oneSAL T-shirts vol.2.5 Release

The second issue of SAL magazine "audio parts" T-shirts will be available in early July. The designs of the T-shirts were previously shown on Sal magazine vol.11 "Audio". Hideaki Komiyama from TGB Design designed a "power outlet" silk T-shirt with electric signal logo on it<beamst_tap.jpg>. Tsuyoshi Kusano's "RCA audio outputs" T-shirt has two-colored outputs on the breast part that are upheaved like emboss effect<beamst_code.jpg>. Enlightenment design T-shirt "Headphone"(actually, it's a STAX's earspeaker) was gorgeously printed with ink jet printer and silk screen<beamst_earspeaker.jpg>. These 3 line-ups are the features of this issue. SAL magazine is now planning to collaborate with Beams T and Apple on "iPod" T-shirt designed by Tsuyoshi Hirooka. The following news will also be announced here. Stay tuned.URL : http://www.beamst.com

twoSAL magazine night 3.5@APPLE Store, Ginza

"SAL magazine night" will be held at Apple store in Ginza, with its title upgraded by 0.5, commemorating the release of "AUDIOVISUALJAPAN" directed by SAL magazine.This title is named after the contents of the previous issues of SAL magazine, vol.11 and vol.12.The event will feature the talk show of Naohiro Ukawa and Tei Towa, the short introduction of the DVD images, and DJ&VJ performance by Jiro Ohashi. With each setting 30-minute- long, it is a one and a half hour short event. Free for entrance.

> place : Apple Store, Ginza Saegusa building main hall 3F theater, 3-5-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo.Tel : 03-5159-8200Date : 6.24(Thu)7:00p.m - 8:30p.mFree for entranceURL : http://www.apple.co.jp/retail/ginza/

threeSAL magazine vol.12 released in mid July

The latest issue of SAL magazine,Vol.12, is now under its way. This issue is composed of relatively fewer artists, but is totally progressive and rich in its contents. Succeeding the previous themes of "AUDIOVISUAL" and "AUDIO," what would the next issue focus on? Well, it's up to your imagination and you can have a good expectation of it. It will be released in middle July.

fourCET (Central East Tokyo) Fires Up : CET04 Coming This Autumn

The Central East Tokyo Organization Committee (in Uchikanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Chairman : KazushigeToriyama) has announced that "CET04 (Central East Tokyo 2004)" is going to be held. Below is a portion of the official release information.

> Last year, the first "Tokyo Designer's Block Central East (TDB-CE)" was held as an experimental event in the East side of Tokyo, namely the areas of Kanda, Higashi-Kanda, Nihonbashi, and Hacchoubori. Some of the events that took place were the display of works of art and design within vacant buildings, symposiums concerning city-renovation, workshops, and various other activities. This event proposed the revitalization of city regions through the power of artists, and it has received much response. Besides the artists, voices could be heard from local residents and the intern staff composed mainly of students as well, to keep continuing this event. The event and the region began to be referred to as CET. This is an endeavor of the spatial usage of vacant buildings that are scattered all over Tokyo. It is not a renovation project that is aiming for economic efficiency, but an experiment in shifting values, with expression and creative activity as the starting point. Central East used to be the center of the city of Tokyo (Edo), and it is an area with history, an area that has been changing its form with external influences. We are certain that this location is the perfect experimental field for the sprouting of new forms of culture, through achieving contact between local citizens who want to revitalize their town, and the artists / designers who want a place to create and exhibit their works. "CET (Formerly TDB-CE)" is a complex of activities spanning over the areas of Kanda, Higashi-Kanda, Bakuro-chou, Yokoyama-chou, Higashi-Nihonbashi, Nihonbashi, Ningyo-chou, and Hacchoubori. Here, cities will be turned into galleries, meanings will be pursued in symposiums, and experiences will be generated in various events. "Redesign" is the keyword that will fuse together various realms that have been dealt with in separate contexts, such as urban planning, architecture, and art. "Recycle" is the keyword that points to this mode of circulation. CET has already taken the first step; this movement will be taken further by carrying out "CET04." [end of citation]

> CET04 (Central East Tokyo 2004)Dates : 9/17/04 (Fri) to 9/26/04 (Sun) (ten days)Locations : Vacant buildings, open spaces, stores, schools, temples, restaurants, cafes, tunnels, etc., centered around the Kanda area, Bakuro-cho area, and Hacchoubori area.Participating artists (artists, designers, architects, etc.) : over 100 people (planned)Patronage : the city of Tokyo, Chiyoda-ku, Chuou-kuSupporting town-associations: Higashi-Kanda Town Association, Higashi-Nihonbashi Town AssociationOffice : 3-5-1 Daichiku Building 2F, Uchi-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, zipcode 101-0047 (Within Ren-Base UK01)Phone : 03-3253-6355 / Fax : 03-3253-6356E-mail : cet@z-pro.info

> CET is looking for companies willing to give support, vacant real estate, and intern staff to help them. More info at the CET web site (http://www.tdb-ce.com)

fiveCQ Grandprix

CQ, known for introducing a wide range of creators with different styles regardless of nationality or profession, is looking for the new type of movie. This year, on the theme of "sports" after the Olympic festival, CQ starts competition on the movies which one can enjoy with the small media devices such as mobile phones, PDA, D-snap and small interfaces of QVGA or GCIF. There is an increasing demand and attention for the small size movie expression called "Small Window Entertainment." It would be another big concern for us to follow the stream of this new medium of expression, as its possibility is huge.

> Submission closing : 2004.7.31Duration : within 60 seconds.Resolution : 320_240 QVGA size.Data format : free (except for the format that requires the special software for operation).Data capacity : within 10MB.For more information : http://cq.panasonic.jp/index2.html

> Send your application to : Tokyo Nowonmedia,Inc. CQ Grand prix section.zipcode 150-0001 Harajuku R building 3F, 6-17-10 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.TEL : 03-3406-8835 (Monday to Friday / 10:00 - 18:00)

sixRESFEST2004 "RESMIX" ENTRY

RESFEST has postponed the submission deadline for its original program in Japan until July 1st. RESFEST is a global digital film festival that tours more than 10 cities in the world, starting from San Francisco.RESFEST consists of "RESMIX SHORTS" that works in the genres of digital animation and motion graphic short films and "RESMIX ELECTRONICA" for music clips. The eligibility for entry is the use of digital tools (DV camera shooting, non-linear editing, effect tools, 3DCG) in the process of film production. Those who made entry in the past RESFEST are not eligible. The application form is attached on the program handout and can also be downloaded in the RESFEST Japan official site.Entry fee : 2,000 yen.For more information : http://www.resfest.jp

> Organizer : RESFEST Japan Tour officePlace : Harajuku R building 3F, 6-17-10 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.Tel : 03-3406-8835Δ

oneKOJI MORIMOTO Exhibition

At a store called "33" in Kichijyoji, an exhibition commemorating the release of a collection of Koji Morimoto's works, called "0 Range," is going to be held<daikichidaikyo.jpg>. Morimoto is an animation director who is attracting attention throughout the world. He is well known for his clip in "Animatrix," and the music video for Ken Ishii's "Extra."The theme of the exhibition is "daikichi/daikyo (good luck/bad luck)," deriving from the phrase "kichi" in "Kichijyoji." Works like "Daikichi-Hai!" and "Daikyou-Desu!," which use large billboards spanning 3 by 1 meters, and the original images of "0 Range" will be displayed. The in-store monitors will be showing the director's past works, and an animation version of "0 Range."At the exhibition, "Daikichi" and "Daikyo" T-shirts are going to be sold, along with the experimental CD "Daikichi/Daikyo EP," which is a collaboration between Morimoto and DJ Q'hey.

