JOURNALS

As I write this journal, I would like to express my gratitude for all the encounters created by Cultex. Not only encounters between people but encounters between the various pieces, between the places and the spaces, and between cultures - I am grateful for all of these.

 I have had the pleasure before to take part in a number of international exhibitions. Exhibits for many of those exhibitions were selected from works that had already been released and these were then exhibited. The artists involved were exhibiting works that had already received some acclaim and so they did not sense any particular anxiety or stress. This meant that we felt quite comfortable taking part in the exhibition. But this also meant that any sense of achievement or encouragement was also within the realms of our expectations.

The Cultex project paired together artists from different and unfamiliar countries; work on the collaboration pieces started with an exchange of emails. As I am not able to operate in any language other than Japanese I found it very stressful trying to build mutual understanding with the artists from other countries. However, I came to realise that even without a common language humans can use their hands, body movements, head movements to express thoughts and feelings, getting across all kinds of things on their minds.
I was delighted to be paired with Gabriella. I have written about this in my previous journals, but the reason was that I felt we had much common ground on so many different matters.  In our case, we were able to maintain a comfortable distance but still face up to any difficulties or anxieties, and this enabled us to arrive at the “form” we have now which is the best so far. 
Six short months after our first meeting and visiting each other's countries, the time came for the exhibition at Galleri F 15. All of the artists had gathered to install their works, and it was a fascinating week. Despite the congenial atmosphere with the Cultex and Galleri F 15 staff, my mind was sharpened as I focussed on the pieces, I thoroughly enjoyed the time there as the project all came together. I can still remember everything clearly even though I am back in Japan.

Division - 2009 - RW　(Outdoor piece)
This place was the first thing I saw when I looked down from the Galleri F 15 room and then I went outside. Beyond the open space was a white bench. The weather was beautiful and in the distance I could see the sea. I remember standing there and feeling almost as if my mind and body were being set free; a feeling of lightness and refreshment. By using red and white, the colours that are traditionally used in Japan for celebrations such as weddings, New Year’s Day or festivals, in my own way I created a place of "lightness".

Division - 2009 - W　(Interior, collaboration)
This is the collaboration piece that I made with Gabriella. Our pieces maintained a certain distance, but even though they were separate, each was supported by the presence of the other each other.  I am sure that this installation had been arranged perfectly, but I added some further touches:

• The first adjustment that I made was to assign my piece the role of being the introduction to the Cultex exhibition. The entrance to the gallery where it was displayed is the entrance to the exhibition so Gallery-comers have to go into my piece; they cannot go on to the next gallery without viewing both mine and Gabriella's pieces. 
• When Gabriella came to Japan, she said she was surprised at Japanese people bowing. To the Japanese, this is a gesture we make without thinking (a way of greeting or showing politeness) but it is not a movement that European or American people are so familiar with. Bearing this in mind, I arranged my piece in such a way that everyone had to bow to enter it. This set up was not something that anyone from adults to children could pass through. It happens that Gabriella is about the same height as myself. I set it up in such a way that only people about our height can pass through. People who fit the height conditions have to bow a number of times inside the installation even though they are not accustomed to bowing.
• I made a small room inside a room in Galleri F 15. It is so narrow it is more accurate to call it a corridor than a room. I deliberately made it so narrow that when people pass each other inside it, they have to be careful and make way for each other. It is made of thin, light nylon which moves gently with the movement of the people. If you walk even slightly quicker, the air begins to move in sympathy to your presence and movements, and the material begins to rub against itself making a gentle sound. The material's movements occur after you have walked past so you can't see it yourself. The piece works visually and then aurally, then, it seems to take a life of its own and wrap around you.
• This installation lacks a top. It would have been easy to create a ceiling for it but I decided against it. One reason was to allow natural light to flood in, but mainly I wanted to show the original decorations of the gallery ceiling. Otherwise I would have been covering up some fantastic decorations. In Japan we have the concept of "shakkake” (borrowed scenery). It is one of the traditions of Japanese gardens; by incorporating the mountains, sea or buildings surrounding the garden as part of the backdrop we can bring out more beauty than just that of the garden itself. This technique proved to be even more effective than I had anticipated. The concept of “borrowed scenery” was also used in the exterior piece.
• These are the four adjustments I made to the pieces. There is one more thing that, in retrospect, I can't say was an adjustment but it can say it was an important factor. That is the colour of the pieces. I wanted to make a link with the traditional Japanese wedding ceremony. In the past, people believed that marriage was not the joining of individuals but was a joining of two families. It is said that the pure white kimono was worn to show that the new bride would take on the colours of the new family's customs and way of doing things when she entered it. For my piece, I used white as it would allow people to appreciate the other pieces as well as showing purity. (Those are not the only reasons but when I visited to Galleri F 15 I decided intuitively to use white).

Finally, bringing together my art work, a Norwegian building, and the Norwegian natural environment, people and culture created a new artistic way of working. I felt that this was the epitome of the spirit of the Cultex project.