The performative installation "The Garden of Equilibrium" is a project by the choreographer and performer Yoshie Shibahara. The upper part of the artothek is separated from the lower part by a thin layer, a membrane in the form of a foil. Depending on the light and the position of the viewer, its optical permeability changes. It appears transparent or reflective and thus opaque.

"The Garden of Equilibrium" is essentially inspired by the Mihokan Atrium in Shimane, Japan, Yoshie Shibahara's hometown. The former ryokan (travel guesthouse) was built in the architectural sukiya style of pre-industrial Japan, with the characteristic relationship between inside and outside. The central interior space of the atrium was also an exterior space: a garden.

In Yoshie Shibahara's work a central role is played by "original landscapes", which every person has, shaped by early childhood, deeply anchored in the heart. Often these landscapes are imaginary rather than real ones. "The Garden of Equilibrium" takes the audience on a journey into their own "original landscapes" and offers a new form of perception and experience.

Our perception always oscillates between consciousness and subconsciousness. The border, which can be experienced visually as a separating layer in the "Garden of Equilibrium", becomes increasingly permeable over time and draws attention to things and phenomena that escape our conscious perception. It is an invitation to reflect on these things in a new way.

Yoshie Shibahara: Artistic direction/concept/installation/performance
Susanne Kubelka: Live music/visual collaboration/performance
Egbert Mittelstädt: Realisation lighting and technology
David N. Koch: Dramaturgical collaboration
Shoko Matsuyama: Design

Co-production with artothek - Space for Young Art
Supported by the Kunststiftung NRW and the Cultural Office of the City of Cologne.
With the kind support of the nrw Landesbüro Tanz and Mihokan Atrium.