Sunday 16 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

「草刈り＆BBQ」「Weeding & BBQ」

今日は草刈りの日。村の人達のお手伝いで鍋立山の草刈りをした。私たちの仕事は、村の人達が切った木を邪魔にならない場所に移動させる作業。前回の草刈りと同じ要領だ。雨が心配されたが、なんとかもってくれた。１時間半ほど作業して、その後ゆずるさんと一緒に鍋立山に登った。舗装されていない山道の道幅は５０センチくらい。しかも片側は崖だ。このところ雨が振ったりやんだりの天気が続いていたので、ぬかるんだ道をヒヤヒヤしながら登った。頂上は６畳ほどのスペース。天気が悪かったので残念ながら景色を遠くまで見ることができなかった。晴れれば日本海も見えるそうだ。

草刈りの後、BBQの用意のお手伝いをした。茄子を切っていると茄子作りの定男さん（東京に茄子を出荷されてます）が「もぎたての茄子は生で食べれるんだよ」と言うので口に入れてみた。「おいしい〜」噛むと甘い。もぎたての茄子を少しの間水に浸けてアクぬきする。これだけでおいしい生茄子の出来上がり。こんな新鮮な野菜をいつでも口にしている峠の人達が健康なのは当然だと思った。

１２時から、草刈りメンバー約３０人が集まりBBQスタート。今まで見たことがない特大サイズの鉄板で肉を焼く。皆、だんだん酔っぱらってくると、いつもより更に気さくに話しかけてくれる。「あいこさーん」と同時に２人、３人と声がかかるのでアタフタした。しかし、いろんな方から、たくさんのお話を聞かせてもらって、村のことを更に知ることができてよかった。村の人達は皆本当にいい人ばかりだ。この村に来て本当に良かったと毎日のように思っている。

会も終わりに近づき、アーティスト達は「ムーンリバー」を歌った。この曲は夜９時に鳴ると峠村に響き渡る。しかし村の皆さんは「これ何の曲？」と聞いてきた。「この曲、毎日流れてるじゃないですか」と言うと、「え〜知らんかった」という返事。何十年も住んでるのに・・・とかなりビックリしてしまった。

お返しに、村の皆さんは「甚句」を歌ってくださった。私はこの甚句（越後地方に伝わる民謡）が好きで、ついつい口ずさんでしまう。今回はゆずるさんが歌っている時に、一緒に歌っていたら「なんであんたこの歌知ってるの？」とびっくりされた。覚えやすいし本当にいい歌なので、ベンのCDが出来たらぜひ聞いてください（HPを覗いてもらっても聞くことが可能です）

夕方は、しげまささんのお家に「峠CD」収録でベンと一緒に伺った。収録が終わり、奥さんのみよしさんも一緒に４人でおしゃべりをした。しげまささんは昔、峠村の野球チーム「スカイラーク」に所属していたと教えてくれた。もうかれこれ５０年前のこと。当時の対戦チームは、まつだい役場のチームやJAのチームだったそうだ。グラウンドはまつだい役場の周辺にあり、１台の耕運機に何人もが乗り込み、ワイワイと話しながら１時間かけてグラウンドへ向かったそうだ。女性陣はお弁当を作り、野球チームに参加しない男性陣は太鼓を鳴らしてエールを送った。しげまささんは当時は本当に楽しかったとおっしゃっていた。この話を聞いて、私の頭の中に、若者が多く今よりもっと活気があった頃の峠村のイメージが浮かんだ。今、峠村は過疎問題を抱えている。私はここに住んでまだ２週間弱だが、もしこの村がなくなってしまったら悲しいなあと思った。

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/bbqweeding_bbq.html on 16/07/06 at 18:44 0 Comments

Thursday 13 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

「休息日」「Break time」

連日皆忙しいので、今日の仕事はそこそこにして、夜は皆で御飯を食べに行こうということになった。

朝は、散歩をした。棚田の真ん中に通っている道を歩く。すると私たちが通る度にそこらへんで虫がジャンプして逃げる。カエルやバッタ、蝶々にトンポ、カナブンなど量が半端じゃない。峠村に自然があふれている証拠だ。それからジェイミーと一緒にドライブへ出掛けた。湯の島→浦田と車で細い道を行く。浦田は２年半前の地震の被害のひどい所で、崩れた家や道、ダメになってしまった田んぼがまだ残っている。

