Shusaku Arakawa

The Mechanism of Meaning(No.2)4. The Energy of Meaning (Biochemical, Physical and Psychophysical Aspects) 

c.1963-1988
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Artist

Shusaku Arakawa

Date

c.1963-1988

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimentions

244.0×173.0cm

Accesion Number

AS-005-16~19

The Energy of Meaning  refers not only to physical energy, but also to the forces that give rise to various forms of change, such as the growth of living organisms and the workings of the human mind. In this diagram, meaning is understood not as something that exists inherently within words or symbols, but as something that emerges through diverse processes and transformations, including natural phenomena, the movement of objects, and human perception and emotion.
The areas not indicated by arrows or labels represent forces and relationships that have not yet been named, or that usually remain unnoticed. When we make sense of the world, we tend to focus on what is visible or can be explained through language. Yet behind these apparent phenomena, many unseen processes are constantly at work.
For example, a plant growing through exposure to sunlight, an object moving or changing its form, and a person seeing, feeling, or thinking can all be understood as manifestations of different kinds of energy. This diagram encourages us to look not only at visible events, but also at the invisible forces behind them, and to consider how meaning comes into being through their interactions.

Shusaku Arakawa

Artist

Shusaku Arakawa

Date

c.1963-1988

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimentions

244.0×173.0cm

Accesion Number

AS-005-16~19