text: Review: Mariko Mori: Rebirth | MouthLondon
  The latest exhibition at The Royal Academy explores notions of death, rebirth and energy.
  Aimed to coincide with the winter solstice last year, the show presents some of Mori's famous works from the past eleven years, including photographs, works on paper, sculptures and installations.
  The first work in the exhibition is one of the most interesting, entitled Tom Na H-Iu II, the work is a large sculpture made of glass, which contains LED lights connected to a computer at Kamioka Observatory at the Insitute for Cosmic Ray Research in Japan. The observatory records energy emitted from the explosion of a star. Shown in a dark space, the work creates an immersive and intriguing environment and one which sets the tone for the rest of the show.
  …creates a calming immersive atmosphere…
  The relation between art and science continues throughout the show, also focusing on the death and rebirth of a star. To explore this relationship The Royal Academy has organized an event entitled 'Mariko Mori and Professor Brian Cox: Art meets Science'.
  The show also draws on themes of archaeology in Primal Memory, and ritual in Transcircle 1.1 which involves small glass LED sculptures on a time loop which surround each other in a circle. The piece makes the viewer think of rituals and monuments, including Stonehenge. The light Mori uses is softer than other artists who use the medium such as Dan Flavin, which creates a calming immersive atmosphere. There is, however, a negative point in the show, when compared to the other delicate and beautiful works, Mori's video showing her Sun Pillar piece does not stand out. The photographs of the piece are exquisitely taken, but the photography and the video pieces cannot be compared to the quiet physicality of the sculptures and installations.
  …immersive and visually intriguing…
  Overall, this is a beautiful show. The sculptures and installations are the stand out works in the exhibition. They are immersive and visually intriguing and part of a show which encourages the viewer to get close to the works and be truly absorbed by the experience