Ishu Han: There is no one right way to see the world

Even a slight shift in perspective can open up a new way of seeing the world, says Ishu Han, a Japanese visual artist. At ArtCamp’s 20th anniversary edition, he led a workshop on creativity, instability, and human perception. He explains why each of us experiences the world differently.

Instability is often seen as something to be avoided. For Ishu Han of Joshibi University of Art and Design in Tokyo, however, it can serve as a stimulus, offering an entirely new way of looking at the world. At the 20th anniversary edition of the University of West Bohemia’s ArtCamp, Han led a workshop inspired by the architectural concepts of Japanese conceptual artist and architect Shūsaku Arakawa. Over the course of the week, participants created objects that altered how they saw, explored their surroundings from unfamiliar perspectives, and sought new relationships between their bodies and the world around them. In an interview for INFO.zcu, Han explained how even the slightest disruption of habitual perception can open up space for new experiences and encourage creativity.

Can you tell us a little about what happens in your workshop? What kinds of experiments do participants experience during the week?
This workshop is about changing the relationship between the body and the world. First, participants wear special glasses that change the angle of their vision and make sketches together. Then, each participant creates their own wearable device. When they wear these devices, their bodies become slightly different from usual and enter a slightly unstable state. This small change gives them a new perspective on the everyday world. These devices are not meant to be useful tools. Instead, they are a way to discover new relationships between the body and the world.

We often think we all see the same world. Do you believe that's true? Or does everyone create their own reality?
I don't think we all experience the same world. We may look at the same place, but our bodies, memories, and experiences are all different. Because of that, each of us experiences the world differently. My workshop is not about finding the "correct" way to see the world. It is about discovering that our perception can always change.

I hope that by seeing the world from a slightly different perspective, participants will discover new questions and new possibilities within the ordinary world they thought they already knew. I hope those questions will gradually develop into their own forms of expression.

After this week, what do you hope participants will notice differently when they walk, for example, when walking through a city?
I hope participants realize that the city is not just a fixed environment, but something they experience through their own bodies. If they continue to explore their own cities with curiosity, I think the workshop has achieved its purpose.