Nestled in the Japanese Alps, Omachi City has a unique relationship with water. In the winters, the shrinking city is blanketed with thick snow, while its summers are wet with heavy rain. It also boasts winding rivers, stunning mountainside lakes, and hot springs. The city's natural surroundings have inspired a striking, site-specific installation composed of 14,000 prescription lenses.

Created by Canadian artists Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett for the Northern Alps Arts Festival, A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm towers like a suspended rainstorm within one of Omachi's lush cedar forests. The installation invites viewers into a dazzling enclosure, created from dangling eyeglass lenses that are organized into a pair of concentric circles. Recalling morning dew drops or falling rain, these lenses capture the forest's soft light and encourage its visitors to experience what could otherwise be overlooked.

"Lenses have an inherent language that invites you to look, longer and more deeply than you might otherwise," Brown and Garrett tell My Modern Met. "In the case of [this installation], a person sees tiny landscapes, caught inside each lens. They see the forest and the lake. They see each other."

As with other works by Brown and Garrett, A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm ignites pure immersion, beckoning its visitors to break its curtain and step inside.

"There are many ways to immerse yourself in our artworks," Brown and Garrett continue, "but the important thing is the direct connection between the viewer, the artwork, and all the messy and marvelous complexities of the world we occupy together."

The installation unfolds along a circular path, gently guiding viewers toward its center. As they progress through the layers of lenses, their bodies "warp, pixelated by shifting optics," as Brown and Garrett write.

"When a person peers through thousands of eyeglasses, they see the diversity of the human experience. [With this installation], they also see raindrops, dew, polka dots, pixels!"

At the artwork's center is a circular bench curving around the base of a tree, offering viewers the opportunity to sit, reflect, and absorb Omachi's distinct topography. Once they depart, visitors encounter the nearby Nishina Shrine, which runs alongside the shore of Lake Kizaki.

"[We felt] the quality of a carefully imagined context during every phase of the project," Brown and Garrett say, "[including] the kindness of the Shrine Keeper next door who told us stories and gave us lucky charms."

A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm also features repurposed materials. The installation's prescription lenses were sourced secondhand through the Canadian Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre (CLERC) in Calgary/Mohkinstsis. With an eye toward sustainable solutions and audience connectivity, this installation is an evocative journey through sight, water, and a remarkable landscape.

"It's all too seldom we work with a team that believes so deeply in the power of art," Brown and Garrett say of creating the artwork in Japan. "We really felt that magic in Omachi."

A Whisper in the Eye of the Storm is on view in Omachi through November 4, 2024. You can learn more about the artists on Caitlind r.c. Brown and Wayne Garrett's website.