Berlin Diary: Thanks to My Ancestors
Shigeko Kubota
Japanese, 1937–2015
1981
A small cathode‑ray tube monitor whose screen is tied with twine to a handwritten ink page and a crystal, creating a miniature ritual object that brings personal memory into electronic form.
What arrests you is the contrast of the cold, glowing TV with a fragile blue‑ink page and sparkling crystal lashed to the screen—knots of rope literally bind intimate handwriting to broadcast technology.
Kubota transforms video equipment into sculptural reliquaries, linking early video art with feminist and autobiographical practices that use technology to preserve and honor personal and cultural memory.
Medium
Cathode-ray tube monitor, crystal, ink, and twine
Dimensions
9 x 8 x 11 in. (22.9 x 20.3 x 27.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Modern Women's Fund
Accession
244.2021
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
