Veronika Burgers’ works on the theme of women and labor based on physical expression.

This work was created based on a remote interview with Konkonzori, a traditional craft of the former Kuni village. Currently, there are only a few people in 70s to 90s who make sandals, and it is said that they have not been passed down to the next generation.

KonKon many parts of footage have a deep blue background. Konkonzori (traditional guest shoe) does not appear in the video. If the viewer can imitate the movement of his hand as if they were playing a game, they can hear the sound of sedges and the sound of a mallet. However, relying on the slight movements of the female hands against the background of the blue sheet, viewer will imagine the hand imitation of making “konkonzori” in a memorable situation. 

The blue sheet is known overseas as an impressive one that appears in the landscape during a disaster in Japan, especially in the news reports of 3.11. The viewer’s groping while staring at the deep blue unmarked world on the monitor seems to indicate the difficulty of reorganizing the destroyed world and the memory of history.

Due to the recent restrictions on activities caused by the new coronavirus, we are losing many oral and imitation traditional events and folk culture, and we are trying to utilize new devices while questioning the importance of connecting physical activities. 

Text by Takako Yamaguchi