oneELOHA ART SHOW "1st Exhibition"

ELOHA's where artisits Mie ishii, fish, Kads MIIDA, Rockin' Jellybean and KEN THE FLATTOP express themselves through their individual characters, and where we get to meet another side of each individual. They got together in '99 and publisheded the free paper ELOHA REDBOOK in '00. Already a legend in their own right, ELOHA is back along with their first exhibition. Featured are works straight out of the free paper "ELOHA2", and some pieces that self-explain where each one of them come from. Original ELOHA tees, goods, and original drafts and copies are on sale. 5 characters mingling and twining in one room... don't miss out on this one, a great way to wrap up the year.

> Date : 2004.12.7 (Tue)~ 2004.12.26 (Sun) 17:00~22:00 (Tue~Sat), 15:00~22:00 (Sun), closed on MondaysLocation : Depot Gallery, Nakameguro (2-43-6 Kamimeguro)Info : 03-5773-5502URL : Depot (http://www.depotcrew.com), Eloha (http://www.eloha-web.com)

twoGary Panter "Landscaping"

Gary Panter has been successful. He directs art, as though he himself were directed by a child. Since the 80's, his works have appeared in comics as "JIMBO" and "DAL TOKYO" and Pee Wee Herman's "Pee Wee's Playhouse". For some more modern examples, he did the Red Hot Chili Pepper's first album cover, and a lightshow collaboration with the legend of the sixties, Joshua White. He's also handled a web animation called "PINK DONKEY," and believe it, his steelo has not changed. <http://www.funnygarbage.com/pinkdonkey/interface.html> A big fan of Panter himself, SKATETHING perusaded the administrators of BAPE GALLERY to set foot on a Gary Panter exhibition "LANDSCAPING." going down at the gallery which is in Minami Aoyama. Gary Panter's also worked on a lot of BAPE items ranging from t-shirts, pajamas and textiles, and that's all going to be up there too. With his new book "PURGATORY" just released, this exhibition centers around new paintings and silkscreens, all available to be purchased.

> Date : 2004.11.6(Sat)~1.10 (Mon) 11:00~18:00, Open everyday during the spanLocation : BAPE Gallery (2F of B-house, Manivia Building, 5-5-8 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)Info : 03-5485-1560URL : Gary Panter (http://www.garypanter.com/)

threeEYE exhibition "GATAX"

A new face to the Daikanyama scene, Treesaresospecial is featuring Yamataka EYE as their first renewal exhibition. As the leader of Boredoms, who've just dropped their new album (5 years from the last one), "Seadrum / House of Sun," EYE also gets a lot of love and feedback as an individual artist. With such credits for books as "NANOO", "DONDEKEDERICO", cover artwork for related album releases and a collaboration piece with Noburo Ootake up his sleeves, EYE has always maintained a steady connection between his music and artwork. This exhibition will feature his previous drawings and collages along with pieces done using new methods, you would've never have come up with. Chaotic yet minimal, mythological yet modern.

> Date : 2004.12.12 (Sun)~1.16 (Sun), 12:00~20:00, closed MondaysLocation Treesaresospecial (16-4, Daikanyamachou, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)Info : 03-3462-0952URL : http://www.treesaresospecial.org

fourTakuma Nakahira "Why is it a Human=Animal Encyclopedia??"

Photographer, Takuma Nakahira is blessing the nation with an exhibition of his new works at Shougoarts. Under the influences of those such as Shoumei Toumatsu and Daidou Moriyama, he turned to the camera after a career as an editor for the new-wave leftist magazine "GENNDAI NO ME (Modern Eyes)". He started the coterie magazine "PROVOKE" in '68, presenting monochrome photographs using blurring techniques, capturing the drastic changes in society during the late 60?'s to the 70?'s as a photographer and a critic. Later in '77, he falls into a state of memory loss, then next year resumes photography in Okinawa where he traveled for a medical treatment program. Along with his gradual recovery, he vigorously continues to take photos. In '03, he opens a large-scale retrospective exhibition "Genten Fukki - Yokohama [Return to the basics - Yokohama]" which receives a lot of attention.

21 carefully selected photos by the photographer, from an archive of flicks taken just for the show. Photos taken in Kanagawa and Tokyo, along with Yokohama, where Nakahira currently lives, will be exhibited. <nakahira_doubutuzukan.jpg>

>Date : 2004.11.26 (FRI)~12.25 (SAT) 11:00~19:00 Closed SUN, MON, HolidaysPlace : SHUGOARTS (1-31-6 Shingawa, Chuou-ku Tokyo)Info : 03-5542-3468URL : (http://www.shugoarts.com/)

photo : (c) Takuma Nakahira

fiveYurie Nagashima " not six"

Yurie Nagashima was bearly 20 years old when she marked a sensational debut, taking a series of photographs of her family, nude. With an eye that captures everyday life at its true size, her horizons extend to the American skate culture and the nature of wilderness.

With this exhibition, she captures the object (lover, husband) through the eyes of one deeply involved, the photographer ( I ) <nagashima_notsix1.jpg> <nagashima_notsix2.jpg>. 7 years in the making, a dim layer of akwardness and an itch of desire swallow the viewer. She takes a solid approach to the essence of this classic method of media we call photography. Shots taken from her new book, plus new prints, installations with graphic art and a talk show scheduled during the period.

Date : 2004.12.3 (FRI)~ 2005.1.16 (SUN) 11:00~20:00Place : nadiff (Shibuya-Ku Jingumae 4-9-8 Cassorale Harajuku B1 Tokyo)Info : 03-3403-8814 FAX. 03-3403-8819URL : http://www.nadiff.com/

>Gallery Talk :
2004.12.4 (SAT) 16:00-18:00 Yurie Nagashima + Meisa Fujishiro
2004.12.23 (THUR., HOLIDAY) 14:00-16:00 Yurie Nagashima + Erika Kobayashi, Others
Photo : (c) Yurie Nagashima

sixGA Gallery "The 13th 'Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Architects' GA JAPAN 2004"

From November 3rd, GA Gallery will be hosting "The 13th 'Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Architects' GA JAPAN 2004". This year, this annual exhibition which explores the realms of modern Japanese Architecture, will be 13 years deep. 14 architects representing Japan will introduce their current projects both in and out of the country through models, plans, and visual images.

Exhibiting architects will include Jun Aoki, Tadao Ando, Arata Isozaki, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, Kazuyo Sejima, and more. Tadao Ando will be introducing "hhstyle.com annex".

> Date : 2004.11.23 (SAT) ~ 12.26 (SUN)Place : GA Gallery ( 3-12-14 Senndagaya, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo)Admission : 500 YenOpen: 12:00~18:30, Mondays Closed (unless Monday is an holiday)Info : 03-3403-1581 URL : http://www.ga-ada.co.jp/japanese/ga_gallery/

sevenTaka Ishii Gallery: Christopher Wool Exhibition

Taka Ishii Gallery will be featuring New York based artist Christopher Wool's solo exhibition starting November 26th (FRI), running until December 25th (SAT). It will highlight new works from Christopher Wool, who handles two different mediums, photography and painting, as tools for his means of expression<wool_painting.jpg>. A conventional view is that paintings have a certain value that comes from the uncapability of reproduction, photographs on the other hand, lack this value. Wool collapses this equation by taking photographs of his paintings, and using those photos in other paintings.

As Wool's second exhibition at Taka Ishii Gallery since 1997, new paintings will be featured along with 160 pieces, which make a monochrome, ink jet printed series called "East Broadway Breakdown (1994-95/2002)". This series captures images of the Lower East Side which is right by Wool's studio, down to Chinatown.

> Date : 2004.11.26 (FRI) ~ 2004.12.25 (SAT) 11:00~19:00, Closed SUN, MON, HolidaysPlace : Taka Ishii Gallery (1-31-6, Shingawa, Chuou-Ku Tokyo)Info : 03-5542-3615Fax : 03-3552-3363
E-mail : tig@takaishiigallery.com URL : http://www.takaishiigallery.com
Painting : (c) Courtesy of Taka Ishii Gallery

eight"Waist Down (All about Skirts)"

Countless skirts have been created since the dawn of the PRADA's Ladies Collection. "Waist Down (All about Skirts)" is an exhibition currently being held at the PRADA store in Aoyama. It displays gorgeous works selected from the immense collection of skirts that PRADA has created over the years. Many exciting surprise can be found at thesites of the exhibition, which are "Prada Boutique Aoyama", the largest Prada store in Japan, and "Epicenter Store". The shop area, which goes from the basement to the fifth floor, has gone through a style transition just for this show, which is held on the top floor. The whole Aoyama store is going to turn into a space modeled after a skirt. Beginning with Aoyama, this exhibition is scheduled to be held in PRADA stores all over the world. Visitors can enjoy the beauty of the color and form of skirts, which they explain, are "mediums expressing motion."

> Date : 2004.11.13 (SAT)~ 2005.1.16 (SUN) 2005, open 11:00~20:00Location: Prada Boutique Aoyama, 6th floor (5-2-6 Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo)Info : 0120-559-914

nine"AVENTURES AU PAYS DES KiKi"

A brand new album has been released from Naohiro Ukawa's label "MOM/N/DAD PRODUCTIONS." This label succeeds in suprising us with every new release, for its eccentric concepts and Ukawa's unique artwork. "AVENTURES AU PAYS DES KiKi (english title: ADVENTURES OF Monchhichi)" is their first release in a while, and its actually a CD of the well-known Monchhichi. KiKi is what they call Monchhichi in France. It was first released in 1974 by the doll comapny Sekiguchi, and gained instant popularity. It even became popular in foreign countires like Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and America. Soon, many relating characters and items were being released. Monchhichi's has a deep history, as records and cartoons of it have been released over the years. This CD recently dropped by MOM/N/DAD PRODUCTIONS is actually a reimport, as it was originally an album that was released in France in 1978. The content is bouncy techno-pop, with children singing cute songs. The third track on the album, "LA CHANSON DE KiKi" was released as a single back then, and it became a best-seller in France. The single version of "LA CHANSON DE KiKi," and a version of this song that was later released in Belgium, called "LA CHANSON DE Monchhichi," are included as bonus tracks. You can listen to this CD while chilling out and drinking coffee, or with your kids, and of course, as a sample to use later in your own tracks.

