_{Conversations with Time by Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett (2025). Commissioned by Art Front Tokyo for Art Setouchi Triennale, Sanuki-Tsuda, Japan.}

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Conversations with Time is a shimmering installation of lenses and silver chain cascading from the ancient pine trees of Tsuda-no-Matsubara, Japan. Forms rise from the sand like towering tree spirits, hearkening to the passage of time through the 600 year old forest.

For decades, both Tsuda Pine Grove and the surrounding community were shrinking. In the ’70s, many of the oldest trees in the forest died in a blight of pine beetles. Similarly, the surrounding town of Tsuda (like much of Japan) has experienced depopulation. Conversations with Time pays tribute to the trees that have fallen, and the people who have passed through this place.

Sunlight transforms the artwork throughout the day. From a distance, the installation towers in a crowd of watery figures. As you approach, the lenses become visible, multiplying the surrounding trees.

At night, light shines through the lenses, creating ghostly constellations of glittering stars. Bodies of water become bodies of light – a new reference to the passage of time, as it expands and contracts around you in the forest.

As the surrounding town experiences a new influx of growth, the ancient trees in Tsuda-no-Matsubara are a touchstone, a strong presence connecting the past with the future. Every visit to the forest is, in fact, a conversation with time. This artwork simply invites visitors to open their eyes and ears.

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_{Thank you to Art Front, our coordinators Wan Miao & Takafumi Shimooka, Director Fram Kitagawa, technicians Daigo Honma and Nakano, our inspiration Mr. Aki, our supporters at the City of Sanuki, the Koebi and Koebi Coordinators, Yamazaki-san & Kazu-chan, all the volunteers who helped, and the wonderful town of Sanuki-Tsuda for being unbelievably kind. The lenses were sourced secondhand through the Canadian Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre ~ Thank you, CLERC! Most importantly, thank you to these ancient trees for supporting our work and sharing conversations with time.}