Hikikomori (2019) is a site-specific installation consisting of a periscope extending from the interior of a traditional Japanese house through the roof. The exterior part of the periscope’s camera is embedded within a sculpture of a dog, often a symbol of the faithful awaiting the return of one’s loved ones from the sea. Confined to the home, one is only able to engage the outside world through peering through the home’s periscope. The work, while referring to the Awashima’s long naval history, also speaks to the aging population and the increasing difficulty of being meaningfully connected to the world outside of the island. Inside the one room home is a single size futon, some instant food provisions, magazines and newspapers and a series of watercolor paintings on paper, the Hikikomori Blues (2019).

The installation is meant to draw attention to the condition known in Japan as hikikomori, an agoraphobic condition where one is afraid to leave the home.

The installation was accesssible during the autumn phase of the Setouchi Triennale 2019.