> "AVENTURES AU PAYS DES KiKi"Release : 2004.11.10 (December for record stores) Price : 2,625 yen (including tax)Info/URL : http://www.momndadproductions.com/nakanaori/Δ

>INTERVIEW WITH Elements

Within the various realms of design, furniture design stands in a position that is unique. The same goes for other branches of product design as well, but designers have to bring their ideas into the material world as manufactured items. Besides the actual design, aspects like materiality, function, the manufacturing process, and the atmosphere created by the product all have to be thought out. Elements is a furniture design unit that aims to discover new values of everyday life. They presented their work at Milano Salone, an international furniture fair in Italy, and received much acclaim and attention. The work of Elements was introduced for the first time in Japan through SAL magazine vol. 13, and we conducted an e-mail interview with them.

Q: Please tell us about the members of Elements. Who are they, what kind of backgrounds do they have, and what do they respectively do in Elements?
A: The members are:
Masakatsu Tsumura: Born in 1957. An art manipulator.
(Shop designs, brand image direction, and product planning for Adam et Rope', Bis, Rope, Picnic, and Martinique. Shop designs for Justin Davis and Samantha Thavasa)
Yasushi Matsumoto: Born in 1973. A product designer for Canon Inc..
Kazumasa Aihara: Born in 1968. Manager of Organic Design and Organic Cafe.
This is a group of colleagues who each recognize a truth in their respective fields. We aim to discover new values of everyday life. The works of furniture we exhibited at Milano Salone 2004 are one proposal of this.

Q: Why did these members with various backgrounds come together and start Elements?
A: Designs for furniture and decorations have been architecturally and mathematically controlled in design processes of the past. They have been divided into designs that are based on historical contexts, and designs that are based on self-expression and sensibility. Of course, both of these orientations of design have both elements concerning logical thinking and elements concerning sensibility, but we think that any style can be described as either being slanted towards the realm of the right brain or the left brain. The genealogy of twentieth century interior design has been organized only through historical and chronological divisions, just like the chair catalog of the Vitra Design Museum.

Q: In the images printed in SAL magazine vol. 13 <vol13_elements01.jpg> <vol13_elements02.jpg>, the photos of the products were accompanied by a periodic table of elements. What meaning does this have? Furniture such as chairs and tables could be seen in the magazine; please explain about these, and about things like the materials, concepts, and characteristics of the individual products (i.e. Aurum, Argon, Krypton, Actium).
A: We used the periodic table as a base, because we thought that we could recompose works that have appeared up to twentieth century from an alternative angle. We compose the horizontal and vertical axes of the chart using factors like the heaviness / lightness of the design, the right brain-ness / left brain-ness, whether it is universal, whether it is likely to change, etc.. We apply this chart to the products of Elements; Lanthanum, Cerium, and Praseodymium are sculpture-like works created from one-piece slabs of Myanmar Teak, placed on a certain level (Lanthanoid) similar to that of the works of Alexander Nole and Wendell Castel, both sculptors from the 1930s. Actinium and Iridium (patchwork pieces of blocks of teak and oak) have been created with a post-modern mentality behind them.
For ArgonParchement, Argon-Stingray, Krypton, and Krypton-Stingray, we used various materials like teak, parchment, and the hide of rays. We threw in architectural elements, and developed a historical continuity by applying materials that were used by J.M. Frank, a French interior designer from the 1930s.

Q: Your products can be described as being weighty and emitting a thick aura. Some of the pieces look more like sculptures than furniture. Why do you give your products these kinds of qualities? For Elements, what is furniture?
A: Elements works towards a symbiosis between two levels of design. We want our works to blend into their environments, and reach aesthetic completion when people use them. At the same time, we want to emphasize the existence of the object itself, in order to energize the environment, and leave a strong mark in people's memories. Both of these are our motivations for designing. The mass-produced objects of today have extremely well-done designs, but in most cases, one cannot feel the designer's soul in the work. We hope that in our works, the soul we put in manifests itself as the aura of the object.

Q: You exhibited your work at Milano Salone this year. How was the reaction in Italy?
A: We received lots of positive feedback and praise. People from galleries, architecture, design, and the media expressed sympathy for our work, telling us that it is a new and proper endeavor in an age that is a turning point in history.

Q: Furniture is something that is used in everyday life for long spans of time. Besides the actual production, I imagine that things like distribution and the establishment of a brand image are important issues for a furniture brand. What are your thoughts on these things?
A: We're still busy with setting up a distribution system, so we haven't been doing anything to establish a brand image so far. We've already debuted in Europe, and magazines over there have covered our work, but our first appearance in Japan was in SAL Magazine. We don't want to be too hasty; we're going to be calmly working on things like production and distribution, one by one.

Q: Furniture is used in a wide variety of situations, like homes, offices, stores, and hotels. Is there any particular category of users that you suppose may use your products more than others? Are there any typical situations of use that you can imagine?
A: We want our products to be used by many people, but since we use precious materials and a laborious manufacturing process, we can only produce a limited quantity of items. They can be seen as being specially-made. The products are probably going to often find themselves in places that large numbers of people use, like stores and hotels.

Q: What are your plans for the near future?
A: We're going to be exhibiting some new works at Milano Salone in April next year. The painter Takayasu Inoue is going to be joining us, and we'll be pursuing specially-made products even more. Some samples of our work can be found at Depot (Nakameguro, Tokyo).

>INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CLAR

James Clar is a lighting designer / installation artist working in New York City, who produces electronic objects such as "3D Display Cube" and "Line." For his innovative yet simple ideas, and the technical refinement of his works, he is drawing much attention from a variety of fields. He was recently invited to DOTMOV 2004, a digital film festival in Sapporo, Japan. As part of its opening event, SAL Magazine Night 5.0 was held there on October 31. There, James Clar did a lecture on his work, and performed a DJ set with "Dynomite" connected to the audio system. We interviewed this young artist while he was in Japan, at a cafe in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Q: What brought you to the field of lighting design?
A: I got into lighting design kind of accidentally. I thought it would be really interesting to be able to control light sources, and use them to create anything, just like a painter uses paint. With painting, you're controlling the light that bounces off the painting. The paint itself absorbs every color except for the color that we actually see. With lighting, you're creating that color, so it?fs a really interesting medium to work with. Using light is just so basic, and so foundational to visual communication.

Q: Where do you get the inspiration for all these innovative ideas on how to use light in your works?
A: A lot of the concepts for my work derive from my undergraduate training in animation. In animation, you have to always think of things in terms of time and frames: how fast someone walks, how long for a foot to get here, how long it takes for an object to get up to a certain location. It's about time vs. space. You have to think about the relationship between the two. That's why a lot of the programs in my work are based on the length of time it takes to get from one animation to another.
Then I started getting more into having outside variables trigger off the timing of the animations. A lot of times, this variable is music. I'm just really into music. I guess a lot of it kind of relates to electronic music. It's all time based, and built with repetitive structures, and when you?fre mixing you have to think about that.

Q: Your work is often categorized as New Media, or Media Art. What do you think about these words?
A: New Media is kind of an old term now. It came out when the field of web design was rapidly expanding. Everybody was calling web design Interactive Art. It is interactive, but its all screen based. I think interactivity is about much more than just what's on the screen.
Back in the late 90s, everyone was making all this crazy Flash Art. A lot of these works were just technical show-offs of the new things they could do with Flash. A lot of them were well-designed, but it didn't seem like the ideas or concepts were well thought out. I don't know how you could call that "Interactive Art" if it only encompasses screen-based work.
I think that things have been changing, and now New Media is becoming more physical. The field has matured to the point where artists aren't just sticking to the screen. You have to think about the medium and output of what you are trying to express. I've been seeing a lot of physicality in works lately. My work is like that, and a lot of artists in Europe are doing it. Also, here in Japan too, I think. Some of my friends from grad school teach here, and they really want their students to push physical computing more. It links to using electronics for more artistic purposes.

Q: In the near future, how do you think the relationship between technology and our living environment is going to change?
A: I'm interested in how different fields are blending together. I think architecture is going to start integrating more technology. Besides housing people, why can't a building display some sort of information? It would make sense to integrate interactive installations, or dynamic information systems into architecture. I think that things like smart buildings will become more common, especially when the technology for wireless communication develops further, because it'll be easier to set up the systems.

Q: How's the lighting in Tokyo?
I hadn't been here since I was a kid, but I knew that there were going to be tons of lights. I thought it was going to be really wild, but actually, a lot of it is just kind of noise. Everything is trying to grab your attention, but most of it isn't well thought out. You walk around and see bright lights, but everything around it is bright too. There isn't much contrast between light and dark, especially in the major areas of the city. Everything is just bright. I thought this was really interesting.

Q: Are there any particular lighting artists that you admire?
A: I think Toshio Iwai is a great new media artist. I also admire James Turrell and Dan Flavin. These guys are lighting artists that have been around for a long time, and they're so established. They are at the level I want to be some day. In the field of product design, I like Ingo Maurer. His works are static, but they're really well designed. He's created a glass table with LEDs embedded into the glass, so it looks like a field of stars.
I kind of see my work somewhere in-between product designers like Ingo Maurer, and more conceptual artists like Dan Flavin and James Turrell.

