I, Culture Crafts in Tokyo
The Tokyo edition of I, CULTURE Crafts took place in cooperation with a special initiative established by Prof. Kazue Kobata, head of Intermedia Art Department at the Geidai Tokyo University of the Arts, and her doctorate students. The Japanese installment took into account the aftermath of the earthquake last March
Thanks the cooperation with the students and alumni of Tokyo's Geidai University of Fine Arts, the Japanese edition of I, CULTURE Contemporary Crafts project was the most wide-spanning and elaborate installment of all the editions worldwide.
The project's organisers made their initial contact with the Japanese partner in the beginning of 2011. Their first proposition met with an enthusiastic response. Unfortunately, in the middle of discussions concerning the project, Japan was struck by the Great Eastern Earthquake, which completely turned the lives of the Japanese upside-down. Many foreign inhabitants of Japan were fleeing the country, suspending or breaking their previous contracts, and the entire nation faced unimaginable hardship. The organiser's determination to continue work on the project met with the recognition of the Japanese artists, who believed that the I, CULTURE Contemporary Crafts Workshop had a significant potential in the abrupt context of destruction. Special emphasis was laid on human skill and work as the most precious kind of commodity. Prof. Kazue Kobata involved her doctorate students in creating installations which would visualise their thoughts and reflections brought up by the I, CULTURE theme. In her meetings with students a wider meaning was given to the relation between "I" and "culture". Currently in Japan, when most people are still struggling with the effects of the tsunami, whether material or psychological, the topic of the disaster is continuously present in every area of life. Faced with such a huge tragedy, yet another lesson on the fragility of man faced with nature, as well as the psychological effects of the tsunami, the artists feel obliged to take a stand in the discussion on the role of an artist during such distress.
Other questions pertinent to the discussion included: what kind of help can an artist provide? who should be the audience of the artwork? Is this work of any significance? if yes - what value does it represent?
Kanoko Tamura of Tokyo Geidai University:
This catastrophe showed us what is really valuable - the skill of manufacturing objects and the people who have this skill. Before the tsunami we used to take the craftsmen for granted. But now, as their homes and their entire life's work have been wiped out by the disaster, we appreciate the fragility of their work, and its both ethereal and irreplaceable value. We became all the more determined to show this with the I, CULTURE project. It was also important for the endevour to take on a local character and establish itself within the context of Tokyo. The idea of the Tokyo Art Power Plant emerged from this need.
Tokyo Art Power Plant brought together all of the elements of I, CULTURE while expressing the stance of various artists towards nuclear energy. The artists wanted to prove that we have enough sources of energy in the directly surrounding environment.
Over a period of a few months, the students of Professor Kazue Kobata constructed an elaborate installation. The water power-plant they designed ran on the energy of human muscle, bicycle wheels, a water tank, a pump and a set of solar panels. The construction provided enough energy for the entire event: it powered the lighting for an exhibition of Fukushima's traditional pottery, an installation inducing various sounds and electric charge, the oven in which a lunch was baked for the participants, and it also provided electricity for all of the sewing machines.
The I, CULTURE Crafts project, initiated by Monika Jakubiak took on a distinct and local character.On the last day four Japanese joined in the open session to show their traditional skills: Mitsumi Irahara, a basket weaver who uses a special laquer-producing plant, Sawako Serada, who runs a shop and manufacture of natural woolen goods, a Kikutake Family volunteer with smalldesign objects, and Satoko Imai, who ran a mending shack. Reina Sugihara provided all participants with a traditional Japanese meal, cooked up during the session in accordance with the slow life approach to food.
Participants of I, CULTURE Crafts in Tokyo once again addressed the region of Fukushima through an action of making fish-shaped flags. The traditional so-called flying fish were made as gifts for the people of to the Tohuku region - the one of the regions that suffered from the Earthquake the most. The are scheduled to be given on the 5th of March, 2012, exactly one year after the tsunami wave hit the region. The 5th of March is also traditionally Boys' Day in Japan, during which carp-shaped flags are mounted on the roofs of households to ensure good luck for the family's sons. This part of the project took place thanks to the initiative of Professor Koichi Watanabe from the Art Department of Fukushima University.
The Japanese installement of I, CULTURE Crafts was also a lesson in the differing approaches both towards crafts and clothing. Monika Jakubiak provided participants with old kimonos, which they were able to freely re-use, cut and sew into new pieces of clothing. Yet, only two participants out of 17 decided to do so. It turned out that the idea of cutting up a piece of clothing, and, in particular, a kimono, countered the Japaneses feelings of respect towards a carefully crafted traditional object. Japan also proves to be a country where the crafts have a significant role, and work of craftsmen enjoys great respect and popularity. The Japanese are well aware of the value of their traditional crafts, and show a continually innovative approach in employing them in various contemporary contexts - be it in the sphere of art or daily life.
Prior to the project conducted by Monika Jakubiak, a former student of Prof. Kazue Kobata, Yoshinari Nishio held a series of workshops between the 17th and 23rd of August. The goal of the I, CULTURE team in Tokyo was to conduct a part of the project in Sendai, one of the most heavily damaged towns in Japan. This part of the project will take place independently at the beginning of November.
On the 10th of October the groups in Tokyo were also joined by the representatives of groups which were working outside of Tokyo, in regions heavily affected by the tsunami. Among the participants of the independent workshops were local craftsmen who have unique skills characteristic of the regions they come from: traditional weaving from strips of old fabrics called Sakiori (from Tohuku) and the art of hand coloring with lacquer on wooden objects called Urushii (from Fukushima).
Tokyo marks the first Asian stop of the I, CULTURE Contemporary Crafts Project tour. The previous capital to host the project before Tokyo on the 23rd of September was Moscow. The project had its previous installments in London, Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Berlin, Kiev.
I, CULTURE Craft Workshops in Tokyo - video
After Tokyo, the project travels to Beijing on the 16th of October.
Date: 8th-10th of October, 2011
Venue: ART SPACE 1&2 gallery, Tokyo
Organised by: Soulstitch, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Intermedia Art Department of Tokyo University of the Arts
I, CULTURE is a Flagship Project of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. For more information, see: I, CULTURE
Source: Adam Mickiewicz Institute