Pure Land
Mariko Mori’s “Pure land” is a photographic art piece but also the counterpart of Mori's 3D video installation, Nirvana, in 1997. Nirvana animates the imagery we see in Pure Land and makes the viewers of the piece active participants in its spiritual imagery. Viewed within a darkened room with the aid of 3D glasses, Nirvana’s audience was limited to a group of 20 people at a time. During the seven minute video, the central female figure would hum and whisper echoed rhythms as if meditating, while the little musicians floated around her. At the conclusion, a fan came on and blew cool, scented air into the audience’s faces. The intimacy of this artwork inside a dark room could certainly produce emotions akin to those felt within a religious building.