Q: What are your plans for the near future?
At the Milan Triennial in January, "Flexgrid" is going to be embedded into a dress and shown as part of the architecture firm Hariri and Hariri's display. The concept of this whole exhibition is to gather fifty groups from non-fashion fields, and give each of them two statues that they have to dress in their own company's style. Music groups like Aluminum Group and a bunch of architecture firms and are going to be participating. Each company has its own style, so it'll be interesting to see how the other participants dress up the statues.
From the end of February to early March, "Line" will be displayed at the 8th Japan Media Arts Festival, which will take place in Ebisu (Tokyo) at the Metropolitan Museum of Photography. In April, I'm going to be doing a show at the Chelsea Art Museum in New York.
>URL : http://www.jamesclar.com
Questioner : Ryutaro UchiyamaΔ

The Underground History of Thought (2):
"At the Far East of the Izumo Mythology"
by Takashi Nakamura (Collider / Massage)

Shicchin is what they call a dish of seasoned fish and shrimp that are caught in Nakaumi / Shinjiko Lake, a lake where salt water from the Sea of Japan collides with fresh water from upstream. It's called Shicchin because this dish is a combination of seven rare foods (shichi = seven, chin = rare). Fumai Matsudaira was the master of Matsue Castle, and he was a man who developed a very sophisticated style of performing a tea ceremony. He was the charisma who spread the Shicchin culture. Shicchin even makes a nice vacation gift.

You can reach the shrine Izumo Taisha either by riding the Ichibata Train from Matsue, or you can go by car and see a great view of Shinjiko Lake. I recommend going by taxi and returning by train. You can view Shinjiko Lake on your right-hand side as you go by taxi, and view it on your right-hand side again as you head back by train. Izumo means "the land where clouds emerge," but the Izumo landscape is an environment surrounded by water, and there are many myths in the area that have to do with rivers and the Sea of Japan. To live in Shimane prefecture (where Izumo is located), is to live in a land that has mythical meanings attached to it. The people there say things like "that mythological character's head is buried under that hill," and "that mythological tool drifted down this river a long time ago." These people hold a belief towards these myths in a limiting yet recreational way. I recently studied a bit about the significance of Izumo's water environment.

The main attraction of this region is the Izumo Taisha Shrine, but many people talk about that, so I'll explain about the annual Tsukinowa Festival and Himezuka Festival, which are held in Yasugi, a town in the eastern most part of Shimane-prefecture. The name Yasugi derives from the word yasuragi, which means "contentment." It's the same Yasugi as the one in the Yasugi-bushi Dance.These are both festivals based on mythology, and they involve a story that has to do with Nakaumi Lake. At these festivals, the participants honor a queen who used to govern the land. When you depart from where the hill-tomb of the queen is located, and follow the Nishinokawa River, which is now brimming with industrial waste and sewage, you reach the Nakaumi Bay. This is a serene bay in which Tokamiyama Mountain reflects on the water to compose a diamond-shape form. One day, the queen went to this bay with the king to go fishing on a small boat. The king always aims to catch a big fish (that's what makes him king). That day, he attempted to catch a particular shark that was the object of rumor in the town (much of the story is identical to Herman Melville's Moby Dick). He puts on a huge bait, and waits for the bite. Suddenly, a dumb alligator came out of nowhere and attacked the queen. The king tried to pull his loved one back, but the alligator had the queen's leg between its jaws. The king and the gator engaged in a tug-of-war with the queen as the rope, and after this went on for a while, she ended up losing her leg. When they got back onto land, it was already dark and there was nobody around, so the king dragged the unconscious queen back home like a fishing net. The queen's condition returned later, but of course, her leg didn't. The corpse of the queen in the tomb is missing a leg just like in the myth.

Currently, the Himezuka Festival, which can be translated as Queen's Tomb Festival, is held first, and the Tsukinowa Festival, which means Moon Ring Festival, is held right after. The Himezuka Festival honors the queen who lost a leg to an alligator, and the Tsukinowa Festival honors the moonlight that shines upon the beach. On this day of celebration, fireworks are fired from Tokamiyama Mountain into the skies above Nakaumi-bay around dusk. They are unbelievably beautiful and intense. These powerful sounds must be symbolizing the intensity of the spirits of the king and queen, and their will to carry through with unfinished projects.

Unlike fairy tales and folk tales, the myths of Izumo don't try to convey moral messages. They only explain geographical characteristics, just like in Izumo Fudoki, but this is precisely the philosophy of this mythology. In the 21st century, we're still able to concretely understand the meanings and mentalities put into these myths; understand them as landscapes. This is because these myths were created to characterize the geography of the region, and not to be based on an amorphous concept like morals, which always shift according to the context of the age. Shimane prefecture, which is often referred to as a conservative's paradise, has spawned many politicians. These politicians are trying to bring in building contractors to construct huge, unneeded highways across the whole region. Just about any kind of change is welcomed by the people of Izumo, especially if it's going to have an economic influence, like this particular one. Construction has already begun, because there aren't many people opposing this project, and the ones that are can't really do anything about it. Many of the geographical characteristics and mythological landscapes are going to be destroyed. This means that the legendary entities in the myths are going to be eliminated as well; it's dreadful yet evident.

THE POTATO
"To be Continued in Bed"
by Hiroshi Iguchi

It was Sunday, the sky was beautiful, and I had a deadline to meet the next day. I started working at my desk a little past noon. These days, it's often sunny out, and I find that I'm enjoying listening to records a lot. This combination allows me to work very efficiently. Some of the are records I've been listening to recently are really cheerful ones, which are nothing like the "Rebel" style of musicians like Byron Lee & The Dragonaires. I'm also enjoying oldies dancehall albums, like Prince Mohammed and Eek-A-Mouse. On that particular day, I was listening to Boris Gardiner's "Reggae Happening." For some reason, I wasn't feeling so energetic, even though it was daytime on a sunny day, just like the other days when I was able work efficiently. I explained to myself that weekdays and Sunday are a different story; even the sounds that come in through the window are different on a Sunday. I wanted to play a record that would change the mood, so I chose a different Reggae record, Max Romeo's "Collision." It's a killer album, produced by Jah Shaka. I switched through about ten records after that, and the next thing I knew, I was chilling out and concentrating on listening to Proof of Existence's dual vocals. After becoming absorbed in dark Roots music, I always find myself putting on records of Crust. This was a kind of familiar sequence for me, but it doesn't allow me to get my work done, because I end up doing some deep listening with headphones. I walked towards my calendar to look at it, and discovered that Disclose, the internationally acclaimed D-beat master from Kouchi region, was playing at a venue in Nishi-Shinjuku called D.O.M. that day. Actually, I didn't really "discover" it. I knew about it for a long time, and it was really all I could think about, but I was trying to employ self-control, since I had a deadline the next day. But, I just got too excited, and started persuading myself to go. I went by myself, and experienced Disclose for the first time in my life. It would be boring to write something like a review about it here, so I'll just skip talking about the performance. When I got back to my house, I was in a totally different state from the one I had been in before I left. I was able to exert an extraordinary level of concentration, and got my work done in no time. The important part of the story starts from here.

Getting into bed after completing work is the best feeling. I spent that precious weekend laboring, but there's no problem as long as I end up comfortably in my bed. Usually, I go to sleep listening to some soft music at a low volume, but on that day, I just wanted to fall asleep quickly and deeply, so I didn't play anything. It was a tranquil Sunday night. I closed my eyes, and eased my breathing. That's when I discovered something strange: my ear was ringing. It was a type of "ring" that I experienced for the first time, and it was a really cool sound. Since it was such a rare noise, I contemplated how I could express it in letters, but it was impossible. I concentrated as much as I could on the sound, and I thought that I was like a sommelier tasting wine. I concentrated even more, employing my whole nervous system. Suddenly, the refrigerator started emitting noise, and the two sounds overlapped. I immediately comprehended that the two sounds had slightly different qualities, and weren't mixing together into one. The sound of the refrigerator was a low-frequency drone with a bit of reverb, whereas the ringing in my ear was wildly revolving in the mid and high frequency ranges, while panning left and right an incredible speed...... well maybe not. It was like the world of Ultraman in hi-fi. Pretty intense. The harmony created by the two sounds was beautiful. I felt kind of lucky, because that night, I was probably the only person on the planet listening to that sound. I decided later that I would treat that audio experience as something like a bonus track of Disclose's live performance.

NEW HYPE RESEARCH
Against OLD HYPE BOMB FILE #007
"Is or Is Not The Papalagi Hype"
by Keita Fukazawa

This research facility you're visiting right now is a hyper-private institution that aims to find, scrutinize, and fiddle with individual cases of the phenomena of "hype," which emerge from the media and disperse into society. However, my assertions concerning hype become a type of hype themselves, for they naturally bear the qualities of media. What a distressing fate. Therefore, whenever I point to something and say "this is hype," I'm deliberately omitting the fact that my words hypocritically bear the phenomenon themselves. I have to do what I do while recognizing that I myself am inevitably an instrument of hype. Expressing your thoughts has become a difficult activity ever since "reality" became multi-layered, giving way to the diffusion and particle-level penetration of things like falsehood and authoritative influence. This is why we must recognize that all media are composed artificially, and become integrated into "reality" themselves, as components of it. Its what media theory has been claiming all the time.

Lets move on to The Papalagi. It's a book in which the Swedish man Erich Scheurmann recorded the words of the Samoan chieftain Tuiavii, who travelled to Europe and experienced an industrialized civilization for the first time in his life. In this book, Tuiavii questions the strange things that go on in "civilization," in the land of the Papalagi (i.e. people of Western culture). He questions things like currency, ownership, the selling of labor, mass media, and knowledge. In our age in which values deriving from Western rationalism have become globalized, its kind of scary to imagine the labyrinthine process of a person being conditioned to be a pawn of a social structure composed of numerous imperious authorities. Nonconformists and the psychologically abnormal are groups of people that have originated through the establishment of the system of modern society.

We cannot afford to forget that any medium of communication, whether it be a book, the news, or a blog, embodies an intent to act upon the subject's emotions or actions, since particular implications are inevitably involved in its composition and transmission. Even in the case of The Papalagi: Tuiavii's views contain important suggestions, and are accurate in a way, but just like anybody else, he can only perceive his environment through a worldview that was constructed within his society. We also have to take in account the intentions that the publishing company had as they "translated" his words. So, we shouldn't be naively accepting the publication's reputation as "a book in which a man with a pure heart looks at the distortions of modern society." We have to think: why was this book published in this particular fashion? Why do I, and the people around me feel what we feel when we read this book?

