Installation video 2

Early version of Epigenetic installation

Installation video 1

Take one apple computer box ....

Snow good

Love it or hate it

Going Japanese, Kyoto stuff - part four

Finished our trip to Japan with a couple of days in Kyoto, which is the old capital and a two and a half hour bullet train ride from Tokyo.



Plans were somewhat disrupted by Amanda coming down with a severe bout of cystitis and an unscheduled stop at a local Kyoto hospital for strong antibiotics and a glucose top up - we were really lucky that the hotel manager, Tomoko, had worked in the UK and was fantastic at translating the medical pronouncements.




So when we finally got to the hotel - http://www.hoshinoya.com/en/concept/index.html - it was pitch black - but we were greeted with this view from our window in the morning



We were in a modern but traditional room, complete with paper walls and black chestnut sanded floors,



with a ramshackled but wonderful Buddhist temple up the hill behind us

You were encouraged to ring their bell

They had every convenience at the temple

We left the hotel by boat down the river Katsura Gawa

and received the traditional farewell from the staff .

Going Japanese, art stuff - part three

I started my Tokyo art project in the Kayama Tomio Gallery which was on the top two floors of this working distribution depot

Once I found it, I particularly liked travelling up in the industrial lift - although instructions for use were complicated, even in English.

The main exhibition was by Mika Ninagawa - her use of gaudy vibrant colours seemed to fit in well with the general feel of Tokyo itself.

I really enjoyed a video piece by Aiki Inomata - French lessons with a parakeeet - where a french tutor is filmed teaching the artist and her friend how to speak french, with a green parakeet in a cage looking on at proceedings - it was unclear who was learning the most from the lesson.
http://www.artinasia.com/galleryDetail.php?catID=0&galleryID=1521&view=7&eventID=6191

Then wandered over to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo - there were three pieces in the first exhibition called Transformation.

The first, a video piece by Jana Sterbak, was a dog's eye view of Venice at high water - she put a camera on a small dog's head and led it around the raised platforms in Venice that are put out at high water - here is a short clip

http://www.janasterbak.com/video.html

The second, was a totally immersive video room by Simon Birch, called Soghomon Tehlinian. Each wall had a full projection of images of a moving Bengal Tiger with an emotional operatic soundtrack (Gorecki Symphony No. 3 "Sorrowful Songs" - Lento e Largo ) - you had feelings of these animals trapped in zoos and circuses and of the sadness of the threat of extinction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY4EjxxhGLs

Third up was a piece by Sarah Sze, an American installation artist - I tried to photograph it but the museum police were on the case - why can you take pictures in galleries and not museums ? - anyway worth checking her website for other exhibition images -

http://www.sarahsze.com/Exhibitions.html

This piece was called "Those that are Tame" and was squashed in between a mezzanine walkway's glass side and the vast windows looking out onto the museum courtyard - being hemmed in seemed apporpriate for its location in Tokyo - she makes site specific work and would have been influenced by how you feel in Japan.

The next exhibition was by four Dutch designers - the first Martin Engelbregt gave you a small brick as you entered the space and asked you to help him build this imaginary city.

You were encouraged to write and draw on the brick before cementing it into place - mine said Double Dutch ...

The other Dutch artist I enjoyed was Ted Noten - his pieces below encoraged visitors to swap rings with him.

I''ll leave you with the music from Simon Birch's piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEaF873VGTM&feature=related

Going Japanese, odd stuff - part two

Lots of odd stuff to be seen in Tokyo - I'm sure the Japanese think the same of London. Here are a few highlights.

Small dogs seem to cherished and loved - very common to see them in their own prams - the female owner of these two even had snacks at the ready to ensure they were looking the same way for the photo.



Adverts always reflect the local culture - I am sure the local men would be expecting something other than this if a woman pulled up the front of her jumper .




Lots of use of video technology on the streets and on the metro - here is an update on the sandwich board ...



We found ourselves in a childrens toy shop, Kiddyland , and were amazed at the variety, noise and strange juxtapositions of toys and messages.





They are to be seen everywhere, often hanging from bags, mobile phones and in cars.




I really liked this Toy story display




Space is tight - this old sports car was crammed in under shelving in this shop cum garage






To celebrate the opening of a new art show, attendees send lots of ballons and flower arrangements - often chosen to reflect the palette and style of the artist. This corridor leading to the main gallery space was crammed with tributes for local photographer, Mika Ninagawa.

Good choice of colours to match his saturated images

Finally, had a fun time trying to understand why the Toko museum of contemproary art has tables at the start of each exhibition full of clickers - had used these in my recent DNA lab installation, but clearly have more to learn of how to use multiple machines.