> Koji Morimoto's exhibition "Daikichi-Hai! Daikyou-Desu!,"commemorating the release of his compilation of works, "0 Range."
Date : 7/16 (Fri) to 8/31 (Tue)Location : Shop 33 (Kichijyoji) 2-22-5 (1F) Kichijyoji-Honcho, Musashino-shi, TokyoURL : http://www.shop33.com

> A collection of Koji Morimoto's Works: "0 Range"
This is the first, and highly-anticipated collection of the works of Koji Morimoto, an artist who unfolds a unique world mainly through animation. There are over 500 sketches, illustrations that have been published in books and magazines, posters, flyers, T-shirts from his original brand, photos of costumes for his original characters, a flip-book comic, and a story included in this collection. The world of morimoto is condensed into one book. Pages : 280Scheduled Release Date : Early JuneScheduled Retail Price : 3,700yenPublisher : Asuka Shinsha

> Shop 33
A multiple media store in Kichijyoji, Tokyo. It is a long-standing store that has been introducing the style of the club scene and the electronic music scene. They have a line-up of items that can't be found elsewhere, including fashion, music, and art. This store has activities with global design units like the Designers Republic, while maintaining a stance of Kichijyoji-locality. They also have a rich relationship with Koji Morimoto. On July 15, this shop is going to move from the location in which it has been in for 23 years, to a new location facing Inogashira Street.

New Address : 2-22-5 (1F) Kichijyoji Honcho, Musashino-shi, TokyoPhone : 0422-28-7515Fax : 0422-28-7516

twoDouble Negative Yes, assertive "UNNON"

There are so many apparel brand shops filling out the blanks in the city, but there have been few cases where the brand shop plays its role as a storyteller. UNNON's items have stories and they have a wild impulse to run through the mundane "chill out" air into the craziness. <unnon_image.jpg> The brand name "UNNON" sygnifies the strong assertion by doubling the negations, UN=negation, and NON=negation. "It's not a straightforward assertion but after all you have to say "Yes"." Their style is totally devious yet very open-minded. UNNON is now composed of 4 members: representative Satoshi Ando, movie creator So Otsuki, NAN's Hiroki Tsukuda and Shin Hirose. Soon, Tsuyoshi Hirooka, SHIURA, and Tomoki Kurokawa will also participate in UNNON. UNNON's members, with their unpredictable way of thinking, have put their ideas and outrageous emotions into their original T-shirt without any compromise. Each design of UNNON outfits has an original tag that is randomly chosen out of 4 kinds of tags. It is also worthwhile to check the design of the tag. Awesomely, it has small Manga frames on the front and the back. There is no strict rule or clear concepts, but that doesn't necessarily mean UNNON's products are made out of the simplistic attitude.

> UN001 "Sword" : The sword motif T-shirt has a collage illustration of human beings, plants and animals. It's a bold re-composition of "sword," which could otherwise be an ill motif, with the inconspicuous icons. 4,800yen. <unnon_UN001gray.jpg>

> UN002 "Unknown Creature" : This creepy creature is covered with hair all over its body and, to make it worse, it's a triangle. This T-shirt is printed with this "Unknown Creature," and it has been a unique symbol of UNNON from its establishment. The color pattern reminds of the 70's Rock T-shirts and it looks much fresher with tiny gold flakes of dandruff that comes down from the monster. No doubt this is the most elaborate design of UNNON's works. 5,800yen. <unnon_UN002chacoal.jpg>

> UN003 "Keris" The design concept of this T-shirt derives from the myth of the legendary sword: "The one who beheld the sword was never wounded in the battle." The swords that rain down are arranged with silkscreen printing and stitch sewing. 9,800yen. <unnon_UN003navy.jpg>

URL : http://www.unnon-web.com/Article : Kurando FuruyaPhoto : UNNONΔ

NEWS-29 [Straight From the Scene]
"audio forma presents BERLIN ELECTRONIC MODERN feat.Rechenzenetrum,Hermann&kleine, Christian Kleine, static and sketch show"

During the time I have been running Progressive Form, I've always had a policy of not holding any e-mail addresses that I didn't need. But starting May 9, I'm going to be using a new address [nik@towatei.com]. I'll probably write about this more some other time. Well anyway, for me the month of May ended with "audio forma Presents BERLIN ELECTRONIC MODERN," A lot of people probably don't know what I'm talking about, so I'll explain it a bit.

Audio Forma is a music event that is being held once in a while, by Daisyworld Discs (Haruomi Hosono's label / A&R : Mr. Higashi) and PROGRESSIVE FOrM. Why are the two labels doing it together? Well there's a number of reasons or maybe not (I guess there's an aspect of "we just felt like it"), but one major element is the existence of the artists who are affiliated to both labels (in this case, Ryoichi Kurokawa and Eater). In this kind of context, the first Audio Forma was held last year on September 12 at Super Deluxe in Roppongi (#1), and on September 14 at CAY in Aoyama (#2), with the artists of the two labels as the main performers <http://www.dropcontrol.com/~p_form/image-page/images.03-sep.12-af-1.html> <http://www.dropcontrol.com/~p_form/image-page/images.03-sep.14-af-1.html>. And just recently, this event was held for the second time.

The theme this time was "Berlin." It is well known that this city is, and has been for a while, an important location for musicians and artists alike. There were a few people familiar to me, whom I always wanted to invite to Japan, like Taddy and Christian (Hermann & Kleine / Chiristian Kleine) from City Centre Offices (usually called CCO), and Hanno (Static). By the way, Hanno seems to be a common German name, and Yoshihiro Hanno told me that he is often mistaken as being German when the other person only has knowledge of his e-mail address. Also, I wanted to invite Rechenzentrum (Concerning their live performances, Marc does the music, and Lillevan does the visuals), who amazed me with last year's "Director's Cut" (Mille Plateaux). I discovered that all of these people lived in Berlin. We did performances on May 30 at CAY in Aoyama (#3), on June 1 at the Goethe Institute of Kyoto (#4), and on June 2 at Bridge in Osaka (#5).

One similarity between these musicians from Berlin were they were all really good guys! They have great personalities, and they were even punctual! I guess Japanese and Germans have similar values. The music that this kind of people play can't be bad! The set of Hermann & Kleine (starting out as just Christian Kleine) had a base of tight breakbeats, but showed a variety of lush sounds. Hanno performed individual songs, and showed us a mature expression. Rechenzentrum performed a set with a smooth flow, which had a refined structure of rhythm with ups and downs of tension. They were all great. Of course I have to include the steady set by Sketch Show, who are going to perform in Sonar 2004 (They seemed to be emitting lots of energy!), and the high-quality performance by the trio composed of Aoki Takamasa, Eater, and Mitsuru Watanabe (He is an incredible drummer who participated in Yoshihiro Hanno's "multiphonic ensemble"). One thing I can say is that German's talk a lot (lol). Tommorow, I'm going to fly to Barcelona for Sonar 2004. After I return, on June 25, Aoki Takamasa's fifth album "Simply Funk" (it's amazing!) is going to be released. See you again next month; I'll be writing a report on Sonar. (nik from PROGRESSIVE FOrM)

"Isn't It"
Basement Jaxx, New Stench, and Ageha

My good friend Kidney, of New Stench <theKIDIOT.jpg>, invited me to a Basement Jaxx show at club Ageha. As I waited for Kidney at the entrance, a limousine pulled up, and out came the ignorant celebrity $@kan%#@u$*! I raised my middle finger at her just slightly, and continued waiting until a foreign employee came and led me to the VIP room.