I'm not trying to criticize this book or anything. It was an inspiring book, and I got kind of emotional while reading it. However, I can't be floating around in my emotions all day, because we live in a world where people start talking about politics just because they saw "Fahrenheit 911" the day before. It's a world where people become unconditional believers of any media that is involved in issues like ecology and peace, which are very often depicted as absolute righteousness. To those people I just described: As long as you're attacking the kind of media that's superficially depicted as being foul, and on the other hand being influenced by the kind of media that's depicted as being just, you're no different from the Japanese citizens who were being brainwashed by the propaganda of the imperial regime during World War II. It doesn't matter how much (you think that) you're committing to society by writing articles, starting blogs, and expressing your views. It's a question of how you take in information; even if you succeed in fooling yourself into thinking that you're on the transmitting side, you're still a blind sheep in a herd that's being manipulated by the media. Those people that call themselves creators or artists without thinking what the words really mean are in an especially awful situation. Just because you can quench your ego with the belief that you're doing something good, don't go around declaring your superficial views! Think a bit before you say something!!! Study more!!!!! I'm sick and tired!!! I'm just sick and tired!! I'm sick, I'm tired, I feel tired, come on, leave me alone...... The sad thing is, in this research facility of mine, there are no other members besides me. Damn, I wish somebody were here to scold me sometimes.

News-29 "End of the Year Notices"

Nik, the writer of "News-29," is unfortunately occupied with too much work. For this month, we're going to deliver information relating to the writer's work and about events relating to PROGRESSIVE FOrM. 2004 wouldn't be complete without this information!

oneTOWA TEI / "Different Nu Nu" Picture Record: 1000 Limited Copies

"Different Nu Nu" is a track that gained attention while it was being played on TV for the commercial of Daikin's air-conditioning system, "Pichon-Kun," which was on air all around Japan for three months, from May to July of 2004. "Part 2" of this track was released as a picture record, limited to only 1000 copies. The B-side is a great acid remix using TR-808, done by Atom™, who uses many aliases (like Senor Coconuts) to produce a variety of quality work. He just recently did his first performance in Japan. This is a dazzling, limited, picture record that's worthy of commemorating the closing of 2004. It even comes with a sticker. Even people who are not fans will want to buy it! On April 6, 2005, Towa Tei's new album "Flash" is going to be released from V2. It's going to be his fourth solo album: six years from his last one "Last Century Modern," and it'll include the full version of "Different Nu Nu."

> Release Date: 2004.12.25 (Sat)
Side A : Towa Tei / "Different Nu Nu (Pt.2)"
Side B : Towa Tei / "Different Nu Nu (atom™ remix)"
Format : 7 inch picture recordSerial : FDEP-04001Price : 1,575 yen (tax included)URL : Towa Tei (http://www.towatei.com), Atom™ (http://www.atom-heart.com)

twoParade Electel

In 2002, twenty years after YMO disbanded, Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono formed Sketch Show. The fresh sounds that this duo produce are receiving much attention from the domestic and international music scenes. For their live performance in this event, Keigo Oyamada a.k.a. Cornelius is going to be participating as a supporting member. The visuals are going to be done by the innovative artist Ryoichi Kurokawa. Yoshihiro Hanno is also going to be performing with a sizable group of musicians, including Ikuko Harada of Clammbon as guest. Hanno resides in Paris, and has recently released "Graffiti & Rude Boy '67." Aoki Takamasa, who is also based in Paris, is going to be doing a solo performance. He is active all over Europe, and his name has recently been heard by many for the release of his album "Simply Funk," and his remixes for Sketch Show. This is going to be a remarkable electronic music event, featuring artists who are navigating the scene into the next generation of sound. You can't miss it!

> Date : 2004.12.18(Sat.) opens 18:00, starts 19:00Location : Yebisu Garden HallTickets : 7,350 yen (advance sales, including tax, seats not designated)URL : Yebisu Garden Hall (http://www.gardenplace.co.jp/hall) Performers : Sketch Show (Yukihiro Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono), Keigo Oyamada, Yoshihiro Hanno, Aoki Takamasa, Ryoichi Kurokawa, and more.

Isn't it
"Anarchic Plant Bulbs"
by SHiURA

One sunny day, I went into a gardening shop and started looking around, when a strange object rubbed against the rim of my vision. Compared to the other gardening items, it's form and glow were...... anarchic. The damn thing <shiura_01.jpg> sent my mind into the four-stage process of "What is it?... It's pretty cool...... I think I like it............ I want it." <shiura_02.jpg> I recalled that there was something exactly like it a really long time ago. I read the words on the package, and it said something like: just open the package, pour the water, and leave it for three days! Easier than your grandmother! It said that "I could do any hairstyle I please", but since it can only grow straight hair pointing upwards, my only choice was a stupid mohawk...... stupid. I whispered to the bulb, "I like your deviant style," and bought him <shiura_03.jpg>.

Some time has passed since I first met the fellow. He's grown very old, and he's quit his sinister ways. He's probably lying around somewhere on my balcony. These days, I'm more interested in other activities, like pronouncing the word "bulb". BBbbuuuwahhlllllllhbbBbbbbhh......

txt.Archives
"Tales About Mobile Phones"
by Jiro Ohashi

About a decade ago, the mobile phone metamorphosed into something much more than a mere communication device. What was born was the mobile phone as an abstract existence, parted from its material base. When did people start giving that look to anybody that uses their cell phone in the train? The rate of mobile phone ownership has risen dramatically these past few years, and right now, almost 100% of Japanese in their 20s own one. This insane rate of ownership surpasses that of the compact disc when it first came out to evidently replace the analog record. The virtual death of the pay-phone, which has already come, isn't really the death of the public phone as an instrument of communication; its more the death of "public-ness." The number of phones itself has increased.

The borderline between public and private seems to be strict. Private actions taking place in a public space are met with displeasure. Eating boxed lunches in a long-distance train is okay, since it's tacitly approved by society, but you will find yourself in a downpour of disapproving stares if you start eating your lunch on the bench seat of a local train. This is not about how crowded the space is, or the inconvenience that the action causes to others. This is actually about the dread that people have towards privacy becoming public. Well if you think about it, someone sticking an object into the large orifice on their face is kind of a lewd and erotic thing to watch. It becomes a sort of taboo to do this in a location where there's no mutual consent for it.

If you call your friends and throw a party in the middle of some street, the citizens of the neighborhood will no doubt complain to the police about it. However, this behavior is allowed in late March, because it's hanami [a traditional type of picnic held under cherry blossom trees] season, making it culturally permitted that time of year. These special occasions are the only exceptions. In the public spaces of everyday life, people give that look to individuals who use their mobile phones. This situation goes back to the time when the walkman first came out.

In the case of the walkman, it is true that the noise that leaks out of the headphones is a factor that causes annoyance, but this wasn't the real reason that people were freaking out. The leaking sounds may be at a frequency that is sensitive to the ear, but when you take into account the numerous other noises in any given public setting, it's obvious that the actual sound itself cannot be pinned down as the principle cause of the irritation. The human ear is a selfish instrument which amplifies particular noises, so it cannot be relyed upon to make a sound judgement. The reason why folks were so annoyed was because they didn't like the way the listeners immersed themselves in their private audio worlds, which could not be shared by others. Back then, humming along to the melody and bobbing to the rhythm were a clear and present threat (annoyance) for many people. But in today's society, these kinds of actions are accepted because the listener is wearing headphones. This is because anyone who hums and bobs without headphones over their ears looks mentally ill. The acknowledgement that the bobber has headphones on is an assurance that the he isn't responding to metaphysical radio waves from the underworld.

The first generation of mobile audio devices must have been the transistor radios. These machines often have a nostalgic image attached to them, but when you think about it, they seem rather modern; with their compact forms and systems of acquiring software through wireless means.

For future mobile-audio devices to become widely used as actual products, further technological developments in the downsizing of software is a must. This downsizing doesn't necessarily have to be accompanied by advances in sound quality. The format of audio data used in the recording studio has developed over the years; from cassette MTRs to HD recorders, onto 16 bit, 20 bit, and 24 bit. However, this wasn't an urgent desire that the users had or anything like that. Sound quality isn't as important as it seems, when it comes to the popularization of audio media.

I can still remember the dazzling intensity I felt when I heard a cassette tape being played in a walkman when I was a child. Who says that the sound quality of cassette tapes is poor? It isn't the augmentation of our sense capacities that's important; the quality and form of the medium are the decisive factors.

In the early 90s, when the cell phone was first starting to appear, it was difficult to imagine people using it naturally, just because of the sheer weight and bulkiness of the object at the time. The batteries would run out very quickly, and it was hard to clearly hear what the person on the other side of the line was saying. A timelag between the emission and reception of words prevented conversations from becoming entertaining, and on top of all this, the prices were unbelievably high. In these early stages, the mobile phone didn't look like a device that would become so popular. It was more a piece of equipment than a mobile device, and businessmen with money to spend on that kind of thing would own them as a sort of status symbol.

After that stage, the size of cell phones shrunk at an incredible rate, and the batteries were becoming able to last longer. The phones were starting to become what they are today, but the owners of mobile phones were still predominantly adult males. The designs of the phones were completely directed towards this target user group: the phones basically had black and unimaginative appearances. The mobile phone didn't last as a status symbol for very long. The incorporation of women and children into the market is what began the avalanche of popularization.

The mid-90s was the age of analog cellulars. At this point in time, many women and children were using beepers and PHSs instead of cell phones. The prices of these devices were inexpensive, as were the costs for usage. Around the time they started becoming compact and lightweight, the cellular phones were entering the stage of digital networks.

