I wish I had asked him why "HATSUYUME - First Dream" was chosen as the title of this exhibition, although I haven't thought about it until this very moment when I am sitting and just beginning to work on the review of this exhibition.
I have heard about "HATSUYUME" exhibition by Bill Viola at Mori Museum several months ago, but I thought about this title just right now for the first time. The title and Bill Viola fit so perfectly together, I never thought about the reason why it was titled like this until today.
I find plenty of such romantic words like 'HATSUYUME' in Japanese, a word that shows every specific moment of one's life, a small word that somehow indicates infinite feelings, however. Each of such words is what I call a higher-level word, that would express affluence of various feelings that come along people's life, which are never explained enough by words like 'LOVE' or 'PEACE'. If one is tempted to express such feelings in for example English, at least a sentence is required instead of a word.
Is it because of the days he spent in Japan or is it a straight outcome of the swirl around his life that I see Bill Viola's each piece as a higher-level word? The title of the exhibition, "HATSUYUME", wraps up Bill Viola in itself like an answer to my questiton.
The stretched moment of life dramatically evolves in front of my eyes.
I blink, nothing really changes, I blink again, the scenery is almost the same again. But still, there is little by little something changing, something happening. It never stops, it begins, continues, ends, begins again, and continues. The eyes of the audience would quietly follow every single moment as if they know what would happen. They resist a blink, breath, and stare at these continuous heralds. Any piece of his work is just like a funeral carried out for each moment in life that happens and flows, which is a precious ceremony allocated to confirm every part of layered unbroken series of moments.
"Art is the only possible means left in this world now to communicate directly to people's mind without any translation", the sincere words by Bill Viola himself at the reception, is exactly how his work communicates you. It comes straight down to the bottom of your heart like any other higher-level expression could talk to you. It is a bottomless collection of meanings, just like one beautiful word that tells thousands words, that tries to reach you avoiding any possible structure of grammar.
Life is too short to blend in. 人生は短くて、周りに溶け込んでる余裕はない。
It's about makeup.
Pink, blue, gold, silver, purple, orange, white, pearl, cute, romantique, gorgeous, sexy.
The endless parade of Tokyo. Whimsical Paradise.
"Life is too short to blend in."
"Hektor's first visit to Japan and commemoration performance"
It is just a spray can that came with announcement like a rock star.
But it is not just a spray can, it's controlled by computer program and draws the picture freely
on the wall. The super-high-tech spray machine.
Hektor sprays around on behalf of graffiti artists.
It makes you become a graffiti artist when you have a laptop.
In the middle of the performance, Hektor suddenly fell down from the wall and the performance had ended, as though it was a real rock star.
I did not think there would be a chance to go to the concert of M.I.A in Tokyo when living in London. At Ebisu Liquid Room, the 45-minute powerful concert filled me up like energy drink. Afterparty was at Claska, with Diplo's DJ that kept me higher. It was when Diplo played the grime masterpiece that the power crashed, which speaks for itself grime music does have enormous energy. Anyway, M.I.A obviously had enough vitality to excite a person who does neither very often go to concerts nor very easily be heated up by them. I couldn't help telling her in person that the concert was one of the greatest. Plenty of great music there is but not always this impulse is given.
One and half year ago in East London, every free magazine featured M.I.A at the same time. A friend of mine, boy, who loved her music let me listen to several tracks of hers. "Pull up the people, pull up the poor!!!" that she screamed loud to the rhythm sounded like a rhythmic political discourse. Furthermore, it caught my eyes that all the promotional images had a jungle-cruise kind of feeling so she looked like a Tarzan's child. I remember myself taking a long bath, reading the articles on her whose family originally is immigrant from SriLanka.
In 21st century, in the honorable immigrants' city London, the culture of immigrants hits the mainstream and the city itself. The young female novelist Zadie Smith whose mother is from Jamaica was taken up in all media, and the music genre grime likewise, that came to world attention standing for authentic London-originated black music. Unlike their parents, the second-generation immigrants are actually true Londoner. Most of them were born and raised in London. How they portray the city is definitely "the real London right now" and it is cerainly not "London from immigrants' point of view". The rise of ethnicity/localism in cities gives weight and energy to them. They take advantage of urban sense of values and this old-but-new identity is becoming the actual leading player of the city today.
