Orin and I should go to New York City more often. Otherwise, all museums are far away from us. Finally, we went to the Dia Beacon (Museum) and spent hours inside. Ah, art is so much fun after all.
Orin’s friend, Denny. He runs a traveling antique museum called “the Museum of Interesting Things”. The other day he stopped by on his way to show an old film in Albany. Rather than the so-called jewelry antiques, his museum is dominated by really retro and nostalgic toys, machine industry products, old films, and everyday items. Space-time is rewound just by looking at the huge amount of “interesting things” he has collected so far.
2003年1月10日と11日、ニューヨークのHERE Art Centerで開催されたGreat Small Works主催「第6回おもちゃ劇場フェスティバル」に紙芝居パフォーマンスで参加のため、この物語を作成した。 紙芝居は、一枚一枚の絵を見せながら話を語る大道芸です。登場人物のミミとルルがどんなふうに砂漠の国を救ったか楽しみですね。舞台では、私が一枚一枚の絵を日本語で語り、次にアヤ・カナイさんが英語で通訳をしてくださった。実にありがたいサポートでした！
This is the story of Mimi and Lou-Lou, and how they helped their desert planet. I created this story for my Kami-Shibai performance on 10 & 11 January, 2003, the “Sixth Toy Theater Festival” produced by Great Small Works at the HERE Art Center, New York NY. Kami-Shibai is a street entertainment from using illustrated paper scrolls to tell a story. At that time on the stage, I read the story in Japanese, and then Ms. Aya Kanai provided simultaneous interpretation in English for me. It was a great support to me!
These pictures were made into a collage style by cutting out colored paper. Mimi and Lulu in the story, for their names I borrowed the name of my friend’s cat. Somehow I feel that the story came through the cat named “Lou-Lou & Mimi”.
After 19 years passed, finally I remade my old story into a video. Special thanks to Ms. Tomoko Iwata & Orin Buck for narration, also Orin helped me with audio recording, too.
We went out to support with the Zoom broadcast of the “SJAC 2022 Exhibition” opening and the photography of the venue scenery. There were quite many spectacular works, moreover we were able to meet many friends and time went by so quickly.
Today is the birthday of my sister and the birthday of my dear friend Saya, who lives in France. From time to time, Saya wrote that she was/is playing harmonica to the calves on the ranch in the neighborhood: how she & Vivien discovered the old statue of Mary at the end of the weeds/bush; about their music composition activities and going out to the sea, etc. It’s as exciting as the long-awaited picture book.
京都,４５年前. 翌日彼女はフランスに旅立った：45 years ago, Kyoto/Japan. the next day she flew to France
“Shabon-dama/Soap bubbles” … Saya plays harmonica in this song to the calves as a requiem for the ephemeral life of these children who will eventually be taken to the slaughterhouse. Of course, she mentioned that it also overlaps with the feelings of this children’s song writer, Noguchi Ujo, who lost his daughter at a young age.
サヤのハモニカの音色に走り寄ってくる仔牛たち：Calves running up to the tone of the harmonica
サヤとビビエンは海が大好き。思いっきり遊んでね。
Saya and Vivien love the sea. Play as much as you can！
ジャック・タチゆかりの海岸：The coast associated with Jacques Tati
Kazuko Miyamoto, the owner of a long-established gallery in Lower Manhattan called Gallery onetwentyeight, is an artist and has an extraordinary generosity. She knew young Jimi Hendrix, also she has earned the most artworld credibility as an assistant to Sol LeWitt. At the same time Kazuko has continued to fascinate us with her extraordinary artistic versatility and musical talent. I’m/we’re so happy. Congratulations!
A big event celebrating the execution of Jesus Christ and its resurrection three days later, this festival seems to have a meaning that spring has come, and it is possible for outsiders like me can fully enjoy it. “The first Sunday counting from the first full moon after the vernal equinox” is Easter, so the day is different every year. This year is April 17th. When it comes to Easter, egg and rabbit decorations are the mainstream, and one of them, baby chick sweets made with marshmallows (from where they squeak) are called Peeps.
Well, I tried to eat Peeps only once and gave it up because its taste was too sweet. I think it was more than 15 years ago. At that time, yellow and blue Peeps were the mainstream, and even if they were left as they were, they would not rot at all and would not grow mold. It became interesting and I made a short video. A love story like “Let’s stay together until we break into pieces” (laughs). This one; https://youtu.be/GvJOJ3N6q78
Recently, when I glanced at them, they were quite dry and the color was fading. But maybe our Peeps live longer than us? I think that. The yellow one’s expiration date is December, 2011. and the blue one is June, 2011. so maybe it was made in 2010, I guess.
Morningside Park in Harlem, NYC. For the past year, the “the Reclining Liberty,” created by artist Zaq Landsberg, will be withdrawn on 22 April, a year later. Let us each express “what is freedom?” around the “Reclining Liberty” before it is removed! Yasuyo’s idea was the beginning. Soon we had the idea that together with the people who came, such as dancing, prayer, singing, music, performance, and reading we could ask for each audience member’s thoughts about “Freedom,” and write it on a small paper angel, then hang them on a tree.
Everyone who joined, friends, family, artist Zaq, Morningside Park President Brad Taylor, Cynthia, Tony who created this wonderful flyer, Takashio who was also in charge of signage creation, Yasuyo and Leo who summarized all the complicated exchanges, Ayakoh and Resobox in charge of Zoom, all the participating artists and performers, Orin and Tony making the video, Noriko who participated with the poem from Tokyo, the media/organization that supported this event. I am grateful to everyone involved. Thank you so very much.
No matter what happens, her artistic activities/creativity and motivation to produce never stop. Judy’s art originates from nature and the environment. In Venice, there is a bee garden organized by her, and innumerable bees fly around during the Flowers season. Based in Italy, Florida, and New York, her solo exhibition (over 30-years artworks) is being held in Upper Manhattan “STRIDE ART” until April 8.
Also Judy has been a longtime friend of Orin, so she became my friend, too. This feeling always comes first. At the same time I have rediscovered Judy Harvest as a wonderful artist.
For a long time, I was wondering why sewing machine spools (bobbin) and radioactivity marks look similar.
Upon examination, the sewing machine thread was made to match the shape of the bobbin, and the mark of radioactivity was more than that. In 1941, the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory, California, USA (currently Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) invented in its basic design the three leaves protruding from the center. These three leaves represent α- rays, β-rays, and y-rays, respectively, and simply represent how each radiation is emitted from the central nucleus.
You wind the thread to the adorable Japanese children’s song “Itomaki”, but your hands have already been exposed and your skin is sore and red. How long will you continue to wind?
Although it snowed before and after March 11th, it was chilly but the weather was fair, like a gift. At this time we had a one-day exhibition at our friend, activist and jazz pianist Trudy’s 5C Cafe & Cultural Center (outside corner due to corona circumstances).
I’m making a photo video right now, so please wait for a while.
