UMUI, 2019

Video (8:46), Silkscreen printed text on fabric, Notebooks

The installation UMUI reveals the distortions occurring in the translation of three languages which are German, Japanese and a regional language in Okinawa which is an island, located in south of Japan and where the artist comes from. In the video, three native speakers German, Japanese and Okinawa language sing a folk song which was written in Ryukyu, the original language in Okinawa. Since 1871 Okinawa had been conquered by Japan and Ryukyu language had been forbidden to speak among the local people, as they were forced to live under Japanese government. Today the language is in danger of dying out. The lyrics were translated by the artist from Ryukyu to Japanese and Japanese to German. However, as she lacks full proficiency in all three languages, more and more errors and distortions enter the text by each conversion. This creates a certain tension and awkwardness among the three speakers when they are confronted with the text which was written in their native language but including a distinct sense of otherness. Their estrangement and discontent while having to sing and speak these lyrics is captured in the video and is transmitted as well to the audience.

UMUI (Ryukyu language): love, passion, thoughts, mind