This was my first time at Ageha, and I was stunned at what I saw when I stepped in. It made me think "what's with this huge bubbly (i.e. reminiscent of the bubble economy) club?" and as I stepped further, a crowd of about 3,000 people was burning up <JAXX CROWD.jpg>. It was truly bubbly, and I was even a bit intimidated. It made me think "so Japan's economy has come this far?" and the splendor of the whole scene reminded me of club Gold (from back in the days of the bubble economy). I realized that I hadn't heard of any VIP rooms in clubs for a while, just as I reached it, and there she was, I knew she would be there, that $@da%#@no*! I looked around and all I saw were third-class celebrities and dumb-looking ladies. As I tried to shake off the strange feeling of being sent back fifteen years in time, I went out onto the balcony. Mansi, the manager of the Basement Jaxx was there, and he gestured for me to come to the DJ booth. After I received a strict security check by two macho employees, I saw something I couldn't believe. There was a Jacuzzi!! I climbed the stairs to reach the DJ booth, only to find out that it was about three stories high! The overwhelming splendor made me want to bow down into subordination. I said hi to Felix and Simon, known better as the Basement Jaxx <Felix BuxtonSimon Ratcliffe.jpg>, and started conversing with Kidney. While we were talking and having fun, I suddenly realized that there were about ten performers straight out of the circus who were hanging from the ceiling, spinning, and dancing all at the same time, and I was just like what the fuck is this!!!!!!!!???? Felix and the others <FELIX BUXTON.jpg> told me later that they were also appalled by what they saw that night. After their performance, we went out to the poolside to cool down <JAXX CREW+SHiURA.jpg>. Ageha's ridiculousness should have gotten us angry, but it surpassed that stage and got us kind of high. That was one crazy night.

That club experience was a very strange one. Simultaneously, I was able to enjoy the Basement Jaxx's music and the amusing gap between the dumb music business people lounging in the VIP room and the crowd that was here to experience the music. Ageha is an interesting club in many ways... (SHiURA)

Basement Jaxx
Grand revolutionaries of house music. The Basement Jaxx, composed of Felix B and Simon Ratcliffe from the United Kingdom, started the music label Atlantic Jaxx in 1994. They then released a series of highly innovative dance tracks like "Samba Magic," "Fly Life," "Be Free," and "Daluma," which include elements from samba, salsa, latin funk, reggae, jazz, and disco. These tracks erupted from the underground to eventually shake the major scene. They have had a heavy influence on not just house music, but the whole club music scene in general.

New Stench
A well-known deviant unit from the United Kingdom, composed of Kidney and Subway Lung <kidiot poster.jpg>. Starting from 2001, they started working with XL-Recordings, and they designed the cover of the Basement Jaxx's second album, "Rooty". These two have been handling a wide variety of activities. They have worked for Control Tower Recordings and Lab Magazine as their clients, participated in the Versus Exhibition in Japan, and have been commissioned by Spaceshower TV, and the fashion brands Moog <MOOG.jpg> and Toilet <TOILET T-SHIRT.jpg>. They are good friends with the Basement Jaxx.

NEW HYPE RESEARCH
Against OLD HYPE BOMB File #001
FRESH!!!!!! Free Paper "Quest" in Communal Senses
by Keita Fukasawa

It is a particularly conspicuous phenomenon in Japan that, rooted in the old example of "musician" being upgraded to "artist," vernacular meanings of the words like "street," "collaboration" or "style," (and it even goes as far as "culture" or "creator") are blatantly reduced to hollow imitation and deprived of the original connotation by the hype media. Our life is surrounded by the words just like heaps of corpses that could only decorate the cover of some catalogue magazine. There is no way we can identify ourselves without the sediment that has been left down in the bottom in the distillation, and it is pathetic that we have nothing but all these phenomena that need intellectual's diagnosis. By the way, it is not irrelevant to the situation in which we can only find hollow meanings in the words that a genre of free paper, which enlivened the select shops as a bull of the sub-culture, becomes totally extinct like Burgess fauna in the Cambria era.That was latter 90's when the "independent" movement is in its heyday in music or fashion industry, which was the last prime season of the interface between the "sub-culture" movement and the "major" industry, where the former was so rapidly merged into the latter that the borderline was extremely blurred. As far as the term "borderline" is concerned, the case is much more ill where the psychiatric borderline symptom itself, in which the term originated, is decreasing in these few years. In any cases, the major media sent a string of Katakana expressions whose meanings were reduced to total vagueness and made more "fashionable." The world is flung into the hell of literally nonsense words of expressions such as "the major independent rock band" or "the hideout cafe where people wait in line to be served," or "the your-original-style select shop". In this situation, it is even meaningless to have a will to send information with "hard-core" attitude in an "independent" way. In here lies the difficulty of forming the original and innovative media today, which results in the weblog worship where 90% of population being secluded in the private space in the name of transmission of information. What, then, does it mean to represent something as a media and transmit the information? One of the answers is shown in the free paper "Quest".

The cover of the latest issue<Quest17_hyoushi.jpg> and the covers of the previous issues<Quest_bn.jpg> can persuade us that it has achieved the intensity of attracting the readers with the same senses by pinpointing the materials that the participants really dig. The important thing is we can tell that the transmitter is really interested in the focus matter, and above all, he is having fun making the paper. The participants are obviously enjoying the conspiracy and even some celebrate who should never appear in photography for the major magazines is on the paper. That leads to the communal senses with readers and a strong originality that is different from the hype media. This particular "communal senses" is the new method of survival with which we are furnished after the big wave of the street culture and the keyword to look through the existing media format that assumes "generality" and discharges the "latest" information which comes right down from the press release. (One example is illustrated in the frequent expression uttered from Naohiro Ukawa : "yabai!!!!!!!") The personal emotion that is charged on the paper gives rise to the intensity of the communal senses with readers, which distances itself far away from everything and revive the hollow dead words and reconstruct the fragmented parts into the meaningful world in a FRESH!!!!!!! way.
(Keita Fukasawa)

txt.Archives
002 : Presents

The tale about storks,which were often depicted to bring new-born babies to their parents as gift, was expressed by the Crown Price Naruhiro before the Crown Princess's pregrancy was announced.And from past to present the tale is the most popular metaphor to talk about the issue.

In this connection "Bringing" can be also interpreted as "receivings", an image of a pelican, instead of a stork, is used as a symbol for a well-known delivery company in Japan.An image, "a cat holding a child with its mouth" for another delivery company is also a syimbolic logo image which may be derived from the metaphor.Mircea Eliade, a Romanian-born historian of religion,has written in his book that Amenians, for example, were considered the earth as "a womb where human being come from" and Peruvians also believed themselves as ancestors of rock and stones.In Europe there have been some regions where children were believed to be "coming" from swamps, fountains, and rivers. It is likely that the earth (Earth mother) have been a microcosm of the entire unity that surrounds us.