１年半前、イーストロンドンのあらゆるフリーペーパーでM.I.Aがフィーチャーされていて、それから友人の男の子がM.I.Aが大好きで、何個か曲を聴かせてくれた。"Pull up the people, pull up the poor!!!"なんて、大きな声でリズムに合わせて政治演説。おまけにどのプロモーション写真も、ジャングルクルーズ、ターザンの子みたいな写真で目をひいた。お風呂につかりながら、スリランカ移民である彼女の生い立ちをパラパラめくったのを憶えている。
21世紀のロンドンでは、母親がジャマイカ人の若い小説家Zadie Smithが大きく取り上げられていたり、同じ音楽なら正真正銘ロンドン発の黒人音楽「グライム」がポピュラーになったり、由緒正しい移民の街ロンドンで、移民文化がメインストリームを攫い、気持ちよく街を賑やかしている。移民二世たちは、両親の世代と違って、ほぼロンドンで生まれ育っている生粋のロンドンっ子。彼らが描くロンドンの姿は、「移民が見たロンドン」ではなく、「今のロンドンそのもの」なのだ。彼らにエネルギーがあるのは、都市に包括されたエスニシティ／ローカリズムが台頭し、それらが説得力をもち始めたから。都市的な価値観を利用しながら突き進む、古くて若いアイデンティティが今の都市の主役なのだ。
Posted by MM on February 07 from TOKYO
Secret concert in Ginza 銀座でシークレットコンサート
Today's concert is by 8 Nintendo Famicon machines producing magical music: FAMICOM ROCK.
The artist/composer Jason from Canada creates electronic music and fantastic machines inspired by computer games. When he hits the road on a tour, the machine travels with him in a custom-made solid suitcase. Jason mixes the sound extracted from eight different games which are connected to eight different famicom machines. His powerful performance creates a unique sense of tension. The blinking blue lights match the music when running over the surface of the machine covered with tangled cables.
The final form of our "Tremors were Forever", that made as a matter of fact, an art souvenir shop, is open till the end of October, at Caniche Courage in Kita-Aoyama.
The opening party was on the 2nd of September, pleasure to meet everybody who kindly had come. The content of this exhibition, which has become the assistant's first space design project in Tokyo, is a souvenir shop produced by Loris and Cyril.
The products we offer are diverse; from "Perfume from the Planet Mars" to "jumpsuit with a poodle on", and assistant's "T-shirts of Holiday Problems" of course!
The 2nd floor of the three stories building covered by green leaves, is where you find this poetic shop whose story makes the roofterrace invade the room inside. Skyscape never ends.
"Tremors were Forever" の最終形、その中身はアートのおみやげ屋さん、10月末まで北青山 Caniche Courageで開店中。
オープニングパーティが９月２日に行われ、皆様をご招待、華の宵。assistantの東京での最初の空間プロジェクトになるこの展覧会の中身は、ロリスとシリルプロデュースのおみやげ屋さん。商品は「火星のにおいのする香水」から「プードルモチーフのジャンプスーツ」までさまざま、assistantの休日の問題Tシャツも久しぶりに登場している。
ツタのからんだ３階建ての建物の２階、詩的なお店のストーリーは、部屋の中に引きずり込まれたルーフテラス、屋根からの風景はどこまでも続く。
Posted by MM on October 09 from TOKYO
With Loris Greaud & item idem! ロリスとシリルと！
Here in the beginning of August, Loris has arrived in Tokyo. All the way from Paris, with his lovely girlfriend Dorothee who works at the Pompidou Centre, to collaborate with item idem (Cyril) & assistant on the exhibition "Tremors were Forever"!
Along the narrative; "The exhibition has ended, been extended, become a souvenir shop", we carefully set teasers of rumours, parties, spielers, and everything else. Loris's reproduction of his Dream Project that make people sleep in deep, the apocalyptic street performance at Shibuya crossing, etc, had made this 10-days visit quite fast-moving. But isn't it such a joy that we hadn't missed the fireworks on Tokyo Bay? Have you felt the cannon strikes through your heart, the dream that falls upon the midsummer night?
８月前半、ロリスが東京へやって来た。item idem（シリル）、assistantとの展覧会"Tremors were Forever"のために、ポンピドーで働いているガールフレンドのドロテと一緒に。
「展覧会が終了し、延期され、スーベニールショップになった」という"Tremors were Foreverの"ストーリーに沿い、噂、クロージングパーティ、呼び込み、といったティーザーを配置していく。ロリスによる、観客を次々眠らせてしまうドリームプロジェクトの披露や、渋谷での黙示録的街頭演説など、すっかり目まぐるしい東京滞在の中、東京湾の花火を見逃さなかった私たちは幸運だったね。花火は、心臓にドスンとくる、真夏の夜の夢でしょう？
Posted by MM on October 09 from TOKYO
MANTIS カマキリ
Where in Tokyo do mantises tarry?
