1989: Seoul

December 1989
Kyoto

Dear Friends:

The autumn season lingers into December here in Kyoto with clear sunny days and cold crisp nights and early mornings. The scene in my new locale, being suburban and mixed with farming, is quite different from any past falls. The rice paddies have long since been harvested and now the stubble, some showing new sprouts of green, and straw remain in the fallow fields. The winter vegetable gardens are thriving with cabbages, spinach, broccoli, daikon and onions. These along with the persimmon (kaki) trees still heavy with bright orange fruit are in abundance along the riverside path behind my house. Recent walks on this path on sunny afternoons have been a needed change from my continuing studio work. The mountains are close by with their bamboo forests and the occasional red of the maples.

This season the color has not been as dramatic as in past falls, due many say to the unusually warm weather we had in October and November. Despite this general state, a friend and I found, on a recent early morning walk at a nearby temple, spectacular color in the maples — even if somewhat dulled. The colors, caught in the early morning sun, glowed in the whole range of reds, oranges, and yellows. We silently marveled in the chill and quietude of early morn. It was the kind of experience I hope for in my final weeks here to tide me over until my return.

The fall began, in a sense, with my visit to Korea in early September following my solo show in Tokyo. Jeanne and Page had preceded me by a week or more and were settled into life in Seoul by the time I arrived. They met me at the new KAL terminal at Kimpo airport with Jeanne’s cousin Ki-wan, who was our frequent driver during my stay there. The new aspects of Seoul are impressive as everyone saw during the Olympic coverage last year. The area south of the Han River is very new with wide, tree-lined streets, high rise offices, government buildings, apartments, malls and the Olympic facilities.

We stayed with Jeanne’s aunt and uncle in the northern part of the city up into the foothills of mountains that ring that area. It was a treat to stay with the family, get to know them well and experience home life. In addition, we frequently had dinner with Jeanne ‘s father, stepmother and grandmother in the old family house where Jeanne grew up in a neighborhood of narrow winding streets and local shops. We had many kinds of traditional foods with a different selection each night. This included many kinds of vegetables, meats and side dishes — a great variety of kimchee, the typical Korean spicy vegetables that accompany all meals. Page and I especially like a vegetable “pancake” made with ground mung beans, so we had them often. We also ate in restaurants, at lunchtime or when traveling, so we could try many kinds of things. But we could not find a restaurant that served the grilled meat at the table, air filled with smoke, that I considered typical Korean cooking from restaurants in New York and Atlanta. Alas, the mother country appears to have given up this life-threatening activity!

Seoul has many grand palaces remaining from the Yi Dynasty and they provide open, green park-like settings in the city. The largest of these is the Kyongbok-gung Palace in the center of the city. It consists of many buildings, ceremonial and residential, and seems to have a strong Chinese influence. I was especially intrigued by the many stone sculptures representing fantastic animals, in part from the Chinese zodiac, around the main structure and elsewhere on the grounds. The palace is located close to mountains on the north that provide a dramatic background for the complex dating from the 14th century. We visited other sites and I was always fascinated by the architectural form, the tile roofs and other aspects that are echoed or contrasted in the architecture of Japan.

We had a wonderful weekend out of Seoul in the countryside with Ki-wan as our guide and driver. We visited the Korean Folk Village that has many farm and village buildings from different areas of the country. Again, I was fascinated by the silhouettes and details of the buildings. The countryside was beautiful with well-kept highways bordered by extensive plantings of flowers, green rice fields and farmer’s compounds. Ever present, however, in the country and city (including in parks and on subways) were the paranoic signs warning of North Korean spies. Admonishments to turn in or turn yourself in for the success and prosperity of the state, with various rewards noted were everywhere. One is constantly reminded of, the strong military and police presence in the country. We concluded the weekend with a visit to the seaside enjoying beautiful beaches, post season, all to ourselves. I returned to Kyoto in mid-September. Page and Jeanne stayed on, while Jeanne did her PhD research, until the end of the month.

From the day I returned I was totally involved in my new work for the solo show here in Kyoto at GalleryGallery opening in November. Although some preliminary work on the screens had been done in August, the major task of execution remained to be done. This involved preparation of the photo silk screens, printing, machine sewing the grid and final finishing. This meant a lot of new territory to venture into and I was not without some apprehensions. In the midst of this effort, I received an invitation to show my 1988 works at the Design Expo in Nagoya for two weeks. So, I rushed off to hang the show in the Nagoya Port Building, spent a few days experiencing the Expo and visiting my friends the Andos there who had arranged the show.

By the beginning of October, I had most of the technical problems solved and I was able to complete a section of the work to photograph for the enclosed announcement. Sewing the grid proved to be the biggest challenge. I struggled with it for days, but finally found the right combination, of machine, thread and technique. (It took 13 kilometers of thread to complete the work.)

