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Mr.
Kawamata led this strange event of a wooden horserace in a very
fun and relaxed atmosphere. As there is a thin line between reality
and fiction, it was difficult to separate the two in this event.
There is reality and fiction in media, in the virtual reality and
reality, and in actual products and their images in the consumer
structure… fiction and reality are always simultaneously present
in our lives. People gathered in the actual Obihiro Racehorse Track
under the blue sky. The jockeys were real riders who came from the
horse-riding club of Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary
Medicine. Furthermore, the fanfare and announcers were real. The
only difference was that the horses were not real. They were wooden
steeds. Race tickets were issued and people could bet on their favorites.
Not
worrying about these strange situations, Mr. Kawamata cheerfully
directed the process of the event. The five wooden horses were
named like real horses: “Obihiro Sky” “Tokachi
Teiou”, “Iwamizawa Oroshi,” “Daisetsu Asahikawa,”
and “Hokkai Kitami.” The event was seriously planned
and structured.
With a fanfare, each horse began to run. Five jockeys skillfully,
albeit awkwardly (!), moved the horses forward. Even the jockeys
who had good beginnings had to get off the horses and change directions
when their wooden horses got “off track.”
The
race excited the people and made them laugh and cheer. One of
my friends had said, “Do you think a wooden horserace could
possibly be exciting?” Well, this delicate balance of Mr.
Kawamata’s serious commitment to this joke, as well as the
co-present reality and fiction, makes it an artwork.
After the race, people left speaking about their excitement and
what they thought of the race. In the heat of the summer, the
wooden horses were abandoned to the harsh sun. They somehow looked
left out and there was this sense of sadness. It is true that
what is NOT real sometimes touches you in a strange way.
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