11 - 27 September 2026
Exhibition: Minami-No-Tori
Centraal Museum Utrecht
Lyrics Minami-No-Tori︎
Minami-Torishima, Southern Bird Island, is a tiny Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean where scientists believe a seemingly endless supply of rare metals lies buried 6,000 meters deep in the seabed. These are all the metals required for smartphones, wind turbines, batteries, and computers. These rare-earth elements (REEs) are the holy grail of the modern age. Yet mining them would undoubtedly cause immense damage to the oceans and marine life. Minami-no-tori laments the bittersweet reality of a society consumed by greed and ultimately destroying itself. Humanity continues to dream of more and better, only to discover that the Earth and the universe eventually reclaim control.
Minami-no-tori [Southern Bird] is not only a film but also an audiovisual installation. Visitors walk through a space featuring eight large screens. On each screen, a singer appears; together, they form an eight-part choir. They sing, “Minami-no-tori, the southern bird will guide you.” They sing, “Nothing is heavier than gold when you're drowning.” Standing at the center, you feel immersed in a sea of voices, with all eight singers equally present and equally loud, surrounding you from every direction.
Credits
Singers: Olga Grammatikopoulou, Sean Bell, Maria Eichler, Maryana Golovchenko, Iolaysa Braga Tavares, Ishtar Bakhtali, Alba Roorda Martinez, Emily Pahlawan
Music and concept: Daniel Cross
Lyrics: Andriana Minou
Editing: Niels Dekker
Sound mix: Mikel le Roy
Sound recording: Ira Helffrich
Camera: Sami El Hassani, Rosa Krastel
1st AC: Tristan Adelaar
Gaffer: Erwin Smit
Best boy: Simon Ruesink
Lighting assistant: Coral Reyneveld
Clapper / assistant: Paula Hankes
Producer: The Doncaster Institute of Change
Project manager: Kristine Kavelaars
Curator: Natalie Dubois
Exhibition: Minami-No-Tori
Centraal Museum Utrecht
Lyrics Minami-No-Tori︎
Minami-Torishima, Southern Bird Island, is a tiny Japanese island in the Pacific Ocean where scientists believe a seemingly endless supply of rare metals lies buried 6,000 meters deep in the seabed. These are all the metals required for smartphones, wind turbines, batteries, and computers. These rare-earth elements (REEs) are the holy grail of the modern age. Yet mining them would undoubtedly cause immense damage to the oceans and marine life. Minami-no-tori laments the bittersweet reality of a society consumed by greed and ultimately destroying itself. Humanity continues to dream of more and better, only to discover that the Earth and the universe eventually reclaim control.
Minami-no-tori [Southern Bird] is not only a film but also an audiovisual installation. Visitors walk through a space featuring eight large screens. On each screen, a singer appears; together, they form an eight-part choir. They sing, “Minami-no-tori, the southern bird will guide you.” They sing, “Nothing is heavier than gold when you're drowning.” Standing at the center, you feel immersed in a sea of voices, with all eight singers equally present and equally loud, surrounding you from every direction.
Credits
Singers: Olga Grammatikopoulou, Sean Bell, Maria Eichler, Maryana Golovchenko, Iolaysa Braga Tavares, Ishtar Bakhtali, Alba Roorda Martinez, Emily Pahlawan
Music and concept: Daniel Cross
Lyrics: Andriana Minou
Editing: Niels Dekker
Sound mix: Mikel le Roy
Sound recording: Ira Helffrich
Camera: Sami El Hassani, Rosa Krastel
1st AC: Tristan Adelaar
Gaffer: Erwin Smit
Best boy: Simon Ruesink
Lighting assistant: Coral Reyneveld
Clapper / assistant: Paula Hankes
Producer: The Doncaster Institute of Change
Project manager: Kristine Kavelaars
Curator: Natalie Dubois