Cell phones were still seen as tools for business at the time, and the image of "owning a cell phone = vigorous worker" was still accepted generally, but just barely. On the contrary, the type of communication that took place over beepers and PHSs were on topics like relationships, good restaurants, and school exams. The former was being used for communication belonging to the public realm, and the latter was being used for communication in the private realm. If a grown man owned a PHS instead of a cell phone, he was viewed as being either homosexual or in poverty (the price of cell phones were still high). The consensus was that real men should own cellular phones. This kind of heiarchy in telecommunication devices existed because the mobile phone hadn't yet reached the point of becoming pure media. It wasn't liberated as an existence just yet: it was still dependent on the actual material base, including its aspects as a product, like price and functions. There was a material imbalance in ownership, so the nature of the mobile phone as a media differed from that of the walkman when it was in its stage of popularization.

The regions of the world that are most deeply involved with the mobile phone are Scandinavia and particular countries in Asia, especially Japan. This is pretty interesting, because the country that has predominantly led movements involving technology and business, like this one, is America. This goes for cases like the computer and the internet. But when it comes to mobile phones, America is virtually not even a contestant. Scandinavia is a region that's known for things like its prestegious history of product design, the type of electronic music that goes "beeeep gggg bzzzzzzz," like the unit Pan Sonic, innovative software like Linux (Linus Torvaolds, the author, was a student in Helsinki when it was developed), and its massive telecommunications industry, with giants like Nokia and Ericsson. Japan is a country that's known for things like its graphic design, which started flourishing in the 90s, electronic music equipment that served as the infrastructure for the development of techno music, of course video games, and high-tech gadgets. It's also a country that comes close to 100% in mobile phone ownership rates. Both Scandinavia and Japan lack natural resources, so maybe they're both trying to find areas in which they can root themselves comfortably.

The ALBM of Musical Masterpieces (5 Installments Total)
"Noise / Entertainment"
by Kurando Furuya (SIM)

First, please raise the volume and listen to this sound file.

<dj_manji.mp3>

This is a recording of Tomoo Gokita a.k.a. DJ Manji's set for "Return of Gold Damage," a party organized by the record shop Los Apson. It was held at "Tsuru no Ma," a crazy club in Osaka. This recording was taken at six in the morning, and Gokita himself doesn't remember any of it, because he had been heavily drinking from the night before. The guy that's shouting "woooo! Manjiiiiii! Manjiiiii!" is Shouya Nakahara (better known as Violent Onsen Geisha). On the dancefloor, EYE Yamatsuka of Boredoms and Naohiro Ukawa, who was half naked, were dancing like madmen during this DJ set. This sound file is a record of memorable people spending memorable time.

I have no idea how Tomoo Gokita produced this kind of sound with nothing but two records and a mixer, at six in the morning, drunk to the point of memory loss. It sounds exactly like the battle cry of a terrible eighty-ton god-mutant spewing green smoke from its eyes. It was probably an intended result of DJ Manji's miraculous performance, while he was hanging on to his last drop of consciousness. It isn't exactly a chill-out track that you want to listen to while relaxing on the couch, but it really defines Tomoo Gokita's style: marvelous, psychotic, noisy, and piercing. Doesn't everybody seem to be having so much fun in the midst of this staggering music?

As I'm a guy who likes to stay in my house all alone, I usually don't feel very comfortable at places like parties. But, watching performances by unbelievably intense people, like this one, is lots of fun. I haven't organized a SIM Magazine event even once (it's a magazine that I edit). It's because I can't imagine how I could possibly make people who pay money to come feel truly entertained. Some of my friends from college have been organizing and holding parties every other month for a couple of years now. I admire their persistence, but at the same time, I'm thinking: "I can't believe they keep inviting their friends to this event that isn't so interesting." GOLD DAMAGE's entry fee is only 1,000 yen, and even RAW LIFE, with its extraordinary line-up of artists, is only a little over 2,000 yen. I just don't see why students who don't have so much money always have to pay expensive fees for entry and drinks, just to go hear some crappy amateur DJs. Anyway, I think that the parties held by the people around Tomoo Gokita and Los Apson are organized impressively, with its trademark griminess expressed throughout all its elements: from the flyers and T-shirts to the music.

Around mid-November, I borrowed the CD-R containing this sound file from Tomoo Gokita himself. It was when I went to his studio in Kokuryou, which is along the Keio Line, to ask him if he would make some music for a CD that's going to be appended to this artbook I'm making right now, called "ALBM." He let me hear some of the tracks he records at home, and we engaged in lots of fun, meaningless conversations, even though it was supposed to be a serious meeting. The stuff I heard was great. Some of them were distressing tracks just like the one in the sound file, and some others were pieces in which he plays instruments like the guitar and drums, and layers them onto a cassette tape. He creates a wide range of styles of music, and they all had interesting ideas in them. All his tracks included that quiet "ssssssss" sound that gets into cassette tapes while recording, and I thought it really resembled the beauty of his graphics. He's a pure genius when it comes to refined griminess.

This book "ALBM" is scheduled to be released next spring, as part of a campaign by the clothing brand Beams T. It's a book of graphics, but I'm producing it as if it's a music magazine. I want it to be a modest publication that's there to compliment the audio content of the appended CD.

The title simply comes from the word "album." I gave it the name because "album" has two meanings: a compilation of musical works, and a book containing images. "ALBM" is both of these things and more. Its actually a whole project involving the book, the CD, an event, and clothing. Around the time this column reaches its fourth or fifth installment, this campaign is going to be starting up, so check back.

Reading "Rockin'on (a popular Japanese music magazine)" isn't going to make me want to buy a new CD, and I'm skeptical about almost all musicians that are being pushed by magazines and TV. A recommendation of a CD coming from a reliable friend is much more persuasive than an article in any of these dubious media. I suppose that the job of a music magazine is to help the reader enjoy music more deeply, but the content of these publications are mostly limited to articles and reviews, and they're just not entertaining. In this kind of situation, it's a bit pressuring to be producing a book with music as the theme. I'm not an expert of music or anything, but I just hope that I can entertain readers with the sounds and visuals. That's the basic concept of "ALBM."

Tomoo Gokita is going to be the sound producer of the appended CD album, and the art director of the book is going to be Hiroshi Iguchi, who writes a column for "salmagazine.org." I'll be informing you about the specific information of this book at a later time.Δ

oneSAL magazine Vol.13 released now !

The latest issue of SAL magazine has been released and the distributing stores are now stocked with it. The theme of this issue is "Living." More detailed information is up on the /RELEASE corner below.

Link : /RELEASE

twoRESFEST 2004 Japan Tour

The world touring digital film festival "RESFEST" will be held in Japan from 11.20, starting from Tokyo. The line-up of this year is occupied with the outstanding music video programs. Beginning with "WARP VISION" that is coordinated to commemorate WARP RECORDS' 15th anniversary, the annual programs such as "CINEMA ELECTRONICA" and "VIDEOS THAT ROCK" are integrated in the program with more than 80 entries that are all world standard. In the short film section, "BUSHWACKED!", which had been programmed in precedence to the Presidential election on 11.2, will be screened there. Also, during the period of the festival, Stefan Nadelman, the director of "Terminal Bar" that was awarded a number of prizes in 2002, and Steve Beckett, the owner of the WARP RECORDS, will be invited as guest talkers. The annual workshop will be included in this festival, too. Please check the website (http://www.resfest.jp) for more information on the screen timetable or available tickets.

>Date : [Tokyo] 2004.11.20 (Sat)~11.23 (Tue)Laforet Museum Harajuku[Osaka] 2004.11.26 (Fri)~11.28(Sun) Nanba Hatch[Fukuoka] 2004.12.3 (Fri)~12.5 (Sun) IMS HallCoordinator : NOWONMEDIA.Inc / RES Media Group (NY)Ticket : Pia (http://pia.jp/t)Info : http://www.resfest.jp

threeTOSHIKAZU NOZAKA TATTOO ART EXHIBITION "ASIAN WAVE"

<toshi.jpg>Toshikazu Nozaka is an outstanding tatoo artist, who at the age of 18 plunged himself into the world of tatoo and cleaved the way through all by himself. In his twenties, he made his name known through the international competitions in both domestic regions and America on one side, and on the other side he exerted his another skill at skateboarding. With sponsoring from Zorac, the famous skate brand, in 1990s, his versatility at various cultural fields has made his carreer quite special. As a tatoo artist and professional skater, Nozaka weaves his double identity into his works, which are an unique integration of the traditional skill with the new cultural sensitivity. In this exhibition, his first draft for the tatoo will be displayed, as well as the life-size tatoo work, the skateboard that he designed himself, and other drafts for the tatoos. It's one of those must-see showcases, reminding us of the core of Japanese traditional sensitivity.

>Date : 2004.11.9 (Tue)~11.28 (Sun) 17:00~22:00 (Tue~Sat) / 15:00~22:00 (Sun) Closed on MondaysPlace : Depot Gallery2-43-6 Kami-Meguro Naka-MeguroPermission : freeInfo : 03-5773-5502URL : http://www.depotcrew.com

fourThe Shimao Family Exhibition "Mahochan-chi"

The exhibition of the family composed of the artists of Nobuzo Shimao (Writer/Photographer), Tokuko Shiota (Photographer) and their daughter Maho Shimao(Comic writer) is now taking place in Mito Art museum. Nobuzo Shimao, whose father, Toshio Shimao, is well known for his novel called "Thorns of death," displays the photo works of his daughter's early childhood, "Mahochan," and "Ushinawareta-toki-wo-motomete" that consists of the snap shots he took in his travel to his home place Amami and the essays describing about the trip. His works are all sensitively focused on events that occur in everyday life. Tokuko Shiota offers the work called "Refrigerator," compiled from the photos of refrigerators used in various households, and the photo works that could give viewers the images of lives of anonymous people through the materials like used books or hand made knit caps. Maho Shimao prepares an installation work for this exhibition, as well as the goods she has collected in her travel with her family to China and the photo works she took there.

