns images taken with Sony’s space camera. When Sony and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency first approached me to create work using a camera on a space satellite, I was surprised. What can I do from outer space? The satellite floats 500 kilometers above the earth’s surface. To me, that’s not far enough! Five hundred kilometers is the distance from New York to Pittsburgh. You go 500 kilometers up to see the surface of Earth? It’s almost like climbing a mountain to see the sea. </p><p>‘Most spaceships have a window to the Earth. From there, you see that the planet’s surface is covered by very thin layers of air. It’s extremely fragile. If we touch it, we could lose it. My photography of the earth will explore these different perspectives from space. I’ve also created a project concerning solstices at the arts and culture center that I designed, the Enoura Observatory, which overlooks Sagami Bay in Odawara, Japan. In 2022, I took photographs and live footage of both the summer and winter solstices, with the sun rising over the sea. </p>

<p>‘I’ve worked with seascapes for a long time. The view of the sea today might be the same scene that the first humans looked upon in prehistoric times. I was curious as to how humans gained consciousness. Firstly, you have to define yourself against your surroundings: Who am I and where am I? This led to a need for language: “human”, “sea”, “sun”, “earth”. The cycles of the sun and the moon, and the changing of the seasons led to a consciousness of time. For me, the solstices confirm our existence in place and time. My photographs of these astronomical phenomena indirectly connect to issues of global warming. My project is about realizing who we are, where we came from, and where we are going.</p>

<p>‘When you think of the history of humans and the planet, everything is always changing. It’s only been 300,000 years since humans appeared between ice ages. Time passes and the global conditions that support us keep changing. Nothing stays the same, even the concept of time. Now, one year is 365 days. But 360 million years ago, during the Devonian period, one year was 400 days. I have a different sense of time in terms of the past and the future. We may not exist forever. Extinction is part of nature, and we belong to that phenomenon.</p>

<p>‘Nine years ago, I curated the exhibition “Lost Human Genetic Archive” at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, exploring the poetic ways we’ve imagined our future extinction throughout history. At the time, I thought it was a joke, but it’s already becoming a reality. Global warming is a very big issue for us, and climate collapse is a real possibility. Capitalism’s drive for constant growth and productivity is a dead end, yet we cannot stop expanding. We have to find a reason not to grow. Of course, we can work to do something about it. Artists can show the beauty of what we are losing. As we confront this crisis, I want to put forward time consciousness as the axis for a new perspective. I believe that, if we return to the ancient habits of observing the heavens, we will find inklings that point to our future.’</p>

<p>
	Part of a series of stories on the&nbsp;
	<a href="http://worldweathernetwork.org" target="_blank">World Weather Network</a>, a constellation of 28 artist-created weather stations around the world, initiated by Artangel in London in response to climate change.&nbsp;
</p>
<p>
	<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artist/8466/Hiroshi-Sugimoto" target="_blank">Hiroshi Sugimoto</a> is represented by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1520/Fraenkel-Gallery" target="_blank">Fraenkel Gallery</a> (San Francisco),&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1198/Marian-Goodman-Gallery" target="_blank">Marian Goodman Gallery</a> (New York, London, and Paris), and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/gallery/1559/Gallery-Koyanagi" target="_blank">Gallery Koyanagi</a> (Tokyo).
</p>
<p>
	Skye Sherwin is an art writer based in Rochester, UK. She contributes regularly to 
	<em>The Guardian</em> and numerous art publications.
</p>
<p>
	Published on February 15, 2023.
</p>
<p>
	Caption for full-bleed image: Hiroshi Sugimoto, <em>Caribbean Sea, Jamaica</em> (detail), 1980. &copy; Hiroshi Sugimoto.</p>

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Two bird’s-eye-view projects are the artist’s contribution to the World Weather Network’s global web of climate-conscious art 

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Two bird’s-eye-view projects are the artist’s contribution to the World Weather Network’s global web of climate-conscious art

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