The word "microcosm" is seemed to be associated with geometric symbols such as mosaics and arabesques.The image, different from that in Asia, might be derived from the exoticism of Islaic atomosphere which alternates West and East. Such image, however, might be visualized as a image of a nostalgic desert that depicted in the hollywood movie "Casablanca", or a image of the illusionaly Morocco and the Western dry rot in "The Shelteriing Sky"If I put Muslims in another word,Arabians,I come up with their realistic images as "powerful merchants" instead of their exoticism and the touristic heart of the traveller.

The other day I saw an Arabian man standing the on the street near Harajuku Station and yelling "Ummmmbrellaaa Ummmmbrellaaa! Gash, five huuundred yeeen!! Ummmmbrellaaa Ummmmbrellaaa! Gash, five huuundred yeeen!!" this man appeared just right befor the sudden thunder storm. It was a mystery where he had been waiting for the strom and how he had made a forecast of the suddern heavy rain. For him the rain was exactly a blessing since the ummbrellas have made a big hit to the soaked passerby. I asked "How much is it?" anyway,and "Five huuundred yeeen!!(500 yen)" he yelled.

Even I know that you could get a same umbrella in 380 yen at the convinience store,I would'nt want to beat down the price. I purchased it anyways.There was a no time to cast around in the midst of the heavy rain.The graphics and texts, which are resoluted in four dots of cyan, magenta,yellow,and black and fixed the ink onto the paper, will transmigrate to a freepaper.As a general conception it is explained as the paper is free that is a trash that is a waste of paper that is a environment disrupution and that is a social ill.We however sorrows(?)the endangered reality of the ousted monkies(saru (sal) in japanese) from their habitats in the rainforest. And by naming the freepaper as 'SAL' we pray for god to the recovery of the ambienced of the rainforest.

Then the fruitful reinforest will recover from the freakish tropical weather conditions and it breeds lives, and with a thunder it pours fertile rains onto us.Ummmmbrellaaa Ummmmbrellaaa! Gash, five huuundred yeeen!! It guess "Gush" means "Get."There must be various feelings about a gift. It depends on the situation how you feel about it. either you feel more of a nuance of its passiveness or you feel more the sender's positive attitude.In the word "Get" I strongly feel a positive mind as 'You go get by Yourself' and it implies an expectation to bring a wilder communication beyond the manner of both side of a sender and a receiver of a gift. (Jiro Ohashi)Δ

oneaudio forma Berlin Electronic Modern

PROGRESSIVE FOrM has been cultivating the plane for the electronic music that fits into the dance floor, sending out many talented artists such as SILICOM and Ryoichi Kurokawa. Now it has just stepped into the next level of plantation to oversee the present situation of the electronica scene. PROGRESSIVE ForM presented "audio forma BERLIN ELECTRONIC MODERN" with co-organizing label daisyworld, at Restaurant CAY in Aoyama, on 5.30. This time audio forma invited Herrmann&Kleine and Static from the electronica label CCO(City Center offices), which deals with many high-quality laptop musicians in London and Berlin. The show also proudly presented the uprising electronica trio Rechenzentrum from Mille Plateaux. Audio forma spotted light on the city of Berlin to strike a gold vein for electronic music. The first performing duo that excited the audience was Herrmann&Kleine. Christian Kleine, just as his calm appearance, makes soft ambient sounds that play like the sunlight coming through the trees. Thaddeus Hermann, who has a huge respect to Detroit techno, shoves the ruthless minimal beats up in Kleine's fragile sounds. Contrary to Kleine, who hides behind the laptop and awkwardly plays with the mouse, Hermann never stops banging his head and shaking his shoulders with aggressive techno beats as if to shout "respect UR!" Both of them seem to be really enjoying performing the show. <audioforma_hermann&kleine.jpg> Hermann works for the famous music magazine de:bug in Berlin. It is hilarious to imagine that this gigantic figure works on editing music so stealthily that he wouldn't get caught in the office.STATIC, the second assassin from CCO, comes up on the stage dressed with a bright red suit and a fancy tie<audioforma_static.jpg>, though, contrary to what I expected, the sound isn't as loud as his outfit. Static never goes nuts in the show. His sound is stoic yet colorful and emotional, which again gets wide of my expectation. There is no consistency in his show but that is, in a way, really funky.Shortly after Static's performance, SKETCH SHOW, "the godfathers of Nippon electronica," appears on the stage<audioforma_sketch show.jpg>. Delightful shouting comes from a middle-aged old fan of YMO. The audience shares the same kind of emotion regardless of the generations. With the background movie images by Ryoichi Kurokawa, Yukihiro Takahashi maturely transforms his emotion into the vibration of the air. The unique rhythm of his voice part must have a lot in common with that of Haiku lyrics. SKETCH SHOW's sound seems to embody the core part of Japanese identity and it might have something to do with that rhythm.Subsequent to that, Rechenzentrum appears on the stage, receiving the hail by the audience. Rechenzentrum is one of the remarkable artists from MILLE PLATEAUX, who has risen to stardom in collaboration with KID 606 or MIRA CALIX. The art stance of Rechenzentrum is focused on constructing the new relationship between sound and visual presentation, and their latest album "Director's cut," released from MILLE PLATEAUX last year, is quite ambitious in that it features DVD images. The actual show was impressive. <audioforma_rechenzentrum.jpg> It sensationally starts with a flight of raven, mountain climbers walking up on the path on the Himalaya, and the human figure oxidized into the rusty shadow. These awfully tactile visual images make a fascinating ensemble with the groaning electronic sound, which makes a terribly beautiful topos. Mark Weiser, a member of Rechenzentrum, paranoically plays with the knobs on the mixer as if to enjoy dissecting human body and gives each particle of sound organic motion. Right beside Mark is Christian Conrad who stands still gazing at the laptop and making perfectly accurate changes in the flow of the sound to give a dynamic emotion. Their showcase is already too mature to give the audience pompous performance and it was a fascinating show.

