Photo by Julia Blaukopf

About

Leeway Foundation

ARTE FUSE, (Interview with Keiko Miyamori by Nick Rogers, 2016)

Toshiharu Omuka, (Surface of Being 2015), Professor, University of Tsukuba

Charles Nordlander , (Birdcage and Gilded Boat 2011)

Benjamin Morse, (Keiko Miyamori 2012)

Howard E. Smith, Author of "An Oak Tree Dies and a Journey Begin"

W inifred Lutz, Artist

Dr. Rose Lee Hayden , International Consultant/Writer

Benjamin Morse, Philosopher

Toshiharu Omuka, (DIALOGOS 1996 - Conditions of Contemporaries)

Artist STATEMENT

I am conscious of the various surfaces that surround me. Surfaces are clues to how I experience the world. From them I become aware of the layer of existence I inhabit between layers of time and space. I visualize the transparent yet conspicuous thickness around me and the countless waves that connect me. Eventually, my surface links with other surfaces and I become part of a connection. Feeling those connections permeates deeply into my being.

I like to imagine merging the conflicts of the world and creating some balance for the disconnected, distorted and cut off. Their layers of space need to be re-connected. I use trees; trees on public or private land, in cities or forests, as reminders of our connections.

It can be a superficial world, but its surfaces lead to something more. They provide an opportunity to think about the ways we are unified with our environment; allowing us to see that we exist in the space between and around other objects. I think of people existing beyond their physical selves, where time and distance are less meaningful, and caring for the environment is synonymous with caring for others and ourselves.