How can we raise public awareness of the interdependence between ocean currents and the Earth's climate?
Thunderfish is a mediation project designed for Minato Lab, a Japanese platform that “connects the ocean and people through learning.”
After initial fieldwork—which included several visits and meetings in Japan’s Akita Prefecture—the connection between this region and the ocean became apparent in the form of the hata hata fish, which takes its name from the sound of thunder that heralds its arrival on the coast.
Using a story, a kamishibai, and sound-making objects, a narrator invites listeners to discover the life of the hata hata, shaped by the relationship between the sky, the mountains, and the sea.
Using kamishibai, he narrates the movements of the elements that guide the hata hata. Each new illustration is accompanied by a sound produced by an instrument representing rain, thunder, wind, etc.
The Minato Lab team carries out the project during outreach activities with students (from kindergarten through high school) in Akita Prefecture, and in collaboration with community education facilities, museums, art museums, and galleries nationwide.
The sound objects were crafted in Japan by artisans using traditional materials such as wagge wapa, jumangi washi, and cedar wood.
Titre : Hyuuu Gorooo Zazaaan Thunderfish
Illustrations : Isabelle Daëron
Texte : Yoshiko Nagai
Conception, édition et production : 3710Lab
Conception des objets : Studio Idaë
Production : Nakano Mokko, Shibata Yoshinobu Shoten, Jumonji-Washi Club
Photos : Kohei Yamamoto
D’après un concept du Studio Idaë
Avec le soutien de la Fondation Nippon