February
My intention to keep a running commentary
on developments was entirely overtaken by the project itself.
Since I last wrote my Journal we have completed and published
the catalogue,
hung and opened the exhibition, and
hosted the international symposium. The overwhelming amount
of work required to bring all these strands in on schedule
has required total commitment with no time for reporting back,
until now.
Catalogue
I am delighted that through its design, the catalogue
has succeeded in reflecting the excitement of the working
processes of the artists. The ring-binding, the layering of
images and the use of quotes from the artists, all create
the flavour of a work book; while the contributions from the
artists and others involved in the project help contextualise
this complex project. The support from Curtis Fine Papers
has allowed us to use a variety of papers as further, subtle,
indicators of process and outcome. The beautiful photographs
of the Japanese work by Toshiharu Kawabe and of the British
work by Damian Chapman and Ian Forsyth describe the final
outcomes with a breathtaking clarity. As you can read, I am
thrilled with the catalogue!
It is now available from the venues price
£20 and by mail order (order
form pdf) plus postage and packing
Exhibition
The work arrived from Japan arrived at the galleries
on January 14th and the British work over the following few
days. The project co-ordinator in Japan, Keiko Kawashima,
also arrived on January 14th to work on the exhibition installation.
The works within the exhibition are extremely diverse and
the design of the exhibition had been conceived to delineate
each partnership while demonstrating the link between all
participants. Transparent fabric screens, lit from within,
separate each of the partnerships while works are linked by
the use of a border of pebbles. A monitor set in each area,
playing excerpts from the web journals of those particular
artists, provides the link back to the creative and making
processes.
At the James Hockey and Foyer Galleries
at The Surrey Institute, the actual hang was difficult and
I was extremely grateful for the help given by Keiko Kawashima,
Nick Gorse and technical staff from The Institute, in fact
it would have been impossible without this help. Several of
the works needed to be hung from the high ceiling, and hung
in a very particular way. The collaboration piece of Machiko
Agano and Anniken Amundsen is hung in two lines curving towards
each other and then away, which took two and a half days to
achieve – and looks absolutely stunning.
We decided to go against usual practice
and display the textiles of Junichi Arai and Tim Parry Williams
horizontally rather than vertically. They are the first exhibits
the visitor sees on entering the Foyer Gallery, flowing across
light boxes and seeming to change in substance as the light
outside moves from day to night. An extraordinary chance result
of this strategy slowly appears as the day darkens –
‘Reflection’ by Junichi Arai is reflected in the
window as hovering in space above the pebbles outside the
building, making serendipitous links with our laying of pebbles
in the exhibition space.
The hang of the exhibition at Hove Museum
and Art Gallery was much easier, thanks in no small part to
the organisation by Hove Curator Polly Harknett and the fact
that Maxine Bristow, Kyoko Nitta and Ealish Wilson were all
on hand to install their work. Maxine’s architectural
intervention of needlepoint light switches and conduits and
the collaborative work between Maxine and Kyoko of the transparent
jeans and ventilation panel have already created a great deal
of interest in the media and with the public.
The exhibition was officially opened
at The Surrey Institute on January 26th by Professor Geoffrey
Crossick, Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research
Board. It was an exceptionally well attended evening with
a very friendly atmosphere.
The Symposium
On February 6th the Symposium on ‘Cultural
Difference and The Creative Process’ was held at The
Surrey Institute. It proved extremely popular in advance with
all seats sold and a waiting list. The speakers were drawn
from various backgrounds - Social Science, Anthropology, Fashion,
Film, Museology. We were given much to think about, this cross-discipline
approach brings new oxygen into our discussions and I feel
we have only just begun. However, I imagine for all of us
present, the moments we will never forget from this day came
from Junichi Arai during his joint presentation with Tim Parry
Williams, as he encouraged Tim to spread his wings and fly.
The first Papers from the Symposium are
published here
“JAPANESENESS”
IN JAPANESE CINEMA FROM THE WAR PERIOD TO THE PRESENT
FUMIAKI ITAKURA
JOY
AND PAIN OF INTERCULTURALISM
Joost Smiers
The
Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion
Yuniwa Kawamura
SYMPOSIUM
PRESENTATION GIVEN IN TURN
BY JEANETTE APPLETON AND NAOKO YOSHIMOTO
CULTURAL
DIFFERENCE AND THE MUSEUM
Veronica Sekules
At the beginning of March Teruyoshi
Yoshida and Claire Barber will install their site-sensitive
work at Fabrica in Brighton. I will report on that in my next
Journal.
Lesley
Millar
Project Director THROUGH THE SURFACE
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