Machiko
Agano - July
Anniken left Japan on the
30th of June. I feel slightly empty. I felt like the days
with her will go on forever. So now I remember the three months
we spent together to move forward. Meanwhile, I appreciated
Lesley for creating this wonderful opportunity for me. Also,
I really want to thank my friend's family who helped us sincerely.
I felt my network of people expanded dramatically through
this experience.
In this journal, I haven't got much
to say about the collaboration. We are still on the way. I
went to Gunma prefecture for the exhibition 'Threads and Fabrics'
at the contemporary art museum. It will be shown until September
15th. This exhibition was curated for works which were made
out of threads and fabrics. The works were chosen beyond the
framework of textiles or contemporary art. I thought this
idea was rather challenging in the field and also showing
this borderless situation. Kyoko Nitta also exhibits her piece
in this exhibition.
Machiko Agano
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Anniken
Amundsen - July
I have been back in England for three
weeks and am at the moment in the final preparation stages
for two group shows and one solo show which will open shortly:
Material Spaces, Carlisle, UK (this month); Invaders, solo
show, Haa, Norway (August); and Artist at Work, New Technology
in Textile and Fibre Art, Prato, Italy (September). I am used
to, through my 3 months stay in Japan, a very hectic work
schedule combined with a busy social calendar, and this is
most probably one of the factors for my current calmer approach
and way of being in an otherwise hectic period. I noticed
quite early during my stay in Kyoto how much less stressed
and aggressive and also how much more patient the Japanese
seem compared to people in the west. Another aspect I noticed
at an early stage is the way in which so many daily routines
are treated as something precious. This could be anything
from, for instance, beautifully wrapping a pile of paper documents
in a patterned and coloured silk fabric; to eating a meal,
always consisting of many small dishes, served on a selection
of different small ceramic plates, using the season’s
fresh fish, vegetables and fruit; to how one performs a prayer
in front of a shrine or temple in the middle of a busy daily
schedule. I felt that they were making their everyday routines
into little beautiful ceremonies, and I wonder if this is
part of the reason for their calmness and patience that I
find quite rare in a city, seeing it from a western perspective.
I am intrigued by the shrines, large
and small, that are placed around the city on street corners,
back streets, in nature and also in their homes. You are never
far away from a place to spend some time to reflect, pray
and to get a break from the busy city life. I kept seeing
people stopping in the middle of the city centre, in front
of a little shrine and spend a few minutes praying, going
through the prayer routine, untouched by all the people rushing
past, finding some peace, and then continuing on their journey.
I found this fascinating and also started using them myself.
I am not a religious person, but what I found appealing about
Japan’s shrines and temples is that rather than worshipping
one God or a specific religion, I feel there is more focus
on getting in touch with your inner self, about showing appreciation
and consideration for life, people and nature.
My experiences from Japan are sinking
in and maturing day by day and are more or less swirling in
my mind constantly. It is strange to think that I will not
meet Machiko before the actual installation of the exhibition
in January. It is a real challenge to make a collaborative
piece of this scale, being in two different countries. The
initial plan is that Machiko will knit 70-100 big-looped strips
in metal wire and fishing line, partly coated in paper, and
I will weave 100-150 miniature creatures in fishing line.
My creatures will be “melted”/entangled/incorporated
into Machiko’s strips.
The long tentacles/warp thread of my
creatures will spread or grow from one strip to another, maybe
growing onto the floor or getting entangled in nearby strips.
It may look as if the creatures are trapped in Machiko’s
net, or as if they are growing out of the net, spinning the
strips as spiders. The paper coating that partly covers them
or “melts” them into the strips can be seen as
cocoons that they are about to burst out of, or a net structure
that has captured them and is about to cover them completely.
The piece is about invisible forces, which could be found
in nature, organic life or indicating unpredictability’s
inside the body. It will indicate movement, wind, development,
growth and how organic life (wanted and unwanted) spreads.
Machiko and I both want the visitors to interact with the
installation by being able to move through or inside the installation.
I have been thinking about this aspect the last week, made
a few sketches of various ways to install the piece and ways
for the public to interact. We have already decided that the
strips should stretch from ceiling to floor, but we have not
decided in which order, or what kind of shape they will form.
One option is that they form a kind of corner, that can be
viewed from all sides. The corner can be closed or it could
be a small passage for people to move through. See drawing
below
Another idea is that the strips are
hung to create two almost parallel walls or membranes, slightly
curved towards the middle, and creating a path, a walkway.
Creating an atmosphere of moving inside something indefinable,
feeling encapsulated, unsettled and fascinated at the same
time. See drawing below
These ideas are early and new thoughts
that I have not had the chance to discuss with Machiko yet.
I look forward to having a little “meeting” with
her through letter or e-mail to discuss these thoughts further.
I also look forward to getting in touch with her soon, to
read her diary this month to see what development and new
thoughts she has around the project and our piece.
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