１２時頃に帰って、しばらくのんびりしてからトメさんの所へジェイミーと一緒にお伺いした。昨日、粘土の花の写真を撮らしていただいたのだが、ジェイミーに何も説明してなかったので、写真に写っているのは本物の花だと思っていたらしい。なので粘土の花を見てかなりびっくりしていた。

話は変わるが、私たちは、峠のお米のブランドを作ろうじゃないかと計画中である。テスト販売として、２３日〜２９日にかけてのイベントで販売しようと計画中だ。水の綺麗な峠の棚田で村の人達が丹誠込めて作ったお米を、世界に向けて販売する計画。この間、区長さんとゆずるさんにお米を食べさせてもらったが、真っ白でふっくらして本当においしかった。なので、もし２９日、３０日と東京・池袋のイベントを見てくださる方がいらっしゃれば、ぜひお米を買って食べてみてもらいたい。本当においしいから。

今日は皆で松之山温泉へ行ってきた。松之山温泉は、開湯８００年の歴史があり、日本三大薬湯のひとつだ。私の道案内のせいで、細いぐねぐね道を時間をかけて車でいくことになった。途中、地震の影響だろうと思うのだが「全面通行止」という看板があり、「この道を戻らなければならないのか」とビビったが迂回路があって助かった。後で知ったのだが、もっと簡単に来れる道があった。皆さんごめんなさい。

やっと、温泉についたのに今度はなんと「松之山温泉・鷹の湯」が第２木曜でお休みとのこと。折角来たのに・・・ということでコンビニで「どこかに温泉ありませんか？」と聞くと「旅館が空いてたら入れてくれるから聞いてみな」と言われた。なので、コンビニの前にある「ひなの宿・千歳」で聞くと「どうぞどうぞ」と入れてくれることになった。１階は内湯と露天があり、2階は広い露天になっている。「今の時間は男性の方が露天に入れます」とのこと。男性陣はワイワイと楽しかったようだ。この温泉は９２℃の源泉垂れ流しで山水で温度を調節している。しかしかなり熱かった。なめるとしょっぱい。色といい、なんだか効きそうなお風呂だ。温泉を出て、皆で散歩してるとバーナビーがあるポスターを見つけた。それはおっぱいの絵が描いてあるポスターだった。「なんて書いてあるの？これどういう意味？」と聞かれたが「おっぱい風呂オープン！」と書いてあるだけなので、なんのことがさっぱり分からない。「分からないよ」と言うと不満そうだし、私も気になるので「白川屋」という旅館に入り、聞いてみると「んじゃ目で確かめたらいいよ」と言われ、皆でぞろぞろお風呂に行くと、豊満なおっぱい型の置物の乳首からお湯がピューッと出ているお風呂だった。バーナビーは混浴を期待していたようで、ちょっとガッカリしたようだった。松之山温泉はお湯もいい上に、ギャグも飛ばす宿もあってなかなかいい場所だと思った。純子さんが「松之山温泉に入った後はね、すごく眠くなるんだよ」と言っていた効果が現れて、皆「眠い」と言っていた。松之山温泉の説明にも「温泉に浸かっている時よりも、出てからの方が効果があります」という意味はそういうことだったのだ。

その後皆でカラオケに行って帰った。休息日ということだったが結局夜遅くなってしまった・・・。

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/break_time.html on 13/07/06 at 18:41 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

「米絵」「Rice paint」

今日は、ベンと一緒にまさみさん・トメさん夫妻の所にお邪魔した。

まさみさんご夫婦は３年ほど前まで建具屋さんで生活を営んでいた。今は年金暮らしをされているそうだ。今日お伺いしたのは、トメさんにお米入りのモミで絵を描いてもらう為。前回お伺いした時に「製作している所を、ビデオと写真にぜひ撮らせてほしい」とお願いしたら快く引き受けてくださった。

