INDEX
Bonsai: A Collection of Sleeping Memories
Was Sleeping Memory born from this idea?
Zvolinsky: Yes, the concept was sparked by a recent study from Nature Communications, conducted by Saitama University. It suggests that plants communicate with each other when they face danger. They don’t just send out signals; they also receive information. It’s like a form of communication in its own right.
Plants are “talking” to each other?
Zvolinsky: Yes, exactly. I started thinking, what if plants weren’t just communicating with one another, but were trying to communicate with humans as well? Of course, we can’t understand how plants convey information. But I thought, perhaps this could be expressed through abstract art. I first had an idea related to sound, and from there, the visual concept evolved.
What led you to make it interactive?
Zvolinsky: Well, creating a memory requires interaction, right? Without interaction, there’s no memory. Bonsai and humans engage in a kind of communication—whether it’s shaping the branches or adjusting the light. A craftsman might be “talking” to the bonsai in their own way. Even though bonsai can’t hear in the traditional sense, they might still feel the vibrations of sound. So, I thought it would be fascinating for viewers to interact with the digital bonsai themselves, even if only for a brief moment.
I see. Indeed, bonsai may be quite similar to your creative themes—an accumulation of memories, perhaps…
Zvolinsky: Exactly. When plants grow naturally, they don’t take on this kind of shape. But with bonsai, through communication with humans, they are shaped and can live for 100 or even 200 years if carefully nurtured. I imagine that inside bonsai, there are “sleeping memories.”
Did you have prior knowledge of bonsai?
Zvolinsky: Not in great detail, but I did take an online lecture around 2021. I had an interest in traditional Japanese culture, so I joined the session, which covered bonsai as well as tea ceremony and Japanese painting. Among all of them, bonsai left the strongest impression on me. This art form evolves over time, changes depending on the perspective, and is truly fascinating.
Like music, bonsai may share a quality of being an art form tied to time.
Zvolinsky: Yes, that’s right! The bonsai plum tree here has changed so much just over the past week. It only had one flower at first, but now it’s blooming so much more. Just like in tea ceremonies, the enjoyment of the seasonal changes in a piece is something uniquely Japanese.
Interestingly, Zvolinsky is also learning to play the shakuhachi. With a smile, he shared that he might be able to play “Sakura Sakura” by now.
