Fireflies on the Water

Fireflies on the Water

Sterling Foster
Installation Art

Imagine walking up to the outside of a cube-shaped structure. There’s a single door leading into the cube. There’s nothing else on the outside of the cube but the door. The cube is painted all white, and it appears to be as if the door was part of the wall of the museum. Before looking at what’s on the other side of the door, it becomes very noticeable that on the other side of the entryway is a mirror. The height of the mirror seems small compared to what is seen on the other side. Inside the room becomes something of another reality, and what’s outside of the room is forgotten quickly. Another world is on the other side of this entryway. It’s extraordinary!

As the door closes, it becomes dark except for the lights that are in this room. Viewers stand upon a single pathway. This pathway resembles a boat. It’s as if you are sailing endlessly, but without the movement.  Eyes become drawn to the dozens of lights spread across the room. They are tiny, and can be compared to the size of a single Christmas light. However, the fact that there are many of these holiday-like lights makes the room come into focus. Reflections of the viewer appear everywhere, as about a dozen mirrors surround the room. They create an amazing sight, and the room materializes into this endless cycle. The room seems as though it keeps going on and on, but the mirrors are so close to one another, and it creates an illusion. The room starts to play tricks on the eyes and so the lights become more and more distant.

In this video, a visitor experiences Fireflies on the Water (2002), an installation in which artist Yayoi Kusama explores ideas of the infinite.

Looking back at the lights, they are glowing all sorts of different colors. They shine bright onto the surfaces below. Some of the lights appear to be floating as they are so close to one another. The reflection on the water makes the lights more visible to the naked eye. It counteracts the effects of the illusion from staring at the
wall. The lights flicker on and off, as colors of red, sunlight yellow, light blue, and green turn on and off. You can see strings that hold these lights together, but the fact of seeing the reflection off the water makes it even
more realistic to say that the lights are floating. There appears to be a spirit or soul of some kind within each of these lights that keeps them together.

Down below the viewer’s feet, is a surface of water. The water is calm as it sways back and forth ever so slightly. The lights above help make the water come to life. The water looks deep enough to swim in, but shallow enough to stand in all at the same time. It creates the illusion that something’s hidden within the darkness and is beneath this facade of mystery. The water moves with the observer’s own movements. It’s not hard to become entranced with its movement, and a sense of serenity and zen suddenly fills the room.

Going back to the mirrors, they reflect the room’s appearance in detail back to the viewer’s eyes. Light is able to bounce off and back and forth between each mirror. As they are surrounding the room, it’s noticeable that there are mirrors above as well. It feels as though the room is a part of another dimension, one filled with lights and mirrors. It could only be described as something out of a science-fiction type movie. There’s no ability to touch the mirrors, only sight is an important factor here in this installation.

Finally, the sound that fills up the room is silence. There’s no music playing to add to the already tranquil feeling in the room. However, given the factors of the bright lights and water, the ability to focus on being peaceful is not hard to achieve. What is only heard in this room are the sounds of a heartbeat, a breath or two, the lights swishing back and forth slowly, and the water moving and vibrating underneath the pathway. The soundless room gives the ability to concentrate on the peacefulness and push away the chaos that might come to mind when looking at the reflections, coming from every side. It is a place to become one with the inner self. It’s a place to calm the body and mind.

Yayoi Kusama in her Fireflies on the Water installation

Fireflies on the Water was one of 20 infinity-mirrored rooms that artist Yayoi Kusama designed. The idea was to create an installation that could let viewers transcend into another time. This allowed Kusama to experiment with virtual spaces. Kusama’s overall motive behind this work was to create an illusion for individuals to see. Yayoi wanted others to experience some sort of hallucinations, similar to that of what Yayoi experienced during her childhood. Whatever the mind creates is our own. Fireflies on the Water allows individuals to see if they experience any sort of hallucination.

Repetition is key when it comes to Kusama’s work. That’s what Kusama’s artwork is mainly known for. This is true for many of the infinity-mirrored rooms Kusama created, like Fireflies on the Water. As viewers scan the room and stare into one of the dozen mirrors that surround them, the thought of becoming entrapped within an endless journey feels all too real. With there being more than just one mirror, there’s an emphasis being put on the nature of one’s state of mind. Kusama has dealt with mental health issues before, due in part because of the hallucinations and family issues surrounding abuse and affairs. Kusama believes that with repetition, we are able to keep out all the distressing noises in our life and explore something amazing: “This effect of continual repetition calls out to the human senses, and in return, deep inside of our hearts we yearn for true amazements”.

“This effect of continual repetition calls out to the human senses, and in return, deep inside of our hearts we yearn for true amazements”
— PBS Newshour: Yayoi Kusama Interview

PBS Newshour Interview with Yayoi Kusama

But in order to deal with a chaotic mental state, Kusama thought it would be best to transform art into a coping mechanism or stress reliever. In Fireflies on the Water, the fact that there’s only the sound of water moving about in the room, allows for visitors to calm their senses. Kusama had put music in some of the other infinity-mirrored installations she created, but not in this particular piece. The mind, being the strongest muscle in our body, can only help us concentrate if it’s in a stable place. Kusama wanted no distractions in this installation, which is another reason why only one person is allowed in the room for a limited amount of time. Mika Yoshitake, curator of the Hirshhorn Museum, explains that with Kusama creating these types of installations to give a sense of trying to control and calm our inner beings: “It's about life. It’s about confronting our mortality. It’s about the clarity of vision and also perception”.