トメさんはモミ（お米が中に入っている状態）を色紙の上に並べて貼付け、家紋などを描く。今回私たちには「寿」という文字を作っていただくことになった。まず、寿の型紙を色紙の上に置き、上から型通りに錐で点々と印をつけていく。型紙を取り、外側からモミを並べていく。これがかなり根気のいる作業で、まずモミのチョロンと出てるヒゲをハサミで切っていかなくてはならない。そして爪楊枝でボンド１センチずつ色紙に塗り、そしてピンセットでモミを挟んで並べていく。もちろんモミにはサイズが色々とあるので、その都度サイズにあったモミを選ぶ。モミのサイズがない場合は、モミをハサミで丁度いい大きさに切る。トメさんは「本当は１週間くらいかけて、のんびりとするんだけど、お待たせしたら悪いからなんとか２日で仕上げるように頑張る」と言ってくださった。あまりの細かい作業を目の前で見て、お願いしたことがとても申し訳なかったように思えてきた。

あまり話しかけると邪魔になってしまうので、ご主人のまさみさんとお茶を飲みながらお話をした。実はまさみさんにもベンが「峠に置く無人ショップの看板を板に彫ってほしい」とお願いした。「よしわかった」とまさみさんも快く引き受けてくださった。長々とお邪魔して、また明日お伺いすることになった。トメさんは根つめてずっとモミを並べる作業をされていた。私たちがべらべら喋って邪魔になったんではなかろうか。すいませんでした。

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/rice_paint.html on 12/07/06 at 18:33 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Nature, it's all over the place

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/nature_its_all__1.html on 12/07/06 at 07:18 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Guitar situations

We are joined at dinner by what I thought was one of the workmen from the building site but turns out to be Siaoko the painter doing the screen upstairs. I am disappointed - for one I liked the idea of a cross gender workforce and I liked the idea of one of the builders inviting themselves for dinner. Barnaby and Marcus are transfixed, but everyone else (without amourous intent) immediately thinks she is a self-centred control freak. Bear in mind she spoke no English, how do we make judgments so easily about people? I guess we will see who is right as time goes by.



Another trip to Tokamachi for shopping and email, produced a 7 Samurai film moment when Ben and Barnaby delightedly told me they had bought guitars and amps – like the moment when Mifume shows off the Samurai armour – to be greeted with disgust. I got over it but I was worried about how much time might evaporate into strumming not to mention the irritation of endless guitar noise. We can anyway perform for the village on the 22nd when we will do an open day. The village want to have a food exchange and a party. Everyone is hard at it getting people involved.

An old guy in a great tartan hat comes by the house and makes a great grass hopper out of grass. It’s dumb conceptualism only this time it’s great, what a fantastic party trick for young children, although Marcus thinks it takes to long to make and woul’nt hold a young persons attention.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/guitar_situatio.html on 12/07/06 at 06:57 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Good Crop Bad Crop

We all walk up the hill and sit looking out over this remarkable landscape, the 100’s of years of human endeavour that created it. For some reason we start talking about art and more specifically bad art we have known and loved, some of the old classics get rolled out, Brain Catlin, Franko B, the dumb conceptualist movement of rural Britain, some of our favorite works from college. The bronze cast baby on board sign above with a board with a baby doll nailed to it. Peter Weible sticking tongue into wet cement and losing tip of tongue when the cement set, the upshot being that he has spoken with a pronounced lisp for the past 40 years. Holding a dead lamb and pouring ink into the eye, in a homage to Brain Catlin but knowing that Brian used child friendly ink and being blinded for 2 weeks. Finally young carefree and happy Barnaby interjects ‘Why do we always end up talking about bad art?’ Ben responds ‘because it’s fun, and good comes from the bad’. Which I am sure he doesn't mean as we all know there is no good and bad anymore, that was always where problem lay, making judgments, constructing fictional and spurious hierarchies.

So we sit around and make up some - as shit as possible land art projects that we fear may well in fact have been done for this beautiful place and kinda moving place.