>Date : 2004.10.23~1.10 9:30~18:00 (Entrance allowed until 17:30) Closed on Mondays (except on 1.10), holidays and between 12.29 and 1.3.Place : Mito Modern Art Gallery1-6-8 Gokencho, Mito, Ibarakizip 310-0063Permission : Adults 800yen / Advance 600yenURL : http://www.arttowermito.or.jp/

fiveJean Prouve Exhibition

Jean Prouve (1901-1984) is known as one of the most innovative and the most versatile creators in 20th century in the fields of design, architecture, and engineering. Le Corbusier and other contemporary spirits acclaimed his works, which ranged vastly from paper knife to lightening instruments, furniture, façade of architectures, prefabs, architectural system using module and large halls. The first full-fledged exhibition of Prouve in Japan is happening in the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura & Hayama from 10.30 as part of an international tour setting that goes around America and Europe. A collection of 130 works in total including furniture, prefabs, architectural models, plans and image data is displayed. During the exhibition period, various events such as film programs, talk shows, and a gallery tour that takes you to the exhibition "Museums for a New Millennium: Concepts Projects Buildings," which is also taking place in Hayama Museum, are held.

>Date : 2004.10.30(Sat)~2005.1.16(Sun) 9:30~17:00 (Entry allowed until 16:30) Closed on Mondays (except on 1.10), holidays and between 12.29 and 1.3.Place : Museum of Modern Art Kamakura & Hayama2-1-53 Yukinoshita, Kamakura, Kanagawazip 248-0005Permission : Adults 1000yen / Under 20 or Students 850yenURL : http://www.moma.pref.kanagawa.jp/museum/

sixOmotesando 2006

In January 2006, the symbolic building of Omotesando, Dojunkai Apartment will turn into a completely new landmark under the architectural direction by Tadao Ando. Mori Urban Institute for the Future is holding the exhibition "Omotesando 2006" to trace the time line of Omotesando's past, now and future, with its focus centered on the renovation project of Dojukan Apartment. In the display space divided into 6 chronological categories, one can experience in virtual settings of architectural models, images, and photos the transitional phases of Omotesando, a place that has preceded to every other area in its initiative in each period of the time. In categories of 1~3, the changing phases of Omotesando between 1920 and 1990 are introduced. How it shifted from the actual embodiment of "the state of divine" around Meiji-Jingu shrine in Meiji and Showa periods to the Mecca for the youth culture after Tokyo Olympics in the post war period, is accurately presented. It causes a sort of reminiscence mixed with a bit of curiosity to visit the inside of Dojunkai Apartment, which is now empty. It was constructed in 1927 as the first apartment built in Japan, having contributed for the past decades to establishment of a modern lifestyle of Japanese people. In the category of 4, the display shows its radical shift to the unprecedentedly consumptive area called "super fashion brand street" between 1990 and 2004, giving us a new incitement to recognize the mysterious harmony made by a herd of post-modern architectures such as Lui Vuitton by Jun Aoki, Dior by SANAA, and the building of Japan Nursing Association by Kisho Kurokawa. The category of 5 and 6 will take you into the virtual on-going renovation process of Dojunkai Apartment. The exclusive contents of this category include an idea sketch Ando jotted down on a table napkin, architectural models, image films, and CG plans. It's definitely recommended to see how the inspiration reflected on Dojunkai Apartment will take form in 2006.

>Date : 2004.9.18 (Sat)~2005.1.16 (Sun) 12:00~20:00 (Mon~Thu) / 12:00~22:00 (Fri) / 10:00~22:00 (Sat / Sun / Holidays)Place : Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 50FMori Urban Institute for the FuturePermission : Adults 600yen / Students 500yen / Children 300yenURL : http://www.muf.jp/

sevenDaisuke Nakayama "doze"

Daisuke Nakayama, the contemporary artist, is holding a one-man exhibition at Kodama Gallery (Kagurazaka, Tokyo). Since he made his debut in 1992, after he had accumulated experience of theater art and performance art, he has produced a number of exciting artworks. Having been Granted a fellowship from the Rockefellor foundation and awarded the grand prix of the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art Award, he has become a center of both domestic and international attention as a new leading character of modern art. In this exhibition, his new painting works and drawings, of which motifs he sensitively rendered, will be displayed.

>Date : 2004.10.30 (Sat)~2004.11.27 (Sat) 11:00~19:00Place : Kodama Gallery TokyoMinato Dai-san bldg. 4F 3-7 Nishi-Gokencho Shinjuku, Tokyozip 162-0812 (Tel : 03-5261-9022)URL : http://www.kodamagallery.com/start/index.htmlInfo : info@KodamaGallery.com

eight33 meets Delaware X'mas

From 12.1 (Wed) at Shop 33 in Kichijoji, Delaware, four-member super-sonic group who rocks design and designs rock, will have an exhibition. The theme of this exhibition being pretty straightforward, with its title "Delaware X'mas," they will show an exciting Christmas party in their own style. On 12.3 (Fri), the opening party will be thrown, in which some live shows are programmed. Check out what they've got on Christmas night, because it's quite sure that Delaware is making a difference.

>Date : 2004.12.1(Wed)~12.26(Sun) 12:00~21:00Place : Shop 33 2-22-5-1F Hon-machi, Kichijoji Musashino, TokyoURL : http://www.shop33.com

>Opening Party Date : 2004.12.3(Fri) 19:00~21:00Live : DELAWARE, AGES_5&UP, EXONEMOPermission : free

nineNaoto Fukasawa "Plus Minus Zero"

±0 (plus minus zero) is the design project primarily focusing on electrical appliances and interior goods, which is organized by Naoto Fukazawa, the product designer, and Takara Diamond, Inc. The place where you can see, touch and purchase all the products of ±0 and observe the displays of concept models and unreleased items is ±0 AOYAMA, which opened on 10.1. Fukazawa, as the design director of the whole brand, has made a simple and beautiful decoration in the shop, being particular in meticulous details in the displays. The powerful graphic rendered in the interior of white and grey color setting was done by Taku Sato, the graphic designer whose name must be familiar to you from collaboration with Fukazawa for the products of ±0. Also, in the backwards in the shop opened "cafe ±0." The original chocolate by Pascal Caffet, a French chocolatier, is sold at the cafe. Surely, so much useful information will be emitted from here, taking advantage of its direct management. From 11.11 (Thu), the exhibition "Naoto Fukazawa-Arisoudenaimono" is to be held at ON SUNDAYS

>Place : ±0 AOYAMAHORON-R 1F 3-1-12 Kita-Aoyama Minato-ku, TokyoOpen : 11:00~19:00Closed on WednesdaysInfo : 03-5778-5380URL : http://www.plusminuszero.jp/

>"Arisoudenaimono" Date : 2004.11.11 (Thu)~2005.1.23 (Sun) 11:00~20:00 (~21:00 on Wednesdays)Place : ON SUNDAYS 3-7-6 Jingumae Shibuya, TokyoURL : http://www.watarium.co.jp/onsundays/Δ

oneSAL magazine Vol.13 "LIVING" Issue Release

SAL magazine Vol.13 was released on November 1st.

In Japan, the word "Living" is usually interpreted as the shortened word for "Living Room". But we concentrated on the word "Living" as a way of life, hence the theme of this new edition of SAL magazine is "LIVING=LIFESTYLE".

The lifestyle catalog for Mori Building's proposition-type residential quarters, "HOLLAND HILLS MORI TOWER RoP" was designed by the likes of design units Tycoon Graphics, Enlightment, and Intentionallies. They are top quality graphics of lifestyle/living images out of all that can be seen in any design/art magazines. Also check the superior and perfected art direction done on the illustrations... Call the images a utopian way of life we've all grown to yearn for, but in reality feel great antipathy towards... a juxtaposition of admiration and hostility. Whatever it is, there is no doubt that there is something real about it. This is one of the significant works in this issue.

The "LIVING" font is TAKAFUMI MIYAJIMA's representative original font... font styles are not to be swayed by trends or vogue.

If you live in Japan, you've seen it before... Yoshinaga Sayuri, the big plasma TV, the buried glass house. This piece of architecture located in a peaceful meadow in Whales of England, was designed by the architects of FUTURE SYSTEMS. It was featured in a plasma television ad in Japan... a house of grass and glass.

After all the technological glamour and glitz we introduce you to this one shabby looking Japanese house. The floor is literally gone and replaced with a blue plastic sheet. This was formerly the solitary house of modern artist MAKOTO AIDA in Tsudanuma. Though this building no longer exists, it was the place where all the creation happened, and served as an atelier and home.

Chairs, for one thing, furniture serve as a significant factor in the concept of "LIVING." Featured are a series of furniture designed by a brand group called "ELEMENTS," composed of MASAKATSU TSUMURA, HISASHI MATSUMOTO, and KAZUMASA AIHARA. They received a whole lot of attention this year at the International Furniture Fair held in Italy. We may be looking at the actual product in the near future...

Since the impact made by the works of KYOUICHI TSUZUKI, it has been a "DO" thing to capture the younger generation's "nest," their apartments as an object. Since then, this frame of reference has been adopted by many interior magazines. From photographer YASUHIDE KUGE's new project "Yu-Hodou Yori", we introduce to you these images of everyday scenery, with somewhat of a mysterious artificial glow to the entire picture. We get an understanding of the way Mr. Kuge, who makes his way between the lines of commercialism and art, interprets the concept of living. Photographers face society with the eye which faces the object...

Next we have NAOHIRO UKAWA's former atelier. You may have seen it before, for it has been exposed to the public many times. Note: this state of chaos was not prepared for the shoot. He created, destroyed, made telephone calls, handled machinery, read magazines, smoked cigarettes, scratched his back and thought about his mother all in this very room. An artist's atelier is also an artist's living atmosphere.