URL : http://www.dropcontrol.com/~p_form/http://www.daisyworld.co.jp/home.htmlhttp://www.mille-plateaux.com

Article / Photo : Dai Matsuoka

twoN_EXT Exhibition (ICC)

"N_ext : New Generation of Media Artists" is an exhibition that is being held at the NTT Inter Communication Center (ICC) in Hatsudai, and it displays 12 works that explore the relationship between technology and human experience. Many of the works are interactive, and there are a wide variety of materials and methods that are used.Iori Nakai's "streetscape Hatsudai" takes the form of a simple map of the town of Hatsudai. When you push a pen against the grooves of various widths which represent the streets, soundscapes that were recorded at those actual locations come out through the headphones<next_streetscape.jpg>. We tend to have the stereotype that maps are purely visual objects, but in this work we use our auditory and tactile senses as well, to construct a spatial image. Also, this work reminds us that reading a map is fundamentally an active experience, and not just the passive receiving of information.""Riot please"--/a....ha...++" is a sound installation created by Taeji Sawai, Kazuhiro Jo, and Daito Manabe, and it is a work requires a reservation to experience. In a pitch dark zero-resonation chamber, the spectator is bombarded with bass that is so dense, you cannot tell if it is a sound or vibration, and showered with treble of unprecedented quality, that feels as if it were being squeezed out from inside your body. It is an extraordinary acoustic experience that feels like you can almost touch the sound.Norihisa Hashimoto's "zerograph [ICC Gallery A 20040330-U/D]" is a huge circular photograph of the gallery space that the piece is being displayed in, and it has achieved a 360-degree angle of view using digital technology<next_zerograph.jpg>. When we look at an any photograph, if the content were metaphorically described as being a view from a window, we subconsciously cognize that our bodies are standing right inside of this window. By doing this, we are able to realistically experience the space that the photograph has brought here. The camera is actually taking the shot from this location, and our eyes and bodies become one with the camera in order to immerse ourselves into the space depicted in the photograph. Normally this "window" overlaps with the frame of the photo, but in the case of this piece, the whole space of the room is displayed at once. The camera itself is supposed to be somewhere in this room, but it cannot be seen. This is because a three-dimensional vanishing point converges at the location of the lens. Along with the camera, "The body that becomes one with the camera," which links the spectator's experience to the spatial information in the photo, occupies a location on the other side of this vanished "window" as well. From this position, which is separate from that of the body standing in front of the photograph, the photograph is given spatial reality. This piece, which exposes the division of the spectator as a subject, causes a sort of vertigo that reaches the core of your body. It is almost like leaving your body through photograph as the medium.When I visit an exhibition that has "media art" in its title, I often come upon empty works of art that do not offer any kind of new experiences. However, this exhibition displayed refined works that showed strong relationships between technology and experience, and I believe I got a glimpse of how the frame of human experience would be expanded in the times to come.

> "N_ext : New Generation of Media Artists" Date : 4/23/04 to 6/27/04 at NTT Inter Communication Center

> NTT Inter Communication Center (ICC) : 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo (4th floor of Tokyo Opera City) a two minute walk from the East Exit of Keio New Line's Hatsudai Station > Opening Hours : 10:00 to 18:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing) Closed: Mondays (If Monday is a holiday, then Tuesday) > URL : http://www.ntticc.or.jp/Article / Photos : Ryutaro UchiyamaΔ

oneSAL T-shirts vol.2 Release

Images of audio equipment produced for SAL magazine latest "AUDIO" issue are going to be printed on T-shirts released by BEAMS T (http://www.beamst.com), The first series, planned to be released in May, includes an amp by Hiroshi Iguchi (bwoy_amp.jpg), speakers by NAN (nan_speaker.jpg), a turntable by Tomoo Gokita (gokita_turntable.jpg), and a map of Japan that was on the cover of SAL vol. 11, by Hideki Inaba (inaba_japan.jpg), the second series, planned to be released in June, includes headphones by Enlightnment, a plug byTsuyoshi Kusano, an iPOD by Tsuyoshi HIrooka, and an electrical tap by Hideaki Komiyama of TGB Design. Prices are 4,800 to 5,800 yen.URL: http://www.beamst.com

twoDVD "AUDIOVISUALJAPAN" Release

The DVD "AUDIOVISUALJAPAN" (audiovisualjapan.jpg), is going to be released soon. It includes music clips like Cornelius's "Drop - Do it Again", Tei Towa's "Audio Sex" directed by Naohiro Ukawa, valuable interviews with artists who are showing their talent in the electronic music scene like Ryoichi Kurokawa and Masakatsu Takagi, and stimulating and experimental motion image. The content is based on SAL magazine's volumes 10 and 11, so it is basically a film version of SAL magazine.Through the interviews and the visual works, you will be able to experience the present Japanese motion image scene.DVD CONTENTS > Interviews: Cornelius & Koichiro Tsujikawa, Meikyoshisui, Ryoichi Kurokawa, Naohiro Ukawa, Omodaka (Soichi Terada, Nendo ANI, Yoshiyuki Komatsu), Masakatsu Takagi> Movies : "Drop - Do it Again," M: Cornelius, Dir: Koichiro Tsujikawa, "Komainu," M: Goro, Dir: Meikyoshisui, "A Few Walks," M & Dir: Ryoichi Kurokawa, "Audio Sex," M: Tei Towa, Dir: Naohiro Ukawa, "Fortunate 1 Mark," M & Dir: Omodaka, "Rehome," M and Dir: Masakatsu Takagi> Release Date: May 21, 2004 Serial: NODG-00001 Price: 3,990 yen (3,800 yen w/o tax) Specs: Dolby 2.0ch Stereo. Audio: Japanese. Subtitles: English. Length: 67 min. Produced by: GAS. Editor & Director: Jiro Ohashi (SAL magazine). Publisher: Gas as Interface corp., Distributed by: Now on Media corp., URL: http://www.nowondvd.net> On June 24 (Thur.), we are going to throw an event that includes the screening of a digest version of this DVD, at the Apple Store in Ginza. URL : http://www.apple.co.jp/retail/ginza/. More info coming next issue.

threeINABA HIDEKI Exhibition "NEWLINE"

Hideki Inaba, who has taken charge of the art direction of +81and SAL magazine, now collaborates with the online magazine SHIFT (http://www.shift.jp.org/soso/040618/indexj.shtml) for the new project "NEW LINE". They will hold the exhibitions in Sapporo and Tokyo (hideki inaba_NL.jpg), In this exhibition, Hideki Inaba's graphic work, which is publicly known as the advert for Shift on Web Designing magazine, will be transformed into a three-dimensional installation. The limited edition T-shirts, on which Inaba collaborated with BEAMS T, will also be available.Supported by : BEAMS T, SAL magazine, E2O, P RND
> Sapporo Exhibition : SOSO CAFE 6.18(Fri) to 30(Wed) 6.18(Fri) Opening Party
> Tokyo Exhibition : Rocket 7.16(Fri) to 21(Wed) 7.16(Fri) Opening Party
About "NEW LINE" : The collaboration project of Hideki Inaba, who has taken charge of the art direction of +81 and SAL magazine, and the online magazine SHIFT. It also diverges into the E2O tomato juice project.
About E2O tomato juice project : the collaboration project of the producers of the tomato juice, which is produced as much as they drink for themselves, and NEW LINE. (ex/ARTICLE)Δ

oneDEPOT Renewal

Very few galleries are able to constantly hold exhibitions of high quality. There are numerous galleries in Tokyo, but one that we can't help ourselves from checking every now and then: that's rare. In this situation of gallery saturation, Masaru Ishiura's curation for Depot holds a steady flow of quality. Ishiura's curation for the "Versus Exhibition" had a touch of surprise and service, with its interesting match-ups like Skate Thing vs. Derek Riggs, and Hiroshi Iguchi vs. Kate Gibb. Nakameguro Depot, where the "Versus Exhibition" first began, went through a renewal and was reopened on April 1. (depot_logo.jpg)A new shop area was added onto the cafe and gallery areas that had been there before the renewal. (depot_adat.jpg). At the CD, DVD, and mix tape section, you can listen to anything before you actually buy it. (depot_dvd.jpg), Many different kinds of books from a wide variety of genres, provided by anonymous artists, fill the shelves of the used books section. Within the art books from all over the world, artists may be able to find sources of inspiration. The place is full of material that arouses creativity, making this shop live up to its concept of being a source of ideas and information. It is worth visiting this highly original store once, to take a look at the magazines, CDs, DVDs, shoes, and artwork that Ishiura personally found all over the globe.The first exhibition after the renewal is Yukio Kato's, "Speeper Exhibition." This is the artist who did the logo designs for clothing brands such as Famouz and AG, and the CD covers of musicians such as Cowcow and Carroll Thompson. His show (depot_speerer1.jpg), can be seen until the 18th of this month. Inside the gallery space, there is a 300mm x 300mm wooden board lined with panels of Tiki. Pop symbols like ice cream cones and the Blues Brothers can be found all around, giving the exhibition a mellow atmosphere. (depot_speerer2.jpg)Location : Depot (Nakameguro) 2-43-6 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, TokyoTel / Fax : 03-5773-5502 (after 17:00)http://www.depotcrew.com/

