chiharu shiota's thread wrapped charred piano for art basel

chiharu shiota’s thread wrapped piano for art basel
image courtesy of art basel 

japaenese artist chiharu shiota presents ‘in silence’, a site-specific installation for art basel 2013 featuring an abandoned piano concert that has been wrapped a thick layer of black thread. the instrument reveals fire markings, having been burned, and sits completely charred in the middle of the space while two rows of empty chairs fan around it. the entire scene is concealed beneath a complex network of interwoven yarn, canvassing every element including the seats and incinerated piano. the wool strands are interconnected and respond to the architecture of the space by clinging to the gallery walls and twisting into the ceiling, translating the entire room into a massive webbed display.

autobiographical and cultural associations come into contact with her work. ‘in silence’ references shiota’s past and is influenced by a disturbing childhood memory in which she witnessed the house of her neighbor burning to the ground. the artwork is one of the artists best known installations and has traveled to several museums and art centers, in many variations on the theme. 
 

visitors interact with the thread installation at art basel
image courtesy of art basel 

piano concert that has been wrapped in thick layers of black thread
image courtesy of art basel  

‘in silence’ detached, hobart, australia, 2011
image courtesy of  chiharu shiota

‘in silence’ detached, hobart, australia, 2011
image courtesy of  chiharu shiota

‘in silence’ centre pasquart, biel, bienne, 2008
image courtesy of  chiharu shiota