In those days when my sisiter kept one free in the house, they were found by the nest in a tiny park of three stories in the city centre.
Am I already too tall to find them on the ground, or have they felt hopeless and flown away? They are never found even by shadow even not a single in the huge park called Yoyogi-Koen near the studio. I am lost.
Even friends in Kamakura were this time of no help, perhaps this is not the right season for those lil'le friends of mine, beloved familiar faces I used to hang out.
Oioi, they're not easily found.
The reason why I was looking for a mantis is this contribution to the first book of a French artist Loris Greaud's that will be published by the end of this year in all over Europe, for which I have created a house for a mantis to dwell in.
Loris, but I could not get him on the picture...
Currently assistant's studio is settled in Yoyogi, Shibuyaku.
Straight back from London, backflip.
Summer in Tokyo strikes us.
Through the windows, bus & trucks smoked dusted on highways can be seen, craws' rythmical & endless singing can be heard.
Nice place. Your visit is always awaited.
Smartish stores are found in Japanese good-old shopping streets.
case1: TOKION shop in Nakameguro
Straight through the door, in this little shop, the cool bonsai 3D puzzle was alone carefully set up in the glass case. The shopboy with a cap said, "As you like it so much," pulled it out of the glass case, quickly disjointed the puzzle, put the pieces in a box and handed it to me as a gift, "There you go!"
What a surprise! I wished so much I had had a box of bananas to give back.
In the very centre of Tokyo, on the very autumn day, we had a party and i went to bed at 10 o'clock in the morning. I spread Futon mattress, and slip between the sheets after parties. Nothing new. It's not just an Edo manner, though. I sleep on couches in Europe. From which gentleman have I been told "Youths should all sleep together"? Let us make it into practice. I can't be so demanding as to sleep till the evening (which is the best thing), not always at least.
"Take will talk with Terry Itoh! Wake up girl!!", in the middle of the dream, somebody told me and took my hand. The destination was Harajuku.
Ok, I misunderstood somehow, but the person whom Take spoke with was Hiroshi Fujiwara, and it was Ai Iijima whom Terry Itoh spoke with. TOKION CREATIVITY NOW TOKYO. At Harajuku Laforet.
Many boys and girls (there were more boys than girls, I guess) were listening intently to the panelers who got a little bit older than teenagers, and have got a little more definite ideas to talk about. Any words start sparkling when wrapped together with somebody's sincerity. Bright boys and girls will take away words that glitter, after being seated for 8 hours listening to the words overflowing out of the microphone.
平川さんがテリー伊藤とお喋りをするから起きなさいと、夢の世界に１時間でお迎えが来て、手を引かれて原宿へ。
寝惚けて少し勘違いしてしまったみたい。平川さんとお話しするのは藤原ヒロシ。テリー伊藤とお話しするのは飯島愛。TOKION CREATIVITY NOW TOKYO。原宿ラフォーレ。
たくさんの若い男の子と女の子（男の子の方が多いみたい）が熱心に耳を傾ける先に、入れ替わり立ち替わり登場するのは、十代よりは少し歳をとって、伝えたいことが少しまとまってきた人たち。どんな言葉も、誠実に伝えられようとすると、ぴかぴかする。ぴかぴかした若者は、一番ぴかぴかした言葉を持って帰るのだ。椅子に座って8時間、マイクから溢れる言葉を聞き続けたあとに。
Posted by MM on November 06 from TOKYO
A house in a bath 風呂屋を覗けば家がある。
Today, here in Yanaka, Tokyo, I'm talking about the opening reception of "Masato Nakamura _ Meta-Unit" at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE. SCAI is well known for its remodeling of its interior from an old traditional bathhouse to a neat contemporary art gallery. In this exhibition, you can see the M1-Unit of Sekisuiheim (housing company) floating in the centre of the gallery.
Masato Nakamura, deeply interested in the city of Tokyo, have worked for several house-related projects. He balloons the mass of the city by making his house himself, building a full-scale house in a whitecube, and placing a traffic signal in a bathhouse.
To explore how to gather these seeds released in the city in such a way, assistant will continue our urban practice.
The old familiar faces of CommandN have settled their new base in Uguisudani.
東京は谷中、SCAI THE BATHHOUSE で行われた『中村政人展＿メタユニット』のオープニング・レセプションの話。銭湯をリノベーションしたギャラリイに、セキスイハイムのM1ユニットが浮いている。
GPS installed cellular phones are our must.