Article : Kana Satomi / Kurando FuruyaPhotos : Kurando Furuya

twoVIVID and FINE EXHIBITION

The art exhibition titled "vivid and fine - the new style of printing" was held at NADIFF in Omotesando from March 19th until April 18th (nadiff_audience.jpg) . The curator Tetsuya Nakamura called in creators (nadiff_artists.jpg), from different fields such as advertisement, photography and fine art, and, with technical support by Onoue Printing, made an exploration into the new dimension of the printing. Participated in this project are Muneteru Ujino, Masataka Kurashina, Kashiwa Sato, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Mika Ninagawa, Nagi Noda, and Kazunari Hattori. Reaching beyond the domain of CMYK, the exhibition challenged the way today's expression comes to terms with printing. The texture of the exhibition works must have had such a fresh impact on the spectators because of the special printing effect rendered on them. According to Nakamura, the inspiration for the project he came up with was the image that "painters painting the picture". Responding to the curator's inspiration, the creators and the collaborating Onoue Printing staffs engaged themselves in making posters as artworks. In fact, Kazunari Hattori, who also designed the flyer for the exhibition, took in Pollack's dripping technique and created (nadiff_hattori.jpg), a graphic in which fluorescent colors are dynamically yet subtly mapped out. Hiroshi Sugimoto, a globally known photographer, has completed a work of the Movie Theater with small protrusions all over it, which gives impression as if people in the theater were actually breathing as they're staring at the screen. It is not exaggerating to say that they resurrected the traditional art structure in which engineers, responding to creator's inspiration, give a life to it. When we take a look at the social context that encouraged the creators to hold this art show, we have the technological development of ordinary printers and the decreasing demand for software packages, which is due to the data sharing/distribution system established on Internet. Although now responsible for playing a significant role in the society as an advertising medium, the poster may sooner or later be replaced for the 3D holographic hyper media in accordance with the development of technology, which was predicted by Hajime Tachibana who labeled it "super acoustic media." So, it was the first time that the poster was "revived" as an artwork, which must have been what this exhibition was intended to present. At the same time, being the poster format that should always be consumed, the artworks penetrate into consumer's everyday life and, due to the special effect rendered on it, emphasizes its own material aspect. Now that it has been exposed as a material commodity, would the poster have the same ending as the vinyl records and stir up the consumer's fetish desire as well?

Article / Photo : Dai Matsuoka

threeInnocence Exhibition

With Toshio Suzuki of Studio Ghibli as producer, "Innocence" seems like it's going to be director Mamoru Oshii's most famous work up to date. Even though the production is large-scaled, the content is a pure Oshii film. With numerous appearances of things like Love-Dolls and Basset Hounds (Oshii's pet in reality), this movie is obviously not made with the purpose of pleasing a major audience, just like his other less well-known films.

"Scenery of Cities from Innocence" (innocence_gate.jpg), is an exhibition supervised by Mamoru Oshii, where you can savor the beautiful cityscapes from Innocence (innocence_miniture.jpg),while viewing the vast city of Tokyo from the 50th floor of Roppongi Hills (innocence_roppongi.jpg), Anyone who has seen the movie would understand, but the urban backgrounds used in the film are not only beautiful, but very realistic and majestic as well. Especially the city of Etorofu, described in the film as being "Chinese-Gothic," is awe-inspiring. It is a closed city with no landscape to be seen in the background, and rays of light stretching in from between the skyscrapers project themselves onto the modern city, making it seem almost like a massive temple. This cityscape is more than just a background; it tells its own stories. This is because the people's livelihood, fears, history, and culture are all depicted here in detail. Using photos, imagery, models, and artwork, the world of "Innocence" is explored from the aspect of urban scenery. (innocence_board.jpg), Oshii, a Tokyo native, dispays his intense love and admiration of cityscapes in this exhibition. (http://www.muf.jp/exhibit/2004_02/),

Article : Kana Satomi / Kurando FuruyaPhotos : Kurando Furuya

fourNo Wall Between Art 2

Many young artists from various fields participated in the exhibition "No Wall Between Art 2" (NWBA2) (http://www.nwba-japan.com/). Last year, this exhibition gained attention for the participation of artists like Word Public, NAN, and Yuichi Yokoyama, and the opening act performance by DJ Kentaro and Afra. The second round of this exhibition went on from April 25 to May 8 at YAMAHA Ex'Realm in Harajuku (nwba_audience.jpg).Magdron (nwba_mgdrn.jpg), Tashahisha, SIM, Koh Chihara (nwba_chihara.jpg), Sushi, Machida-Gaikotsu, and Kenichiro Mizuno (nwba_mizuno.jpg) were some of the eighteen artists and two maufacturers that participated, all from a chaotic variety of different fields.At the reception party on the 24th, Tashahisha and Magma did live performances for the crowd. Mustone, a member of Tashahisha, recieved much applause for his live painting in which he audaciously ran his pen all over a white panel with the words "YES WALL BETWEEN XART" printed on top.A portion of the motion image that the creator SIM (known for SIM Magazine) produced for NWBA2 can be seen here at salmagazine.org. Original images by Tomoki Kurokawa, motion image by So Otsuki, sound by Kentaro Hamasato, and direction by SIM were fused together to create the motion image piece "Anoyo Express" (anoyo_express.mov). The artists are all natives of the Tokyo metropolitan area who have no hometown that they can return to, and they do not have the capacity to experience a nostalgic homesickness. This piece is a hallucinatory-homecoming-transit-film, imagined by these four artists. It has a strange concept: its retail price is 10,800 yen, and it is supposedly being loaned to NWBA2 for 400 yen per night. This piece recieved acclaim, and is being displayed at Beams T stores all over Japan.Everyone should watch out for next year's NWBA, as we can expect another hybrid exhibition of many different types of creators.

