2013: Kyoto Koto

Photo of welcome lunch at a favorite Thai restaurant with Kiyo next to me plus Koichi and Keiko Kawashima owner of GalleryGallery

Weather: Just missed a typhoon that dumped loads of rain in the area flooding some of the nearby rivers and flooding some outlying areas of the city. I could see the results along the riverside with creative collections of reed stems and some large tree trunks moved from afar by the raging waters. Since that deluge it has been very dry and hot reaching the 80’s in October. We feel hints of fall coolness but full impact seems some time off. A recent typhoon brought very heavy rains and strong winds to the Tokyo area including a nearby island where mudslides destroyed many homes and a rising death count. As a result of this storm we finally have cool October weather here in Kyoto.

Morning Walks: The several rivers nearby are my morning haunts with minor variations from season to season and year to year. The floods took out some of the stone wall close to the riverbed and part of the pathway was blocked for a while on the shady side of the river which caused minor inconvenience but that is now in the process of repair. The usual walkers, fashionable joggers, dogs and owners, cyclists join me on these morning excursions. Ducks, herons, egrets and other fowl are ever present including very raucous crows that prompt me to return their calls, if I am alone on the path.

Galleries: There always shows of interest here with the many galleries, both large and small. Several friends have had fiber related exhibitions including Kusama-san at Gallery Gallery in the original GG format of viewing through the iconic glass door. Noda-san exhibited large works of small units laid out on the Konishi Gallery’s tatami floors. Tanaka-san, who deals with fire and its results in his art, had his 3rd show I’ve seen at eN arts. It’s a special place with a perfect blend of contemporary and traditional architecture and well suited to showing his work. Most interesting this year were his unique ‘drawings’ created by smoke. One show of curious work was at Parc Gallery that featured common tan rubber bands curled in natural ways lining the edges of small Plexiglas sheets that were then attached to the windows in the space. This was accompanied by sounds that were identified as humming but for me the effect was more like voices from outer space. Hmmmmmmm!

Museums: Most outstanding to date was the exhibition “The Lady and the Unicorn” from Musée de Cluny, Paris at The National Museum of Art Osaka. This series of 6 tapestries woven in Flanders in the late 16th Century is one of my very favorites in the history of European fabrics and I lectured on it many, many times in my History of Fabrics course. I’ve seen it twice in Paris and it was so great to greet them again here in Japan! Five of the tapestries illustrate the 5 senses and the 6th, titled “A mon seul desir” remains a mystery. My dear friend of 30+ years, Kiyoji Tsuji, invited me to join him and he got my full lecture sotto voce. I cannot remember how many times I have been asked by museum guards to lower my voice here. Most recently ‘Kiyo’ asked me to join him at 2 museums to view work and history of the Mingei Movement, a subject he is very knowledgeable about. First, at the Eki Museum, the work of a painter and wood cut artist, Shiko Munakata, whose work encompasses nature, Buddhism and erotic tumbling nudes among other themes. He was a close friend of Muneyoshi Yanagi the founder of the Mingei Movement with its emphasis on the work of the anonymous craftsman ——- beautiful utilitarian crafts for daily life.

Yanagi’s life and legacy was the focus of a large exhibition at the nearby Shiga Prefecture Museum of Modern Art where Kiyo and I headed after the Eki Museum. This exhibition encompassed materials that included books published on Mingei subjects as well as paintings and crafts in all media. One important aspect of Yanagi’s efforts was the collection of many examples of Korean crafts during Japan’s occupation of Korea beginning in 1910. Being introduced to these noteworthy objects of daily use there he later turned his attention to similar objects produced in japan. He established the Mingei Museum in Tokyo 75 years ago and later a branch in Osaka. In turn Kiyo was able to provide me with so much information on Mingei that I felt immensely rewarded after sharing my info about the Unicorn tapestries and fiber art.

Studio Work: I continue my obsession with “Lost & Found” aka “L&F” with the target of a show here next fall at Gallery Gallery. I have been collecting stuff, found on my walks and where ever I find myself, with eyes glued to the ground for over a year now. I have been mounting these objects in frames of many sizes, all painted black. In some instances I mount a single item like a work glove distorted and flattened from days in the street (likewise a woman’s split toed tabi in the same condition) or I combine a variety of stuff within one frame —- a recent grouping, all red, includes a small nylon bag with snap hook, a marking pen, a patterned round plastic disc and a scrap from a package of snacks. Recently found treasures include a man’s black canvas and suede boot (to go with the woman’s sandal found last year) and a pair of men’s black leather shoes near my local bus stop. I did not pick them up on first discovery but kept watch for several days before snatching them up in the dead of night and rushing them home. This week I recovered a ceramic roof tile (kawara) from the riverbed to mount them on. It’s amazing to me the things out there discovered while walking, which I do a lot here. The prize for most lost items has to be split between gloves and keys. I continue to collect red silk juban (under- kimono) at the flea markets with the goal of one day mounting an exhibition with them. In the mean time I have one hanging in my all-purpose room rotating them from day to day.

Performances: My friend, Butoh dancer and collaborator in five of my installations here and in Tokyo, Ima Tenko, had 2 performances in October. The Gojo Kaikan is a small, old, traditional theater once used for geisha dance performances. The theater is on the 2nd floor with a main center stage plus narrow ‘stages’ on left and right. Musicians and at times performers often occupy these. In this case musicians used the left and the right displayed a group of paintings. The seating area is tatami mat floor with the addition of zabuton (cushions). The performance was a combination of Western style cabaret with Ima-san in blonde wig; sequined dress, purple ostrich feather fan and skimpy jeweled bra and G-string. The music was recorded and blaring with a bump and grid routine that had me transfixed. She is total dance pro! Next, on stage, she slowly striped and transformed herself into the make up and costume for Butoh for the remaining segments of the program. Outstanding was her dance inspired by the famous historical figure, Okuni, a shrine maiden who ‘invented’ Kabuki by dancing in the dry Kamogawa riverbed here in Kyoto during the Edo Period. The other venue was the funky ‘live house’, Urban Guild, where Ima-san has preformed many times previously. In this instance she was accompanied by a cello and accordion with a very contemporary twist. She was ‘dressed’ in white body makeup and a tiny red loincloth but decorated by a constantly evolving projection that gave the impression of a painted or tattooed body. Another triumph!

The “Kyoto Experiment” has been offered past three fall seasons with a focus on performance, international in flavor, but with many Japanese groups participating. I’ve been exposed to groups from Japan, Europe and South America and this year has been diverse as well. The first group was from Brazil, naked with black body paint, joined as a group in tight contact improvisation or separated as individuals moving among the standing audience to a score of electronic sounds and varying light intensity. Strange!

The 2nd event in the “Experiment” was a Kabuki event, of two parts, one that turned the tables on that form with the addition of elements of Noh Theater and the black suited and masked ‘stagehands’ entering into the action. The last half of the performance involved wild 3 guys in black costumes in front of a traditional red and white striped maku curtain bopping to blasting Techno Music to great comedic effect. By the way, the audience was seated on stage facing the seats while the performers were on stage playing to the rear.

– Glen in Kyoto, Fall 2013