tokyo event: "visual philosophy salon" vol. 2 21 September 2008

[Jonathan M Hall]

Dear d and All

It's a new event that happens about once a month, although Kawai is a  
regularly active figure on the scene.  He is known as a cofounder of  
Videoart Center Tokyo, earlier in the decade.  Vol 2 is actually the  
third in the series after Vol 0 and Vol 1.  Much of iimura's work is  
the same that screened in an iimura retrospective program that Aaron  
organized  Yale University last September.  But  even for those who  
could attend the Yale weekend, it's a good chance to see the newly  
reedited "Air's Rock" piece as well as Kawai's work.  My forthcoming  
manuscript includes a chapter on Kawai and iimura in relation to each  
other.  I think both artists are significant, although undervalued in  
current gallery driven surveys of Japanese video art.  It's also  
worth mentioning that there will be two large-scale video art  
retrospectives happening in Tokyo in Spring 2009.

With best wishes,
Jonathan


On 10 Sep 2008, at 16:21, <drainer at mpinet.net> wrote:

> Is this a regular event??
>
>
> -d
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jonathan M Hall" <jmhall at uci.edu>
> To: "KineJapan" <KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:26 AM
> Subject: tokyo event: "visual philosophy salon" vol. 2 21 September  
> 2008
>
>
> "visual philosophy salon" vol. 2
>
> at the Apple Store Ginza
>
>
> <What a Sensation! A Space-Time Trip to a New Visual and Sound
> Landscape>
>
> featuring Taka iimura & Haruyuki Suzuki and Masayuki Kawai
>
>
> --------------------------
>
> Experience something entirely new when you join us for an avant-garde
> "visual and sound landscape."  As the light transforms, the moving
> image reveals structures that are buried within the landscape.  The
> sound invites your imagination, the landscape shows its colors and
> breathes, and you drift into a mysterious time-space...
>
>
> At the Visual Philosophy Salon held regularly at Tokyo?s Ginza Apple
> Store, Masayuki Kawai invites the audience to dynamic new movements
> in visual art with his fast-paced yet down-to-earth introductions.
> For this meeting of the Salon, we?re delighted to welcome a pioneer
> of experimental visual art, Taka iimura, and his collaborating
> composer, Haruyuki Suzuki.  You're invited to witness for yourself
> the past/present of an avant-garde "visual and sound landscape."
> You?ll see the work of the guests and the host and enjoy their
> interaction.
>
>
> --------------------------
>
> screening program:
>
>
> "Junk"
>
> directed by Taka iimura, sound by Takehisa Kosugi
>
> 1962/B&W/8 and 16mm (screening from video)/10 min.
>
> This legendary work is known as Taka iimura's debut and his first
> collaboration with the great composer Takehisa Kosugi. Junk and dead
> animals that have been washed up on the shore of Tokyo Bay are
> animated through surreal imagery and noise music. This violent
> improvisation of the visual and the musical remains an edgy piece.
> Made 46 years ago, it presciently anticipates today's environmental
> problems.
>
>
> "A Rock in the Light" (from DVD "AIR'S ROCK" 1985-2008)
>
> directed by Taka iimura, sound by Haruyuki Suzuki
>
> 1985+2008/Color/video/18 min.
>
> This work is a conceptual video piece about "Ayers Rock" which rises
> up above  the Australian desert. The landscape reveals its structure
> as a process of light in time. In 1985, this piece was a surprising
> hit on the laser disc market.   In 2008, Suzuki composed a new score
> and iimura completely re-edited it.
>
>
> "Tokyo Color Scene"
>
> direction and sound by Masayuki Kawai
>
> 1998/Color/video/18 min. (clip)
>
> In the sea of colors, you hear the sound of the city. Listening to
> the sound of color, and looking at the color of sound. Color and
> sound unfold various scenes of the city and  of your mind.  This
> video art piece is composed of color and sound without image.
>
>
> "Niagara Hot Spring"
>
> direction and sound by Masayuki Kawai
>
> 2008/Color/video/5 min.
>
> Dawn at the Niagara Falls: as the sky brightens, a colorful vapor
> rises from the darkness.
>
>
> --------------------------
>
> date: 2008/09/21 (Sunday)?6:00pm - 7:30pm
>
> fee: free
>
> venue: Apple Store Ginza 3F Theatre (84 seats)
>
> 3-5-12 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (opposite the Matsuya Ginza department
> store)
>
> tel: 03-5159-8200
>
> http://www.apple.com/jp/retail/ginza/map/index2.html
>
>
> --------------------------
>
> Takahiko iimura (flim/video/media artist)
>
>
> iimura has been a pioneer artist of Japanese experimental film and
> video, working in film since l960 and with video since 1970. He is
> also a widely established international artist, having numerous
> exhibitions in Japan, USA, and in Europe. One of his early films,
> "Onan", was awarded Special Prize at the legendary Brussels
> International Experimental Festival in l964. Recently he has been
> active with computer-based projects, publishing multimedia CD-ROMs/
> DVDs combining film, video, graphics, text, and animation.
>
>
> Haruyuki Suzuki (composer)
>
>
> In 2000, Suzuki was awarded Mainichi Film Competition Music Prize for
> his music for the film, "M/OTHER". He has been producing numerous
> musical events for more than 20 years. Also a critic, he often writes
> about music, fine art and film, and he enages in collaborative work
> in the  theatre, fine art and video.
>
>
> Masayuki Kawai (video artist/organizer):
>
>
> "Masayuki Kawai is one of Japan's most exciting video artists" (David
> Elliott). His video-oriented work has a worldwide reputation, and his
> video pieces have been screened in over 25 countries, winning
> numerous nominations and prizes. Kawai's work is now included in many
> collections. Kawai lives and works in New York and Tokyo, and has
> been trying to establish a new cultural scene based around the
> concept of "visual philosophy".
>
>
> --------------------------
>
> organizer: REF lab.
>
> web: www.ref-lab.com
>
> contact: info at ref-lab.com
>
> collaboration: Taka Iimura, Harvest Firm Inc.