Article : Kurando FuruyaPhotos : NWBA(KM)Movie : So Otsuki / Tomoki Kurokawa / Kentaro Hamasato / Kurando FuruyaThanks : Adapter / Hi-Dutch

fiveVoid Village

The electronica unit Void Village, composed of Yusuke Kimura and Hiroki Tsukuda (NAN), recently released their first album (ijacket_01.jpg) , (jacket_02.jpg) , (jacket_03.jpg) from the regarded record label FREED. This is an album of decadent-industrial-electronic-music, in which they show us what they have aquired through numerous live performances. Three images of artwork done by Hiroki Tsukuda are included. A decadent motion image piece "The Erection,"(the_erection.mov), originally created for NAN's exhibition, also comes with the album.I don't have so much of an interest these days for the genre known as electronica. This is a type of music that is directed towards personal (low-cost) production, as everything can be done on computer, and a high percentage of the listeners are also creators. However, these modernists and futurists somehow always cause me to feel anticipation towards the music they produce. This feeling is similar to that aggressive impulse to constantly update your software, in order to constantly update your own self. The music created by Void Village, who's members show no signs of any seriousness, is the exact opposite of those psuedo-experiments in sound using 1KHz signals and low-frequency sine waves. Their tracks, which are experimental, innovative, and sometimes displaying a melodious aspect, follow the pleasure principle. More of this kind of music is going to be needed in the near future, as either high-velocity listening music, or sounds to be heard on headphones.

Article : Jiro OhashiΔ

Jiro OhashiINABA HIDEKI Exhibition

Basically, an exhibition is grounded on the distribution system of art. That's how its been functioning for a long period of time. There is no doubt that this system of creating and selling art overlaps with the domain of graphic design as a commercial art. Multi-produced art has become common, and with its sheer quantity, design can more than make up for what used to be the "the value of non-reproducibility" of a piece hand made by the artist. It is apparent that design can be seen as art. With the development of printing technology as a tool for duplication, and the permeation of digital culture, "deterioration-proof" graphic design inevitably started taking over a share of the function of art. A large portion of the remnants from the realm of religious art and portraiture has been inherited by graphic design, which is based on commission. Placing a division between design and art by asking the question "Did the work spawn from the will of the artist or from the order of a client?" has no meaning whatsoever.There have been past examples of graphic designers holding exhibitions. Implicitly involved in these situations is the acknowledgement of art as high culture, and the inner conflict of design that is produced by this. The vague uncomfortable feeling that occurs when graphic design as a subculture displays its creations in the form of an exhibition, represents the situation of graphic design as a form of expression. Being insensitive to this feeling can be compared to the complexes that successors of successful companies with unclean images have. These cases not only receive no respect, but can also become the object of mockery. Successors of pachinko companies often work towards building a good corporate image and clean, fashionable pachinko parlors. This desire is driven by the complex and defiance that they feel towards the image of the shady pleasure-industry, passed on to them by the predecessors who founded the companies. It is a true fact that graphic designers of the post-digital-culture age are often viewed as being benchwarmers of the art industry, and do not get enough respect. It is also a fact that there are designers who become successful using only their connections and business skills. This kind of situation is fairly acknowledged by the public, with some disdain. The reason why debates concerning the boundary between art and design seem to go nowhere is because there never was a boundary between the two to begin with. Even though design holds an inner-conflict of both defiance and devotion towards art, linearly connected kin have no real boundaries between them.These days, there are too many instances of pre-meditated imitation in fields of creative production. It may be a certain methodology or a shape that is the object of emulation. Why is it that the more an artist is conscious and serious about how they embody their creativity into the form of a work, the more they are likely to feel an unexplainable hesitation, a slight nervousness, and a fluctuating conscience when they are referred to as "artist" or "creator"? Hideki Inaba has carefully avoided doing an exhibition of his own work for a long time. This was an expression of Inaba as a man of ethics. In an industry where many people do not know the difference between studying a methodology and imitating it, this kind of stance was valuable, as it expressed his powerful identity as an artist who would do nothing that has already been done. Taking a distance from the business aspect of the job and straightening out your priorities is a proper thing to do in an age like this. It is the kind of attitude that is needed in order to produce creations that are oriented towards quality. It is also a rare attitude these days.Due to the nature of the system of graphic design, it may be a highly questionable choice for a graphic designer to hold an exhibition in order to manifest his/her work and aesthetics. But then what could we say about those exhibitions that are being held in the context of art? The system of distribution that goes "Sell those paintings! Sell those pots! Sell those plates and those scrolls and those statues " has been gone for a while. It is widely acknowledged that an exhibition today is a factor in the artist's presentation as a whole to the public, and something that functions with a certain balance in order to heighten the artist's notability and creative orientation. The fact that awkward installations can be found in galleries is understandable. The fact that the window displays of clothing stores sometimes take on the function of a gallery space is also understandable. The fact that middle aged amateur women who practice their hobbies in community classes are often significant clients to rental galleries that need their schedules filled, is also just as understandable. We live in an age where everybody wants to become an artist. Then it seems to be that it is only appropriate for a graphic designer to hold an exhibition, in order to take the place of the weakened predecessor, fine art. To explain his reason for holding an exhibition, Hideki Inaba said in one breath "I felt like doing it."Inaba, who recieves high regard for his designs that are at the same time intricate and intense, is not a painter or an illustrator. He is neither a photographer nor a director. He does not use images of specific objects, and his works are not expressions that just happen to be taking the form of graphics. He is a graphic design fundamentalist and one of Japan's most prominent designers. In our modern day, recognition for abstraction is diminishing. The display of Inaba's exceeding "design-potency" is something to pay attention to in this exhibition, as it is what allows him to dynamically manifest abstractions and vigorously seal them into the form of a finished piece. With "New Line" (his collaboration project with the highly-revered Japanese online-magazine "SHIFT" (http://www.shift.jp.org/soso/040618/indexj.shtml) as the groundwork, Hideki Inaba's first-ever exhibition is going to take place.(ex/NEW)

Keita FukasawaStyle magazine "tiger"

"Tiger" is the screen magazine that predicts the futuristic style of editorial design.What is it that cutting edge and design-focused magazine, or let's say, "style magazine" symbolizes? A long time ago, typography and all kinds of objects were arranged on half-transparent layers, which were over-layered on one another to create a techno feeling.No sooner did people acclaim it as the future vision than the transparent and colorless minimalism became widespread.When they lost "the future" that relied on the particular ground theory that is based on the linear vision of future, "the seemingly advanced and digital expression" that places layers in a vertical direction lost its intensity and "the future" that it should have encompassed. Today, one can easily access to the goal by typing the word in a tiny white window, so there is no reason that the process of reaching to it, that is unnecessary information, which is noise, has to be seen.However, although not systematically organized, some changes are surely coming up on the surface. The tendency toward poetic expression that exposes the analogue and manual aspect such as the traces of the pencil drawing that produces light and shade is expanding its horizon. It is an expression of the atmospheric feeling and the soft texture of surface that the light illuminates, which can not be reduced into simple words or symbols, and which reveals to the viewers the aura that is unreachable by the search engine.This very expression that Purple magazine and M/M first started and created indeed has a psychological effect on the viewers especially when it's in the magazine. In other words, it is an exquisiteness of encountering in flipping through the pages of a bind of papers the expression that resembles fluctuations. In this sense, it is truly symbolic that "the tiger" (http://www.tigermagazine.org/), which most intensively focuses on the poetic editorial expression today, is oriented toward the imitation of the action of turning the pages in spite of its format as an online magazine, and is in turn oriented toward the analogue and manual action although it's on the web.Even compared to the over-layering expression in the past that proclaimed itself as "a digital expression" and was actually nothing but an accumulation of random codes, it is an expression that is based on much more sensitive and delicate design elaboration. Accordingly, the tiger is valid in foreseeing the next vision of editorial design.

