The Problem of History 太宰府天満宮境内アート解説 / The Problem of History

Official explanation

This unassuming white garden chair may seem unloved and neglected, but in Simon Fujiwara’s piece it stands as a monument to survivors of war. Though the chair may appear to be plastic, it is actually made of bronze. Metal was in high demand during World War II and many bronze shrine sculptures were melted down to make weapons. Will this chair be able to avoid the fate of those wartime sculptures? Perhaps the branches of the tree will intervene and hoist it up out of reach. Maybe hiding in plain view as an “everyday item” will protect it from the ravages of the future. Indeed, what will “everyday item” even mean one thousand years from now?

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.