Soji-ji

Soji-ji (1979) is a documentary video that records a chant recitation inside a Zen temple. The chant performed by numerous monks does not proceed in unison, as a group singing. Each monk recites in step with his own breath, so the breath intake occurs at different moments. In other words, each monk articulates the chant differently. With no unified division, when the multiple chants overlap an endless wave of chant (sutra) emerges as a collective density or modality. At the same time, each monk’s footfalls form a rhythm that is totally distinct from the individual chants.