Aokigahara

Single channel HD video of a two channel video installation

Running time: 3:53

Aokigahara is one channel of Aokigahara | Nara, a two channel video piece that documents two different places in Japan, both known for their intense energy. The video pieces are projected on opposite ends from each other in a larger room and are separated by an unfinished wall with a door that connects the two spaces, allowing sound to overlap between the pieces. Each space has a reclaimed wood bench to provide a resting place for the viewer.

Aokigahara is a dark, thick forest situated at the base of Mount Fuji, born from the last lava flow there in 864 and is known as a site of fierce negative energy. Legend says it was also once a place where obasute (leaving old people in the wild to fend for themselves) was practiced. Later it was made famous by a story in which two lovers commit a suicide pact there. Today, Aokigahara is the number one spot for suicide in Japan.

Summer McCorkle

Summer McCorkle