Different coloured water in each of the rice fields

The words wacked, bastered, bar, having a, etc in giant letters

Pickett fences round the fields

Hundreds of wind socks in different colours

Cross hatched paddies – rods in different directions

The big eye paddy

Leaping salmon etc ..

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/good_crop_bad_c.html on 12/07/06 at 06:20 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Trouble in paradise

A brief visit to the Snow centre trying to sort out Barnaby’s web project brings on another discussion, again about the point of making art of this nature as a part of regeneration, but this is a little more about what we are trying to do. The questions are over who it is this really for, what value does it have. The nature of the apparent altruism of making art and the altruism of socially engaged practice. In the end are these strategies for the person with the impulse to be an artist to find a way to do that - in basically a traditional way, i.e. I am the artist, I am important, look at me, that I am working with you just underlines how much an artist I am able to offer the creative input to you because I am utterly confident in my ‘I am an artist’ world. The problems of this area - Tsumari - are so complex that in a way the only thing an outside influence can offer is a demonstration of an alternative, the opportunity to suggest that the community can take control of it’s own future, rather than letting random factions (like art triennales or economic initiatives) haphazardly influence the future. Really just a simple and old art message that has motivated artists since way back and the principle message of the Seven Samurai film.

I visit Junko’s studio/school house (the plastic bag flower maker) and come away angry that she is in this position - albeit self generated, but in many ways the product of the harsh climate of the art world. She is putting herself through hell, she seems near to collapse, she doubts what she is doing. I have to say I doubt it to, I am sure she could be doing something more useful and fulfilling, the art formulae of making an installation drawn from the community but requiring a massive work load from them to realize it. It’s a bit like the Anthony Gormley version of engaged art, getting ‘local’ people to undertake some slavish labour which ultimately only reflects the very narrow interest of the artist.. If the project is about waste it is effective I feel angry about the waste of valuable resources – peoples time and energy - Junko’s time and energy. But mainly I am angry about the ludicrous and unconscious art construct that promotes this kind of approach, trapping people in absurd activity and ambition - waste.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/trouble_in_para.html on 12/07/06 at 04:20 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

How many cucumbers might it take to kill yourself? by Ben Sadler juneau/projects

How many cucumbers might it take to kill yourself? We may soon find out. The croaking of frogs is our book at bedtime, sounding more and more like Richard Clayderman each night. Somewhere along the line perhaps ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ got mistranslated and then forgotten about. The road here is near-perfect for tin bath karting.

Enthusiasm is the key that unlocks the sliding door. Watch your slippers boy, your heels are dragging like a dog with worms.

A man appears and turns a blade of grass into a grasshopper. With a flash of embossed business cards he is gone. In awe we talk quietly of David Carradine, forgetting where we are. Minutes or hours later you may wonder if somehow he origamied your brain also, folding it tighter and tighter until all it can do is flap like a crane with a broken wing.

The cucumbers return in new costumes of vinegar and mayonnaise, their subtle poison bears a salty garb. Our new friends keep bringing them for us. What began as a gesture of kindness now turns sinister: the keener eye notices the spikes of the skin.

My feet work backwards. The hole in my arm proves it. I dream of flies sucking off the scab. Thank Buddha for Savlon.

Messages filter back that we are lazy. Tomorrow we must become the house of the rising sun. We misjudge it and wake the village with our morning salutations. A policeman arrives and sticks up two fingers. “Fuck you smiley man”.

Golden liquid flows like water from a mountainside, turning your mind to a blank pit of inanities and misjudged sentiment. There is only one way out for it. I wake with a vague memory of vomiting on my face.

D.I.Y. is a balm. The struggle for a right angle takes the mind to other places.

We have enough Apple Macs to land an entire continent on the moon. Soon we will figure out how to work the rice maker.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/how_many_cucumb.html on 12/07/06 at 03:57 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Tool me up

Tokamachi offers the best hardware shop ever and everyone gets excited about bloke’s stuff. It’s interesting to see how cheap tools are, materials too, an electric jigsaw is £4. Maybe manual labour is not so highly valued if these symbols of the art are so cheap. Where are the gold chains and monster cars of the practicioners, the monster bills and equipment bling. The builders seem hard working and polite. Barnaby and Marcus buy some builders clothes, big flares and cloven shoes, a least the shoes make reference to the true nature of the builder.

