I Am Still In New York — Keiko Miyamori

Daily Tree Rubbings in Glass case

Part 1 I am Still In New York (2020)

Part 2 I am Still In Japan (2021)

Part 3 TIME (2021 ~)

I Am Still In New York is a collection around resilience during the time of the Coronavirus pandemic, and an artistic project by Keiko Miyamori.
In this series, Keiko explores creating tree rubbings in her neighborhood each day, to observe the dichotomy between humanity and nature, in the urban landscape.

I Am Still In NY 2020 Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper — *I Am Still In NY* 2020 Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper

The first rubbing was created on April 20th 2020, the day Miyamori was scheduled to fly home to Japan, a flight that was delayed indefinitely.
While the city’s reaction to the pandemic intensified, Miyamori noticed that the trees existed just as they did, the birds continued to sing as they did before, revealing to her the contrast between society and nature.

Day 96    7.24.2020 Site Photo — Day 96 7.24.2020 Site Photo

Day 43    6.1.2020    Site Photo — Day 43 6.1.2020 Site Photo

Day 73    7.1.2020    Site Photo and Washi — Day 73 7.1.2020 Site Photo and Washi

Day 43    6.1.2020  Tree Rubbing on Washi — Day 43 6.1.2020 Tree Rubbing on Washi

“On the street,
in front of the beautiful house,
in trash,
with people,
by itself,
through a metal fence,
and so on.
The memories with
my neighbourhood
trees,
dropped in
transparent boxes.”

- Keiko Miyamori

I An Still In New York Detail — *I Am Still In New York Detail*

A deeper look into the process reveals weather-coded glass encasings, with the edge of each capsule corresponding to sunshine (silver), an overcast sky (gray) or rain (black).
Unique number codes are engraved on each box that serve as engrams to unidentified locations, trees and memories.
Miyamori’s optimism is reflected in the simple and pleasant title she gives each piece.

20168 5.21.2020 A beautiful sunny morning. Red roses, blue sky. Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper 8.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 cm — 20168 5.21.2020
A beautiful sunny morning. Red roses, blue sky.
Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper
8.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 cm

20089 5.8.2020 Cloudy afternoon after rain.Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper 8.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 cm — 20089 5.8.2020
Cloudy afternoon after rain.
Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper
8.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 cm

20405 7.6.2020 Rainy late afternoon. Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper8.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 cm — 20405 7.6.2020
Rainy late afternoon.
Washi, Charcoal, Glass, Tinned Copper
8.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 cm

I Am Still In New York is a human art, every element being handmade by Miyamori, and containing within it human imperfections.
As a result, no two pieces in the collection are identical.

Part 3 TIME

2021.10.11 ~ current

"TIME" is an Instagram-based project capturing the daily morning walks of Miyamori.　The project began when Miyamori's father, at age 97, was scheduled for cancer surgery, with uncertain outcomes.
"Since October 1, 2021, I’ve been collecting two small bark rubbings from the same spot every day. One of these is selected and placed in a handmade glass box. The box changes color based on the weather: silver on sunny days, black on rainy days (oxidation), gray on cloudy days, and white on snowy days.
People can choose a favorite piece from the bark rubbings displayed in the glass boxes. When they take a piece, a spare rubbing collected on the same day replaces it. The selected piece is then displayed in a blue glass box. The project ends when all bark rubbings are housed in blue boxes."
The daily bark rubbing photos often feature Miyamori’s father, mother, and sometimes their therapy cat, Maru, who passed away during the project.
"TIME" is an ongoing project that aims to visually preserve the final days of human connections.

The daily Rubbings in Instagram https://www.instagram.com/keiko_miyamori/