Onsenscape
ARCUS Project
Research Residency
Ibaraki, Japan
2026
Found fragment of Joe Colombo’s KD28 (1967), 3D-printed element, petri dish, onsen water, sulfur, exciter, field recordings, electrical equipment.
Dimensions: 25 × 20 cm
In declining, abandoned onsen, I recorded the water with and without my body immersed in it. I bring water collected from the same springs back into circulation: the recordings return to it as vibrations. The body changes the sound of the water. When it is no longer there, the water continues to make sound.
Joe Colombo designed the KD28 in 1967, when plastic could still signify the future. Around the same time, Japanese onsen towns began to transform under the pressures of mass tourism. New wells, hotels, and resorts continue to be built today, while other places gradually deteriorate.
I found a damaged KD28 by Joe Colombo, already missing some of its parts. I reuse what remains, bringing it back into circulation.