twin concrete cube sculptures link rokko and berlin

fernsehen links Mount Rokko in Japan with Berlin, Germany

The project fernsehen establishes a dialogue between two landscapes with parallel histories of extraction and renewal: Mount Rokko in Japan and Berlin, Germany. Each site hosts an identical concrete structure, creating a paired installation that connects the two through live and recorded video transmission.

Mount Rokko was extensively quarried for granite during the Edo period, resulting in large-scale deforestation and environmental decline. During the Meiji era, deliberate reforestation efforts gradually restored the terrain. Today, the mountain carries the layered traces of both damage and recovery. Berlin, the artists’ base, reflects a similar cycle of destruction and regeneration through its urban history. fernsehen, conceived by Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo, situates itself within these contexts by installing twin cube-like sculptures in Rokko and Berlin. Each structure is punctuated by narrow tubular openings, recalling the form of telescopes. Within them, video devices project the view from the paired site: the Rokko installation displays Berlin’s urban activity, while the Berlin installation transmits images of Rokko’s natural environment.

all images courtesy of Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo

fernsehen operates as both a perceptual device and a monument

The recordings capture contrasting yet parallel realities. In Berlin, viewers see the passing of people, vehicles, and city rhythms. In Rokko, the images reveal vegetation, shifting weather, and animal movement. Together, these perspectives connect distant environments, framing the coexistence of natural and urban conditions.

The work by creatives Riku Ikegaya + Kohei Hayashi + Yu Kamijo, highlights the act of ‘seeing far’ not only as a spatial connection but also as a reflection on shared futures shaped by climate change, urbanization, and environmental pressures. Through this mediated exchange, fernsehen positions itself as both an apparatus for extending perception and a monument questioning the role of vision in shaping responsibility and possibility. The title references the German word for television, fernsehen, literally ‘to see far.’ Its etymology underscores the duality of distance and mediation, framing the installation as an exploration of how perception, technology, and context influence the way landscapes are understood across time and place.

fernsehen links Mount Rokko in Japan with Berlin, Germany