We are surrounded by various products which compose our everyday life. So we end the issue with food. Food as a product. At first glance these two pages are just red. Just plain red. But with a closer look you will notice the subtle gradation in the red... this is an enlargement, of a photograph, of the surface, of a tomato. We said it, it's a tomato. Turn the page and you will find two bottles. Tomato juice! This is the first of many to come from the "E2O" project, which sets its course on creating completely new and original products out of Hokkaido Japan, by collaborations of many artists and creators. This product is a result of collaboration between SHIFT and INABA HIDEKI. The value and quality of this product goes way beyond the borders of a normal tomato juice on the market. Keep in mind the significance of living life surrounded by quality products... and so we end where we started.Δ

one"Kenchiku Suru Shintai (Architectural Body)"

Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins are a pair of artists who are well known for their extraordinary architectural works, such as "Site of Reversible Destiny - Yoro Park" <http://www.yoro-park.com/e/rev/index.html> and "Ubiquitous Site, Nagi's Ryoanji, Architectural Body" <http://www.town.nagi.okayama.jp/moca/to12.htm>. In 2002, the two published a book called Architectural Body from University of Alabama Press. The Japanese version of this book has been released late September of this year with the title Kenchiku Suru Shintai, from Shunjusha Publishing Company. Its fluorescent pink cover and magazine-equivalent size make it stand out among other books <kenchiku_omote.jpg> <kenchiku_ura.jpg>. The translation is done by the brilliant autopoiesis theorist, Hideo Kawamoto. He has also provided a commentary on the content of the book, and list of definitions for basic words. This book utilizes a variety of modes of linguistic expression, such as poetic expressions, dialogues, manifestos, coinages, exercises, and explanations. As the subtitle "Ningen Wo Koete Iku Tameni (To Surpass The Human Being)" suggests, the ultimate goal of this book is to prompt the reader to expand her physical consciousness and ways of connecting with the environment, in order to activate the suppressed potential of the organic body.

Also, a toilet paper version of Kenchiku Suru Shintai will be released soon. The outside packaging will have the exact same design as the cover of the book, and portions of the text will be printed onto the toilet paper. It is soon going to be possible to wipe your rear end with the puzzling words of Arakawa and Gins.

On October 27, a general debate concerning the content of Kenchiku Suru Shintai was held under the title "Kenchiku Suru Genshougaku - Shintai to Geijyutsu no Kadai (Architectural Phenomenology - The Issues Facing the Body and Art)" <kenchiku_speakers.jpg>. It took place in "Enryou Hall," an immense underground auditorium located on Hakuzan Campus of Toyo University. The panelists were Shusaku Arakawa, Hideo Kawamoto, and the ethics-philosophy researcher Yasukuni Sato. There was also phenomenology researcher Ichiro Yamagichi, who was the participant in charge of asking a number of specific questions that were decided beforehand. The host was Shin Nagai, another phenomenology researcher. The symposium started out with Sato speaking about the uniqueness and difficulty of Arakawa's works. Next, Kawamoto explained the core of the Arakawa philosophy in words that were understandable to everyone, and also spoke about its relationship to his own research. After this, Arakawa's spoken words became the axis of the flow of the discussion, with Yamaguchi occasionally inserting some questions in between. Arakawa explained about the extraordinary situations that take place between the body and the environment all the time, and about how modern civilization, including science, philosophy, and art, is suppressing life energy and the body. He spoke about many topics like these, using his poetic style of speech and unique gestures. Images of his works and models were projected onto the huge screen above the stage, and he explained about these while mixing in a few stories of interesting episodes concerning them.

During this assembly, many radical assertions that can't be heard in everyday life were stated aloud, and the hall was filled with a feel of comfortable tension. The one shortcoming was that the discussion never turned into an interactive debate, even though this meeting was supposed to be "a general debate." At the end, Arakawa answered questions from the audience, and the symposium came to a close later than the originally scheduled time.

Shusaku Arakawa is an unparalleled artist that attempts to guide human beings, through architecture, onto a new level of life energy,. Even though he is almost seventy years old, we cannot help but to anticipate further breakthroughs from this man.

>Kenchiku Suru Shintai >by Shusaku Arakawa & Madeline Gins >translated by Hideo Kawamoto >published by Shunjusha Publishing Company >179 pages long >first edition: September 20, 2004 >price: 1365 yen (sales tax included) >ISBN: 4-393-95503-X >URL: http://www.architectural-body.com/

Article by Ryutaro Uchiyama

two"SAL magazine Night 5.0"

DOTMOV 2004 <salnight_5.0_dotmov.jpg> is a digital film festival that was started with the aim to "discover talented creators and provide them with an opportunity to show their work." SAL magazine Night 5.0, an audio & visual event that wrapped its environment with light from five projectors, was held on October 31 at Soso Cafe in Sapporo, Japan.

The six hour program was composed of events such as a lecture by Jiro Ohashi (editor-in-chief of SAL magazine) and Kurando Furuya (editor-in-chief of SIM), who were both guest judges of DOTMOV, an installation by lighting designer James Clar, a live performance by Nipponia Electronica, a DJ set by DJ Mogra, and a DVJ set by Jiro Ohashi.

The lecture started out with an explanation of SAL Magazine vol.13, the "Living Issue." This new issue was handed out to everybody in the audience, and the two editors spoke about things that never would have been publicly known, like the behind-the-scenes story of the cover design, what was intended with this particular composition of pages, and the direction in which SAL Magazine will be heading in for the future <salnight_5.0_living.jpg>. They then spoke about the synergy between sound and visuals. With Ohashi mixing in some VJ images, the two spoke about motion imagery from the point of view of editors. They covered topics such as what kind of fascinating space could be realized by using sound and motion image, and about some of the most interesting works that were submitted to DOTMOV. This lecture raised our anticipation towards the evolution and the diversification of creative expression, especially since we are in an age in which motion image is becoming more intimate due to developments in the accessibility and inter-compatibility of hardware.

After this came an installation by James Clar <http://www.jamesclar.com>, a lighting designer from New York. The work he brought was, "his very own creation, a set of light bars which synchronizes sound and light," said the pretty translator <salnight_5.0_jc.jpg> Clar lectured about his past works, explained about these interactive bars of light that react to sound (called "Dynomite"), and introduced a work of wearable lighting, which is to be released at a fashion show in Milan. He then performed a DJ set using iPods and the light bars; an innovative, illuminative world was created <salnight_5.0_jc2.jpg>.

Next up was Kurando Furuya from SIM Magazine, who DJ'd using the software "Ableton Live." He regulated various effects and sequences to give well-known tracks a sonic face-lift <salnight_5.0_furuya.jpg>.

After this was a live performance by Nipponia Electronica <salnight_5.0_nipponia.jpg>. Utilizing a Pioneer DVJ (a recently released machine that lets you scratch both the sound and the visuals on a DVD <salnight_5.0_dvj.jpg>) and a Kaoss Pad, he performed high-tension dance tracks with sampled visuals like films from the NHK (public broadcasting channel) film archive, and excited the crowd. This performance was a clear example of how motion image and film have started entering the realm of consumer-users, and are no longer limited to professionals.

The last performance was Jiro Ohashi's DVJ (disc/visual jockey) set <salnight_5.0_ohashi.jpg>. He filled the site with both music and visuals, just as he was explaining in the lecture. Motion images such as a geometrical film of morphing national flags, and a sequence of record sleeves with the musician's faces printed on them, were projected onto the walls.

This was an event that was bubbling with sounds and visuals. Very fitting as the opening event of DOTMOV.

article / photos: Kana Satomi

threeSimayn gill "Power Station"

I made my way to the Sydney residing Malaysian artist, Simayn Gill's first solo exhibition in Tokyo, “Power Station” (@Ginza Shiseidou Gallery). He has been involved in such exhibitions as the Venice Biennale official supporting project, “Trans Culture” (Venice and Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum (1995)), “Cities on the Move” (1997), Berlin Biennale (2001) and the Sydney Biennale(2002). Photographs of the insides of both Gill’s home back in Port Dickson, Malaysia, and an old power plant nearby, set facing one another…and as Gill is also known for his “Object Works”, in which he creates using collected objects from street corners and beaches, an installation of objects created from material washed ashore on the beaches that face both buildings.

Two things recollected in my mind as a result of experiencing this exhibition. One was a memory of when I was in grade school…the house I lived in back then was surrounded by somewhat of an industrial area, so I would go out and stare at the machinery from the outside, or I would collect scattered scrap out on the streets…The other memory was of TSUYOSHI OZAWA one time in an interview saying,

“Back where I grew up, there was a disposal treatment center next to my house. If I were to go there today, people would probably say something like ‘it’s not good for your health’ and kick me out, but I’ll tell you, that pile of junk was a fascinating playground.”

The coexistence of a home and an industrial complex such as a power plant or disposal treatment center would usually be captured as a negative factor. But through the eyes of a child, such an environment should be of greater amusement and fascination than any amusement park. In “Power Station”, such an environment can be experienced through the eyes of Simayn Gill…the monochromatic interior photographs of Gill’s home provide a sense of leisure, contrasting with the Sci-Fi spaceship atmosphere of a distinct, colorful interior of the power plant. As if to symbolize the two contradicting environments coexisting with one another, a heap of shells, bones of small animals and trees branches, mashed with glass, metal and plastic washed ashore coexist as a single object created by the chaos of nature. With a combination of photographs and objects, created with scrap and junk, this exhibition beautifully portrayed the significance of a home and a power plant coexisting in an environment. Live and let live.

