"Helms Alee", Performance Video and Happening, 1999-present

This project documents the flow of wind in urban and rural settings.  The wind current becomes a metaphor for my psyche.  The more I clutter my mind, the more it is difficult for my spirit to travel in a natural harmonious manner, thus creating dissonance. In rural, open, landscapes the consistent winds allow me to travel in a direct course with clarity of mind.  In large cities, buildings impede the wind flow creating crosscurrents; cars and buses zoom by and blow harsh puffs of toxic smoke; and the landscape of foot traffic constantly and busily changes.  Navigating such an urban environment by means of my hand held sail is fraught with confusion:  tacking back and forth endlessly, wild accidental gibes only to be thrown into irons, being pushed backwards by the current and even ending up going in a totally opposite direction as I intended to go.  Sadly, where the wind lulled and my sails luffed I found myself in a sea of vagrants, undoubtedly harboring themselves from their own turbulent psyches, Being able to physically see the consequence of these invisible forces on my sail enlightens my own sensitivity towards the spiritual pressures imposed by living in a densely populated setting.   

 

The difficulty in working in a non studio environment is the task of translating the outdoor experience into an object to be viewed in an indoor setting.  The hand sails can be used for pedisailing, but are made specifically for the gallery. They represent a sculptural metaphor for the actual walking performance.  As an avid traveler I have included many of the places in which the pedisailing has been performed.  I most recently performed a pedisail  on the Australian East Cost at location called Jigamy.  Places/cultures are represented by the type of sails, as well as symbols. Over the years these symbols have included: Tino Rangatiratanga (Maori independence flag) from New Zealand, Western Samoa, Kanak Independence flag from New Caledonia, as well as burgees from Otago Yacht Club (New Zealand), Rarotonga Yacht Club, Catalina Yacht Club, and Chula Vista Yacht Club.

 

Yoshimi Hayashi, 2013