“It’s about life. It’s about confronting our mortality. It’s about the clarity of vision and also perception”
— PBS Newshour

If one is trying to calm the mind while exploring this art installation, then why is that there are lights covering the entire room? The reflections of the 150 small-colored lights that bounce off the mirrors and water calls for the meditative experience. If there were no lights involved with this piece, or any of Kusama’s other infinity-mirrored rooms, then the point of the mind being part of the bigger picture fades away. The viewer would end up losing sight, metaphorically and literally, of the entire installation if they just sat in an entirely dark space. Fireflies on the Water allows for the lights to act along with the peaceful feeling in the small, but endless space. A curator for the Whitley Museum of American Art explains the lights’ meaning for what the sense of feeling it creates: “The lights feel natural, as if they are fireflies on a tranquil summer’s nights”. Nature allows for people to think deeply and contemplate about life. What is life? Why do we exist? That’s exactly why these lights were put in this space. It was to drive one’s perceptions and feelings beyond that of the space that encapsulates them. To calm the mind and reach far beyond all thoughts.

“The lights feel natural, as if they are fireflies on a tranquil summer’s nights”
— Whitley Museum

Yayoi’s mirror installations are not the only infinite art pieces in their collections. The Infinity Nets series is also based on similar aspects. Kusama expressed a disdain for Japan’s lifestyle in the 1950's through the creation of these pieces. Infinity Nets paintings were created in order to let Yayoi’s emotions free and calm the mind. Meditation is a result of viewing these art pieces as well. The fact that each one is set up on one large canvas allows viewers to become entranced and feel like they are drowning. It also ends up feeling natural in a way. In addition, repetition is also a noticeable theme within this series. With Kusama’s love towards the ocean, the creation of small little arcs helped set up the painting(s) for a more complex theme or emotion. Obsession is displayed within these “nets”, controlling the inner thoughts and forcing the mind to twist. In an article by Phillips.com, it explains that production of these artworks took over an hour and Yayoi got lost into the painting. For Yayoi to create many of these “infinity nets”, it was able to become something that was unbreakable in life. To try to control something, but also become lost, become contradicting ideas, and that’s what Phillips.com explores: “Infinity-Nets presents two competing obsessions, the confronting confinement of repetition and reckless indulgence of losing control”.

Kusama painting one of her Infinity Nets on a large canvas

“Infinity-Nets presents two competing obsessions, the confronting confinement of repetition and reckless indulgence of losing control”
— Phillips.com

Chilean Artist Ivan Navarro has had trouble coping with the past as well. Growing up during the reign of dictator Augusto Pinochet, Ivan often had fears of being stolen from his family while there was trouble with the corrupt government stealing electricity from the people. Ivan created an infinite drum sculpture that incorporated light and words. The sculpture, called Come To Daddy, helps with the endless cycle of thoughts by incorporating mirrors into the art piece as well. The message that has been produced from this piece draws in viewers emotions and the thought of control. How can we control these different emotions within each one of us? That’s what Ivan’s piece was exploring. Even though it was much more personal, Come To Daddy exhibits the same theme of restraining the inner chaos while being drawn into an illusion.

Come To Daddy by Ivan Navarro

Come To Daddy by Ivan Navarro

Anxiety has a tendency to push us down a cliff. It feels like we are falling into an endless abyss. In comparison of these two pieces, Infinity Nets and Come To Daddy do one thing….and that’s to help us open ourselves up. The feelings of worryness and fear are always boxed up inside of us. If we don’t realize that, then situations that involve these kinds of feelings will end up turning out really bad for us, However, these pieces help and/or teach individuals about calming ourselves in stressful events. What can we do to look beyond the discord in everyday life and learn to take each day, one at a time. These pieces of art that Yayoi and Ivan created turn something made out of disarray and makes it into hopefulness and brightness. That’s what they want visitors who view their work to understand.

Fireflies on the Water helps explore the mind and mental health in a different experience. There’s no therapist, no counselor, just the person viewing the installation. It allows the viewer to understand what life truly means. What can be controlled in it’s own way and what we can control. This installation is small in size, but it does the job of opening up all feelings and thoughts. The added notion of there being only one person experiencing the installation adds to the value of not only it’s meaning, but beauty as well. In all fairness, the beauty adds to the meaning in so many ways. The lights and it’s reflection on all things in the room pop out and bring out the zen. The water counteracts the quietness produced by the room as although there is no music, it doesn’t make the viewer feel uneasy. The mirrors add the final and most important touch as it gives something to inspect for long periods of time. That is the reflection of an individual. It makes it easier to understand a person is able to realize what a part of them is all about. That’s why Yayoi Kusama created this piece and many others like it. To help not only herself, but others recognize who they truly are on the inside.

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