>Date: October 5 (Tue.) to November 28 (Sun.), 2004>Time: 11:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and Sat., 11:00 to 18:00 on Sun. and holidays, closed on Mondays> Location: Shiseido Gallery, Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Building B1F, 8-9-3 Ginza, Chuou-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061> URL: http://www.shiseido.co.jp/gallery/html/index.htm

Article by Azusa Hitomi

fourLondon Report Zoo Art Fair

From 10.16 until 10.18, the art fair was held at London Zoo in Regent's park. Zoo Art Fair was intended to promote the young contemporary artists who are engaged in creative activities in London, sensing greater indifference of the art collectors to the galleries. 26 under 3-year-old arts organizations, galleries and publications participated. As I passed through the narrow entrance of London Zoo, I saw the first exhibition site on my left hand side. The first thing that came into my eyes was typical English style interior and decoration. Stunned, the animals in the cages were also staring at what was going on. As soon as I went up to the third floor, I was overwhelmed with the dense population and the enthusiasm with which it was filling the room. 18 galleries setting each booth, various kinds of artworks are displayed here and there. These displays have no consistency, ranging from paintings to sculptures, which makes them all the more stimulating. The thing that attracted me most here was the artwork called "Zgodlocator" by Herwig Weiser, displayed in The Ritter/Zamet gallery. With its outlook similar to two turntables without the table parts, it has oily black liquid contained on the right side and iron sand on the left. The oil and the liquid move eerily as you turn around the sound controller. The little unpleasant sound and the unfamiliar materials were mysteriously synchronized to hallucinate me. You have to walk through the zoo to reach the second site. There are 8 booths set in the second display site, and the most impressive thing here was the artwork "girlband" shown in the One in the Other. Created by Kevin Francis Gray, this is the work of the three red painted fiberglass girls playing the band. It was smaller than I expected it would be, which in turn fits with its comical character. The works of this artist are full of playful elements, and the one I saw made me want to visit the gallery, which seems to be exactly what the organizers intended. But who cares? I had so much fun as to expose myself to such a plesant trick. May the art fairs like this be supported by people around the world and art be more close to our life.

Article : Rika YamamotoΔ

INTERVIEW WITH YASUHIDE KUGE
2004.11.3 / Kyodo, Setagaya City / At the gallery cafe Appel

Q: Please tell us how you became interested in photography.
A : I was in a Judo team in my high school days, and the next room to the Judo club was a darkroom for the photo club. One day, people from the photo club asked to borrow my name for the registration so that they can sustain their activity, and I entered the room for the fist time and saw these instruments, with which they develop the photos, and I was like "wow!" That was intriguing to me. After that, I was attracted less with a collection of art photos than with small photos with captions in a foreign book, which were so small as to make me want to look more closely at it. I was getting into an imaginary world these small pictures conjured up. When I quit the college, I searched my way of expression, and I did not think literature or music would fit. I ended up taking photos after all. I studied technical stuff at Tokyo Visual Arts, and started to have a sort of professional attitude in doing an assistant work in the industry. Then, I became independent in my late twenties.

Q : Could you introduce us your portfolio a little bit?
A : "ALIENS" was my first collection of photography. My kids were into Ultraman then and I spoke to the editor that I would want to take Ultraman in the early series. I was dubious if it's going to be accepted, but it actually was. Finally, It was released as a photo album with the exclusive bonus CD. In addition to that, I have contributed my works to the magazines like Number, Cutie, Store, Dune, and Relax. My latest work is "LIFT."

Q : Please explain about the works you contributed to SAL magazine vol.13.
A : These are called "Yuhodo" series that are displayed here at the cafe Appel. To tell you the truth, I was taken away my driver's license because of speeding early this year, and I went to Samezu to take the lecture for violators, where these old guys, who were taking the same lecture, said to me, "you don't have to take the nasty lecture. It's waste of your money if you don't drive the car for a month while you are taking this." Surely, I was convinced by that, and turned back and went home! For a month after this, I spent my time not driving but walking. I came to think that I would rather want to walk on a promenade, and started to shoot there.

Q : Please tell us why you chose these particular photos for the theme of this issue "living."
A : These are the emotional landscapes of day and night. I always like to shoot the moment when things that we are familiar with look differently, sort of theatrically for example and I think it did work this time. One of my friends, who is a painter, said to me "I wouldn't be surprised if the monster appears here." My style hasn't changed at all since "ALIENS," you know? For the serial for AXIS, I am touring around Japan to shoot the gardens in Kyoto or Moerenuma Park in Hokkaido on the theme of "a gaze from the garden." While doing this, I realized that the peculiarity of Tokyo is very much reflected on the promenades, in which the professional gardeners hired by the city government coordinate the trees and the plants, which surely brings distinguishing characters in each section of the city because of the different skills each gardener has. There are some cases where people living in a house right beside a promenade plant the flowers for fun. Of course, it is much more pleasant to walk on a promenade than on a street. It's a public sphere shared by many people, which in a sense is rooted in everyday life. That'ss something that Tokyo has. In that sense of meaning, I think these works are concerned with "living" It's also a matte of timing, for I am doing this exhibition now.

Q : You made the works focused on TV actresses, as well as the personal works like Yuhodo series.
A : I like very much to shoot politicians, theater actors / actresses, or athletes, but I never liked to shoot TV actresses. "cover / girl" is a compilation of the photos of aidoru and TV actresses. When I embarked on this, I asked the make up artist to make no-make-up faces of the girls, which became a consistent theme for this collection. It gives an advantage of not being influenced by the trend of make up. As far as styling is concerned, I made them wear sports jerseys, adding no excessive effect on them. ItUfs like caressing these beautiful models and I wanted no more or no less than that. That's the concept. Also, I worked on the series of the childbirth photos, which is called"CLINIC," for AXIS and Idea. I asked ordinary husband and wife to cooperate with my project, and it's like I get the call from the hospital nurse saying "it's coming out!," and I rush for the hospital and wait for the child to be born with the husband. In one case, it took 18 hours!

Q: Please tell us where you get the inspiration.
A: Anything. I get the inspiration from anything. I was in Kyoto until the day before yesterday, and I got lots of energy there. When I went to Brazil to shoot the Brazilian top team, I found a beauty in their fighting practice. Wrestlers and ultimate fighters grab the body not the Judo jersey. That's part of their communication. I saw the wrestlers intertwining their bodies with each other, which I found to be particularly interesting. I also get the inspirational resources from people I hung out with like Humiho Tachibana, Tatsuya Ariyama, Eisaku Ono and Keita Ishiguro. It doesn't matter whether it will lead you to creation, but it's simply fun.

Q : Please tell us about your next project.
A : I haven't done nude photos, so I want to do it. Maybe, I would beat around the bush, never saying "nude."

>Yasuhide Kuge Exhibition (Until 11.23)Place : Appe5-29-20 Kyodo Setagaya, Tokyozip 156-0052Tel / Fax : 03-5426-2411Mail : b_rabbit@gb3.so-net.ne.jpURL : http://www.bit-rabbit.com/Δ

The Underground History of Thought (1):
"The Encouragement of Creating a Secret Society"
by Yusuke Shouno

Everybody knows Ise Jinguu, right? Even the people who don't know what it is must at least have heard the name somewhere. On the other hand, it's not so well known that this Shinto shrine is rebuilt every twenty years. This procedure is called "Shikinen Senguu," and it's a system in which they construct a new shrine in the exact same dimensions as the present one, and then take down the present shrine. This process is repeated every twenty years, which is a pretty short span of time. It's rebuilt four times in an average person's lifetime. When you think of how far back the history of Ise Jinguu dates back to, you are able to see how much net-manpower has been put into this cycle. It seems inefficient, and it's costly too. However, this is actually a system that was devised by people of the past, to pass down their ways of thought. By rebuilding the shrine, the shrine carpenter is able to learn how to build it through direct experience. The internal structure of the shrine is engraved into his physical consciousness. Unlike some stone temples which we don't know how they were built, this shrine passes down the method of construction, rather than the construction itself. This system has communicated the way of thought concerning shapes, which has been in Japanese culture since ancient times, down many generations.

This is only one example. Around the world, there are many instances in which ways of thought are passed down many generations without any outsiders ever knowing about it. In ancient times, when there were no such things as letters, myths and tales were all passed down through the spoken words of elders. Once letters were invented, people attempted to place these legends in the form of written language. The first time this was done in Japan is when the famous Kojiki was written. However, it is usually the politically dominating group that is in charge of turning spoken legends into written texts. It is the destiny of letters, that they be used by the establishment as tools for ruling. This is the same in every country, and in every age.

In America, there is an artist called The RAMM:ELL:ZEE, who has been active ever since the dawn of hip hop culture. Through his activities, which span across all of hip hop, he warns us that letters are ruling us at a subconscious level. In one of his essays, he explains how he deconstructs the alphabet, and then decorates it with his sensibility as a graffiti artist, in order to arm himself. In works and performances, he depicts the amusing theme of his armed letters going to war against the standard letters, which are the incarnation of the establishment. When he was young, he used to be a member of The Five Percenters (a.k.a. The Nation of Gods and Earths), which is a religion for people of African origin. In his unreleased script "Alpha's Bet," there is even a scene where an African-American man who couldn't answer a riddle is assaulted by his fellow Five Percenters. This group is a new religion that was founded by Clarence 13X, who used to be a pupil of Malcolm X, and it shares a large part of its ideas with black-supremacist Islamic groups. It is obvious that The RAMM:ELL:ZEE's works are also deeply influenced by the unique Islamic philosophies concerning letters and words. The Five Percenters refer to themselves as a science, and never as a religion. Some people think of them simply as a gang. They don't go out and try to teach people the validity of their beliefs, just like ancient Shinto, so I personally believe that they aren't a religion, strictly speaking. I guess we should just call them a group who shares the same way of thought. They also resemble a secret society, as they have some rather violent rituals for their entrance ceremonies. There is an English FAQ on the internet, so those who want to know more about the Five Percenters should check it out <http://www.blackapologetics.com/fivepercentfaq.html>. There is also a web site where you can see The RAMM:ELL:ZEE's works and essays about his beliefs, also in English <http://www.gothicfuturism.com>.

As I have stated earlier, there are many ways of thought that do not become acknowledged by outsiders, simply because they are not written in letters. A portion of these traditions is referred to as esotericism or mysticism. Unlike religions and typical groups sharing a way of thought, which try to diffuse their beliefs to as many people as possible, the esoteric traditions choose a few number of people to be something