Christian Boltanski's "No Man's Land" is both daunting and mesmerizing. It's difficult to take your eyes off the 20-ton mound of clothing, which at 9 meters tall dwarfs an accompanying crane that tosses on more T-shirts, trousers and dresses with a giant claw.
"There will also be the sound of heartbeats," said Miwa Worrall, a staff member of Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2012, who explained at last week's preview that a pulsing soundtrack drawn from Boltanski's worldwide "Heartbeat" project will add even more intensity to the visually arresting work.
"No Man's Land" is an adaptation of an installation that Boltanski originally created for the Grand Palais in Paris in 2010, and then later for the Park Avenue Armory in New York — and the sentiment behind it hasn't changed. Using discarded clothing to symbolize humans, Boltanski comments on what he suggests to be one of the most brutal losses for mankind: the loss of identity, individuality and memories.