Depot CrewZin Akagi Exhibition

Zin Akagi is a painter who wildly crosses over the genres of clay figure art, pencil drawing, and oil painting. Extraordinarily skillful and productive, he definitely represents the top class artists in Japan. The first thing that attracted my attention was his pencil drawing. The monster (zin_01.jpg) he draws, the light and delicate traces of the pencil causing an illusion that they're monster's real body hair, is so beautiful as to start moving now. Another monster (zin_02.jpg) is drawn with much darker and deeper traces of the pencil, which makes one absorbed into the drawing. I was really shocked at the two 2-meter-high pieces hung on the wall because they are also rendered with a pencil. According to Akagi, he carefully draws the texture of the paper and the flow of the pencil."It is astonishing that Akagi has executed such a piece with only one pencil, pressure and flow of the pencil being even at any place. Oddly, we have no other way but to laugh when we witness really awesome stuff. Now, his clay figure art pieces are much "funnier"."Atamaippai Shika" figures (zin_03.jpg) of different scales (zin_04.jpg) take up much of the gallery space. These are also Akagi's ambitious works, which he respectively molded out of clay and filed for many days until it got perfectly smooth. Not only does the exhibition distance itself from what is in fashion now and take away the boundary between art and graphic, but also it presents the viewers the spirit or the enjoyment of art creation.

Zin Akagi Exhibition "Atamaippai Shika to Obake" Date : 2004.04.20(TUE) to 05.23(SUN) at Depot Open : Tuesday to Saturday 17:00 - 22:00

Depot (Nakameguro) 2-43-6 Kami-meguro, Meguro-ku, TokyoTel / Fax : 03-5773-5502 URL : http://www.depotcrew.com/

Article : Shiura Photo : Natu TanimotoΔ

oneSAL magazine night 3.0

1 (1sal_opening.jpg) : On April 25th, SAL magazine night 3.0 was held at Uplink Factory in Shibuya.

2 (2sal_poa.jpg) : at 17:00, the entrance opened. The first performer who appeared at the booth was DJ POA from graphic unit "NAN". He welcomed the audience with crazy techno beats. SIM was VJing in sync.

3 (3sal_manji.jpg) : 17:45- Gokita a.k.a. DJ Manji and VJ Jiro Ohashi right up on the stage! It was their first collaboration live show ever. Gokita played a wide variety of music such as Hip-Hop, Electronica, Noise, Pops and folk songs! VJ Ohashi pulled together the visual archives of sports programs like a boxing match or footage of Takanohana, documentary film, and educational film. Among these archives, he selected a scene that matches with the atmosphere of music. That was a pretty tight teamwork. I wanna see it again!

4 (4sal_dvd.jpg) : 18:30- We've waited so long to see this! Included in the special showcases of this event was the premier movie show of DVD "AUDIOVISUALJAPAN". This DVD mainly features the contents of the previous issue and the new issue of SAL magazine. The DVD focuses on the rare documentary that consists of artist interviews and music clips that are inaccessible on the paper format. The audience was unable to gaze away from the screen. Those who didn't come to the show (and those who did!) should buy and check out this DVD. It will be released on 5.21.

5 (5sal_talkshow.jpg) : 19:40- The second special showcase was the live talk show of Hideki Inaba and Tsuyoshi Kusano who took charge of the graphic design on "AUDIOVISUALJAPAN". Contrary to what people expected, they did nothing but playing the video that they took on their routine process of graphic design. Once in a while, they explain about what is happening in the video but in a very casual way. In fact, nothing happens after all in this video, but I thought I happened to see a creation scene. It was a lovely tale in many ways. Soichi Terada, Tsuyoshi Hirooka and Hiroki Tsukuda(NAN) also jumped into the show and made it really fun!

6 (6sal_ohashi.jpg) : 20:15- Ohashi reappeared at the booth and played DJ and VJ at the same time. He has a good taste of mixing music like N.E.R.D, Eiichi Otaki, Panasonic, Discharge and Ken Ishii with the visual archives like news programs.

7 (7sal_iguchi.jpg) : 21:00- Around 9, DJ THE BWOY a.k.a. Hiroshi Iguchi appeared. Known for the convincible drawing technique and street graphic design, he rocks us with turntables, too. SIM was VJing again. He just looks like a decapitated head. Sorry, there was no chair at the booth.

8 (8sal_nipponia.jpg) : the show was wrapped up by Kentaro Hamasato a.k.a. Niponia Electronica. Invited to "the stereo world," the audience was attracted to his live show. He was grooving all along. The next show "SAL magazine night 3.5" is going to be held at Applestore in Ginza.

Article : Azusa HitomiPhoto : Mifumi Obata / Azusa Iwasaki

twoOver Sea (sal in melb)

Melbourne is about 10hours south of Tokyo. How much do we know about the city that is near or still a far away? Also how much do they know about us.Why Melbourne now? Recently Melbourne has come into the world spotlight. Some famous Japanese magazines have done features on Melbourne.What is Melbourne about? Undoubtedly they are laidback. Perhaps, the reason why is that they drink beer all day and night? I sat on a comfy couch at a café and looked into Melbourne's art scene.Japan is a VERY convenient place for living compared to Melbourne. Melbourne people have a variety of expressive styles. They make everything by themselves. Everyone knows how to clearly express themselves. Within Art, music and design, they don't draw a line between them. They just do whatever they want to do. They express themselves freely and they have an environment where this expression will be accepted. The Australian government supports this freedom of expression with government funding and public spaces for the artist to show their art.

Melbourne draws influences from European and Asian cultures, as a result they have formed a unique culture. Now Melbourne's ideas are coming to the attention of the international art and fashion world.Wherever you are in the world, information of Tokyo/Japan is overflow. SAL magazine is from Tokyo, a representative of Asian big city. How did they react to the magazine? At first, they were overawed by the PINK(vol.10). It is still pink even when you turn the pages. Free magazines are normally small with colour pages or big but black and white full of text. Or the cover is colour but inside is black and white. They had preconceived notions about free magazines so SAL magazine was a fresh and different free press.

> Outskirts Tshirts Gallery : (movie file 01)

Brunswick street has a vibrant youth culture. There are many Secret cafés, cafés where art students hang out, cool cafés and small galleries stand side by side all through this neighborhood.There is a small entrance with a sign that's hard to notice. If you go upstairs you will find Outskirts Tshirts gallery. Young artist' original brand Tshirts are lined up on display at the shop. Within this atmosphere you can feel the art through an extension of fashion. They make a relationship between fashion and art close. Tshirt, an art, can easily come into your possession. Also they often have an exhibition on the wall.

> CCP(Centre for Contemporary Photography) : (movie file 02)

Melbourne has many small galleries. You can feel the creativity. CCP is really close to Brunswick Street. Various people visit this gallery and it has a welcoming atmosphere. White walls and a pleasant natural light from the big windows are impressive. Monthly exhibitions are not only photographic but they show video installations and digital images. Every single opening party, the gallery is packed to the doors with people.

> University of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Media arts : (movie file 03) , (movie file 04)

Media arts offers photography, video art, animation and sound. They often have exhibitions and you can see visual art students and sound students collaboration work.

Articles / Movie : Mifumi ObataΔ