Page was with me for 10 days in October and Jeanne the last few of those before returning to the US to establish themselves in Los Angeles. They were great assistants for my work and the house, getting me off to a great start on the final push. I continued to work through October here in my house, which proved to be perfect for my work this year, and I continued the daily routine until the end of October when I took off some time to attend various exhibitions and other events.

One of these was the Itami Craft Competition (at a new craft museum near Osaka) where I was surprised to win a silver award for my 6 large panels completed in 1987. The event was heavy with ceremony, beribboned mayor and other officials, impressive certificates and cash award envelopes, kanpai reception, etc. “The Eloquent Object” an American craft exhibition that had toured the US for several years opened here at the National Museum of Modern Art the same week followed by the International Textile Competition at the Kyoto City Museum of Art. This was attended by prize winners Lia Cook, Cynthia Shira and others from the US plus a number of European artists as well. One of these was Randi Studsgarth from Denmark, who was a fellow student of mine at the Kunsthaenverkerskolen, Copenhagen 30 years ago! We had a wonderful reunion at the opening of my solo show later In November.

The work was completed just a few days before the opening, which allowed me time to prepare for the installation, The title “November Tale” (Juichigatsu Monogatari) refers to the photo journal I made last year in November and used as the basis of the work which is narrative, direct and personal. My “Japan Anthology” as one friend labeled it. The fabric is old wedding obi in a damask weave (rinzu) with various patterns in monochrome off-white. There are 6 panels, each an obi length of about 3.5 meters and 30 cm in height with a grid sewn on a 6 cm spacing. Some details in each panel are printed in silver leaf in various colors (including red, pink, turquoise) and the major images with burnt umber pigment. The work was hung in a way that effectively controlled the direction of movement through the gallery space. The adjoining room at GalleryGallery was used by Jun Mitsuhashi to exhibit the latest in his continuing series of fantasy boats in dyed fabric and wood titled “Island Boat”. It was prefect in the space.

The opening party was a gala event, with many of our friends in the small foyer space. Over 125 attended, many bearing gifts of flowers, wines and foods. Friends came from near and far with many of the artists from the International competition also there. It was a special and rewarding evening. Page and Jeanne’s friends, the Otanis, drove from Tokyo and spent the weekend. I did some fall sightseeing with them as a much-needed change from the busy work schedule. The post-opening period is usually a time to relax and enjoy Kyoto but this year I was too fired up to stop working. I continued to do some additional prints, this time on Japanese washi (kozo paper) which presented a new set of challenges. But I completed a few successful prints before reconverting the studio back to living space.

I have decided that the only effective way to record the new work is on video, so I have been busy seeking help on how to do this in these final weeks. At this point I have various aspects on tape, and I will need to do a lot of editing in Athens. A friend here will compose and perform music for the final version, and he came from Tokyo to see the show and talk about the project. He did some taping as well while he was here. The work continues …

One of my final social events of the season was a Thanksgiving dinner for 8 with, as we say, “all the fixins”. A frozen turkey from Minnesota is a special-order item here, but we found it and I even baked a pumpkin pie! Most of the menu was a first time for me here as I eschew this kind of American cooking in Japan. But with 2 burners and my small oven it all fell into place with my Japanese friends awed, excited and pleased. Can you beat a whole roast turkey on the table just before carving? Not in Japan!

My final week here is frantic as usual, but more so this year. I had the great news several weeks ago that one of our new graduate students at UGA, Alison McCord, was one of the 2 American finalists in the Japan Fashion Textile Competition held in Tokyo and that she would be coming for the awards ceremony. Of course, I insisted that she must come to Kyoto and stay with me for a few days. One of the Italian finalists is Inge Dusi, an old friend once from Chile, now Milano, who spent a quarter in Athens almost 20 years ago! I’ll put on my old tour guide hat and . . . off we go.

But I must leave on December 4. My first stop is Hawaii for a week where I’ll stay with the Bialiks again and see other friends in the Honolulu area. Then off to the Big Island for a 2nd visit with Masa Honda who teaches at the Hilo campus of UH. Then it’s cold Wisconsin for a few days with my mother before we head on to Athens for 5 days. On December 21 we will fly out to Los Angeles to spend the holidays with Jeanne and Page in their new apartment in Marina del Rey. Page called recently to say he had passed the California Bar Exam and that he was busy on various cases at his new firm, Graham & James in downtown LA. Once settled in Jeanne will begin the long task of translating the material she gathered while in Japan and Korea for her dissertation.

The usual sadness-cum-excitement of leaving Japan and returning to the US is upon me just now. The rush of these last few days will sweep me along and then I’ll be flooded by the sun and surf in Hawaii. It has been a great (greater?) year. As the new decade approaches, I send you my very best wishes for a Joyous Christmas and a rewarding and prosperous New Year of the Horse.