In creating The Stream VI, Hiroya Sakurai envisaged the work as a ‘ballet,’ using the sound and the movement of the algae and water.

With the waterway acting as a theatre, Sakurai filmed the choreography of the algae as it flows through the stream. The video was filmed with a waterproof camera on a slider dolly. Using this device Sakurai created a simulated experience for the viewer, which enables them to feel like they are existing within the work, walking through the waterway.

In the man-made waterways of rice paddies, the water in nature must follow artificial rules. In that way, nature is made abstract, giving rise to a new form of beauty distinct from the natural state. The theme of this work is the liveliness of the water, as it follows the man-made course.

Curatorial advisor: Kisito Assangni