Haegue Yang’s new commission work is featured in Ring of Fire – Solar Yang & Lunar Weerasethakul, a duo exhibition by Haegue Yang and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, at Matabe. Located in the Honmura area in Naoshima, Matabe was renovated under the command of Hiroshi Sambuichi, a Japanese architect based in Hiroshima, who reinterpreted the original traditional Japanese house to create a new exhibition space.

The title of the exhibition, “Ring of Fire,” refers to a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. Fed by data from earthquakes, the works operate in two different modes, namely ‘Day’ and ‘Night.’ While Yang’s works respond to real-time data collected during the daytime from 11 o’clock in the morning, Weerasethakul’s video installation is activated only after sunset, using existing historical data of earthquakes accumulated since 1900 over the past 124 years. Weerasethakul’s work is on view during its screening time in the evening.

Upon entering the exhibition space, the very first sculpture that greets the visitors is a tall white lantern piece titled Mesmerizing Votive Pagoda Lantern – Snow Volcano Ultramundane Flowers (2024). Lit by vibrant red light that pierces through the holes cut in ornamented patterns on its hanging body, the lantern is a ritualistic object for mourning. The work responds to real-time global seismic dataset. With data input, the lantern blinks before lighting up to the maximum, then slowly starts to rotate. If no seismic data is detected or if it is minimal, the lantern pauses its movement and remains in a standby mode while gently maintaining a red light.

Further into Matabe, two sonic sculptures, collectively titled Sonic Eruption Upside Down (2024), are hanging from a wooden beam akin to rafters. Shaped like inverted cones, they also operate based on real-time seismic data. Vibrating motors installed on metal plates covering a mesh of hanging bead chains oscillate the metal bells at varying intensities and durations according to the input data.

Additionally, six miniature volcanic totems titled Minor Eruption – Sonic Golden Wreath (2024) are placed both inside and outside of the house, crafted from papier-mâché, colored, and coated with lacquer. These small volcano totems resembling necklaces adorned with golden bell chains that are hidden throughout the house, function as totems of dangerous beauty.

Charged with multisensory experiences including the movement of light and shadow, the vibration of bells and hypnotic rotations, and the unsettling blinking of light, all of which are triggered by data from the earth, this collaborative conception of a total environment encompasses both Yang’s mesmerizing presentation and activation of physical sculptures, and Weerasethakul’s cinematic play on light and shadow, thus creating a dynamic and comprehensive interplay between the physical and ephemeral components within one site. The exhibition continues until 2027.