Listening Frog

Dried kelp, nutrient-infused glass sand, hourglass. Tokyo, Japan, 2025

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This installation represents both the danger of impending climate change and the hope that we will act to avert it. The sand falling through the hourglass reminds us that time is running out as levels of carbon emissions continue to rise. Yet the sand itself contains ferrous iron and phosphorus to nourish seaweed as it dissolves in the ocean, highlighting the work being done to preserve ocean health.

 

Listening to the sound of the falling sand is an origami frog crafted from dried kelp. The kelp frog represents the frog from the boiling frog parable, warning us that global sea temperatures are continuing to rise. It also represents the Japanese talisman for safe returns, “buji kaeru” 無事帰る, symbolizing hope for a safe return to a stable climate if we attune our behaviors to counter the threat.