Add to this, what has newly arrived is the digital camera with a GPS module which has very questionable looking compared to smart GPS Camera-Equipped mobile phones.
But wherever you may go in the world, it will allow you to take photographs with recording the correct position on earth.
Anyway, when in Japan, it's better to use GPS phones.
We are planning to have a foreigner take it on home leave.
"Born as a man, I've wanted to challenge Summer Tour all my life!"
PARCO KINOSHITA (artist), Takashi SHINKAWA (art journalist), and Takaaki SOGA (Gallery Director), these three men have just started one; "Project Venezia".
The main topics to go with drink are Venezia Biennale 2003 and, not surprisingly, the guerrilla performance by PARCO KINOSHITA. The tour opened in Tokyo, on the fourth flooor of the building in Asakusa which is known for its fireball on the top, designed by Philippe STARCK.
Though, what beat you there is not STARCK but those three men's unstoppable power. Getting out the elevator, you suddenly see them speak in unexpectedly loud voice on TATAMI mats. The comedy show and lecture was going on with commentaries on each art work shown in Biennale. "This is the only lecture having a rehearsal in advance!", says pinked Takashi SHINKAWA.
This tour continues to Niigata, Hokkaido, Okinawa, then Miyagi. Don't miss it!
Whenever I go to cinemas, I feel very nervous.
Things are all the worse if it's a film of a director who captured my heart in the past or if the title by itself strikes me. This is because I don't want to be disapointed by what will be shown. My suspicious nature doesn't allow me to relax on a seat. Even at the end of the story, I am still troubled by thinking of whether or not the next scene or phrase discourages me a lot.
However, tonight, when I saw the word "Kaiju Theater" on the screen at the beginning of "A SNAKE OF JUNE", I was surrounded by great security yield to the tension.
I wondered if there was any good way to send my appreciation to the person who could help me in a manner like this. The fact that I paid for seeing it gave me a little relief by making me a supersmall patron. But still, the movie-fare sturcture is not natural enough to send my love to. It's flat and I pay before I see. Capitalism is boring.
For a finale, I remembered something trivial.
I was born in June, and in the year of the Snake. Not to hate rainy days, I've tried to believe the rain carries people a little romance and wore rubber boots by choice. My grandmother loves reptiles and caterpillars and there lived a white snake in her house in Shizuoka before. I touched the snake measuring three meters in length in a circus tent when I was four. I remember thoroughly the feeling of its skin.
I sometimes find it hateful those rains and snakes sticking around me everlastingly.
These two days, on 20th and 21st of May, we, assistant, exhibited our bit-seeding project in BusinessShow TOKYO 2003. Trying out card-exchanging with a lot of businessmen, through questions about what our future business plan was, I spaced out reminding of something very different from the things in front of me.
Have you ever heard about Haru Kobayashi?
Born in 1900, she is one of the Living National Treasures in Japan. Occupation:performer who sings old folk songs to the samisen traveling around all over villages in the north. She has been blind but a beautiful old-woman who opened my eyes with her words, "To work is to make people around you feel comfortable." I was able to know her existence as my drawing teacher Susumu Kinoshita, an artist painter who draws naked old women in the most beautiful way, told me about her. He draws not only Haru Kobayashi for 20 years but also Seiko who is said to be a model of "Naomi", the novel by Junichiro Tanizaki (died quietly some time ago). He plots precisely the sweet feminine wrinkles.
Just for neigbors, Haru chants a ballad for 100 years, Mr.Kinoshita draws, I become an assistant, and assistant assists. It is simultaneously with purpose just for ourselves.
If you say the life is the continuing interaction between me and all but myself, never being the last being on the world will allow me to keep the continuity of the interaction. Always getting along with cats, bugs, soil, humanbeings, and flowers.
You can simply tell your appreciation to other humans. Money, designed to be the easiest way to send the interaction that you offer to a person far away, is commonly thought to be the representation of the gratitude.
However, a trouble in money system is that, starting from "thank you", like a telephone game, it finally ends in very different word. Consequently, we see a big amount of money where no thanks are seen at all. "Business" is the emerging and the shifting of money. Then in the field of business, the location of "thank you" becomes less noteworthy although all the exchange is "thank you" in the beginning.
And now, in terms of assistant's business model, as I forgot to write it down in the posters and the brochures, here I try to say, "It is continuously to hand on thanks." I think I'm going to tell them next time if asked.
