WHEN OUR PATHS COLLIDE

2024

This sculpture draws inspiration from the salt trade history of Omachi City. With no rock salt as a natural resource in Japan, salt could only be harvested from the shores of the Sea of Japan, which was then transported inland from the coastal areas. These transport routes were commonly known as “Salt Roads” and one of these historic routes ran through Omachi City, which was ancient enough to be mythologized in the “Kojiki” – an early chronicle of Japanese myths. Drawing from this history, Awartani’s artwork takes the form of a geometric sculpture that is nestled within the landscape of Omachi’s forests. Made from locally sourced materials, the cubic shape of the artwork takes inspiration from the geometry of salt crystals which are crystalline structures that form, when salt does not have any impurities, through ionic bonding of sodium and chloride. This natural phenomenon is commonly found on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan and Palestine where the artist is from. The artwork pays homage to the shared history of salt as well as the important role it played in the development of Omachi City. As a commodity it had an immeasurable impact on the development of the human civilization, it was a valuable commodity throughout history and has played a role in society and economics, wars, and trade routes, and even language and literature. Cities, states, kingdoms, and empires have risen and fallen, because of it. 

Installation shot of When Our Paths Collide at the Northern Alps Festival 2024. Pine wood, paint, 275 cm x 275 cm x 275 cm. Images courtesy of the Artist and Northern Alps Festival