“Nature is disorder. I like to use nature to create order and show another side of it. I like to denature.” Kurokawa bends over the iMac, clicks through examples of his work on a hard drive, and digs out a new concert piece that uses NASA topographic data to generate a video rendering of the Earth’s surface. Peaks and troughs dance overa geometric chunk on the black screen, light years from the cabbie’s satnav. “The surface is abstract, but inside it’s governed by natural laws,” he says.

I find Kurokawa’s perspective on nature as disorder, and his desire to “denature” it very interesting, particularly how it resonates deeply with the tension between chaos and order that exists in both art and science. His use of natural data such as NASA’s topographic information to create structured, perhaps even arguably a surreal presentation of the Earth highlights the duality between the organic and the artificial. It suggests that while nature may appear unpredictable, it operates within a framework of fundamental laws that can be harnessed and reshaped through human interpretation. 

Kurokawa ultimately challenges our perception of what is ‘natural’ and what is ‘artificial.’ His work demonstrates that the act of imposing order on nature does not necessarily strip it of its essence but rather reveals another dimension of its beauty—one that we might not perceive in its raw, untamed state.