128画廊のグループ展 ”pop pop up” のオープニングに、お目汚しと言いますか, 腹話術人形を連れてパフォーマンスをしました。この人形は友人のJ.I ちゃんの都合でアタシが里親をしていて、名前は “オッサン” にしたのだけど、今風に流行り言葉？がいいかなって ”時空のおっさん”に決定。おっさんも、御多分に洩れず良い調子でアタシをこき使いますよ。
At the opening of the group exhibition “pop pop up” at Gallery OneTwentyEight, I performed with ventriloquist puppet. I am fostering this puppet from my friend J.I. I named it “Ossan” (middle aged man), but I thought it would be better to use a more modern, trendy word, so I decided on “Time and Space guy”. Like many other puppet, this Ossan uses me hard.
128画廊大賑わい： photo by Yupin何とか終了（汗）：somehow finished (sweat)おっさんとアタシ：space-time guy & I
My friend J.E. taught me the basics of how to playing the kalimba. The pleasant sound is similar to that of a music box. This simple instrument is also known as a “thumb piano.” Perhaps I was unconsciously searching for this sound vibration?! Last month, I attended Kevin’s kalimba meeting, and the moment I heard it, I thought, “That’s it! This tone and scale are essential for my ‘green funeral project’ !” I knew about the kalimba, but I never imagined it would be connected in this way.
Tさんトリオのガーデンイベント：T-san Trio’s garden event敬老会はウナギ弁当：Eel lunch box for the Respect for the Aged Day partyオリンの17回目の月命日、カリンバの上のオリンちゃん：On the day of the 17th monthly anniversary of Orin’s death, I put him on my kalimbaYちゃんの、ちぎり絵タイム、子供たちがたくさん集まって大盛況。Cちゃん、Yちゃんと共に：Y’s Paper-cutting time was a great success, with many children gathering. With C-chan and Y-chan.
Even when the flowers are in full bloom or it’s a boring day with rain, I continue to go out. Fridge art fair was a great success. You guys have been worked hard! THANK YOU. Yey, Shoko came back from Japan. This is my first time I took her massage therapy in a couple of months. Body Maintenance is essential because your physical condition is constantly changing. The golden rule is not to cool your body. We discussed about the daily dedication of Buddha’s teachings, the “Five Precepts(5 commandments)”. And I heard many interesting talk. I felt somehow I got my soul maintenance too.
This year as well as last year, I was participating in the Japan Day Parade. The old ventriloquist puppet (with me) was a big success. The weather was also great. The crowd on the street cheered us and it was a great success. Afterwards, I met up with my fellow at Strawberry Field. I’m grateful for my friends. It ended up being written like a memo.
Since Kazuko’s birthday coincided with her art show, the gallery’s owner, Gwenolee, held a cute, homely Birthday party at the Zurcher Gallery. Also, during a lecture given by Shigeru Hanaoka, who came from Japan to participate in the 311 Anti-nuke group show, and is a multi-talented writer, publisher, and musician, I jumped in to sing and ended up sweating profusely afterwards. Zurcher Gallery <— click
Recently, I was happy that a long time friend of mine, Y-san, who is a sculptor, liked our used car and took it over. I am very grateful to R-san and his son for taking care of our used car, Honta, for an entire year and maintaining and inspecting it.
The other day, I attended Katsugen-kai (Noguchi-Seitai) for the first time in a while, which I attended until I moved to Arizona in 2018. Exactly there was a blank period of almost 6 years! I was surprised. It was a good opportunity to wipe out the stress energy that I had built up, and it’s great to continue again.
By a strange coincidence and timing, I decided to move to Kew Gardens in Queens after 4 years. This happened a few hours after I vowed to Orin’s soul to move to a place where the sun shines. The basement I’m in now was probably needed to organize Orin’s equipment, and it was spacious. Now that it’s almost clear, let’s move on! I guess he pushed me on the back.
マット、デビッドと共に『赤い鳥小鳥』パフォーマンス：“Red Bird Little Bird” performance with Matt and David一度は行こう、ジャパン・ビレッジ：Let’s go to Japan Village at least once斗紀ちゃんと即興をした：I improvised with Toki-chan.
This is the 5th anniversary of the death of Sakura Suzuki, who taught Noguchi Chiropractic and Katsugen here in New York. On September 13th, there was no rain and it was a calm day, reflecting her humble, gentle personality.
クイーンズ植物園の桜ちゃんの樹：Sakura-chan tree at Queens Botanic GardenMさんがお花を添える：M-san adds flowersMさんとAさん、それに桜ちゃんの樹：M-san, A-san, and Sakura-chan’s tree
オリンが喜ぶのならなんでも参加しましょう！と言うか、まあ、”妻バカ” なんでしょうか。私は所属アーティストじゃなく一般関係者なので、アーティストの皆さんと同じパフォーマンスには加われない、その代わりに自由に”日本”を表現して行進するのはオーケーって言われた。(Japanese Artists Association of New York, INC./w sarAika Movement Collective ) Japan Day Parade <—- 詳細はこちら
〜〜 若生のりこさん、ご縁のある方でかつて彼女のドローイングを羽織り、マンハッタンの主だった場所で天女のパフォーマンスをした。私たちは, これを”羽衣/Ha Go Ro Mo” プロジェクトと名付けていた。もう１８〜９年経っているかな。当時の恋人J.Mは既に亡く、今、最愛のオリンも時空外に旅立っている。
photo by Noriko Wakophoto by Noriko Wakophoto by Noriko Wako
Kazuko Miyamoto’s exhibition at the Japan Society was a great success. At the invitation of the venue, Yoshiko Chuma, a master of dance, gave a performance. I finished editing this video long ago, but now is the time to share it on my blog. Please take a look if you have time. A video link is below, just click a blue words. 41 min. Thank you very much.
The Day 5 August, Japanese time is THE DAY OF THE HIROSHIMA BOMB, every year and same day we come together in front of the Consulate General of Japan, NYC. and call for “No More Nuke! No More War!”. Mr. Shigeru Hanaoka came from Japan and was joining this demo and Wish Festival opening, he did great speech and was playing saxophone. We were so great feeling !
This newly commissioned performance brings to life the works on view in Kazuko Miyamoto: To perform a line (exhibition now extended through July 24). Yoshiko Chuma, conceptual performing artist, dancer, choreographer and director of The School of Hard Knocks, combines movement and improvised music, erasing the boundaries between onstage and backstage, and between artistic practices. In 1979, Chuma performed among Miyamoto’s string constructions installed as part of the artist’s solo exhibition at A.I.R. Gallery (Yoshiko Chuma in Kazuko Miyamoto: A Girl on Trail Dinosaur). Now, Chuma reconnects with Miyamoto through this event, which runs throughout the entire gallery space. The performance also features three musicians: double bassist Robert Black, viola and violinist Jason Kao Hwang and trombonist Christopher McIntyre.
Concept and direction by Yoshiko Chuma, Artistic Director of The School of Hard Knocks.
When I was told, “You can do whatever you want,” my tension was maxed out. As soon as the performance started, I wondered if someone other than me had walked in, and the camera was moving and taking pictures extremely freely! I can’t immerse myself in editing work at all, even though my heart is excited. Wait for the momentary timing “NOW”, and the ignition of the heart.
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.