We are having a meeting in the evening with the Toge village leader and get back to the house to prepare and explain in detail to Aiko (so she can translate) what in the hell we are all doing. It’s a good discussion and I regret not recording it. All the best conversations happen when recording is not possible or appropriate. We do record the discussion with the Village leader but it is stilted and difficult, translation breaking up the train of thought. The meeting seems to go well and we are encouraged to get on with it. The evening continues into drinking and food and lots of people turn up and start cooking, Junko, the artist from upstairs – Saiako - and a documentary photographer, it’s a fun evening although conversation is a bit difficult and there is a bad moment when we all laugh hysterically at Barnarby, difficult for the Japanese as the joke is untranslatable (basically just laughing at Barnaby), and I sense and I worry they think we are laughing about them, which I guess if we were cruel we might be.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/tool_me_up.html on 12/07/06 at 03:50 0 Comments

Wednesday 12 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Early days

Monday arrives with the builders early start, but of course they are really quiet, a gentle shuffling, still, enough to get everyone up. Actually I had been awake for some time. The village public address system plays music at key points in the day, I guess to remind people of the time, so I was awake for the 6am call, an electronic rendition of Iaki Tombo a traditional Japanes folk song (or so Baranaby says). Junko – a Japanese artists also working in the village – comes by and helps get breakfast underway, she speaks good English having studied at Hunter College in NYC. She has been working in the village for some time ( I met her on my previous trip 3 months earlier). She has got to know everyone. She lives in the closed down school and has no shower or loo - quiet hard! She has been asked by Art Front to help us. I think we should help her too, she is planning to make thousands of flowers out of plastic waste from the village and to fill the school with an installation. There are a number of projects of this nature happening in the villages.

We all head out in the car to see the famous view that the photographers come for, it’s misty and we can’t see so much but everyone is impressed. There is a photographer there during our visit, we try to talk to him but he’s on his mobile. Later on we head into Matsudai to do some email in the car park of the Town hall - there is a wireless connection – and then on to the Snow centre and a brief drive round some of the sculptures. This provokes a discussion about the value of this traditional kind of land art and the artist in regeneration - how embarrassing it is to be associated with art and whether the Triennale programme is ruining the place it is supposed to be regenerating. We stop for lunch at a famous soba resturant and sit outside enjoying the food and the sight of ancient farmers going by. I feel a bit guilty seeing such old people working while we sit and watch.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/early_days.html on 12/07/06 at 03:29 0 Comments

Tuesday 4 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

村の委員の方々に初対面　「We met village people」

区長さんが「今夜は村の委員の人達が集まるから、会合が終わる頃にもう一度プレゼンをお願い」と言ってくださった。そこで８時半頃、峠村の公民館「きゃっしい会館」に皆で向かった。最初、村の人達が難しい顔をしてたので、通訳するのにかなり緊張してしまった。しかし皆お酒を飲みだすと、気さくに話しかけてくださるようになって一安心。ベンのプロジェクトは峠村のCDを作ること。打ち解けてきたかな〜というところで早速「すいません、歌の得意な方はいらっしゃいますか？」と聞いてみた。するとまわりから「ゆずるさん、ゆずるさん！」と声が上がったので、ここは押せ押せで「じゃあ皆さんの推薦なのでお願いします！」とお願いした。更に「どんな歌か、今聞かせてほしい！」とお願いした。「じゃあ・・・」ということで、峠村の盆踊りが始まる前に歌う「甚句」という、昔から越後地方に伝わる民謡を歌ってもらうことになった。越後地方での民謡といっても、村によって歌がちょっとずつ違うということだ。この甚句は村で歌い継がれている詞で唄うこともあれば、即興で詩を考え唄ったりもするそうだ。ゆずるさんは「俺たちは即興で作るのはなかなか難しくって出来ないけれど、昔の人は上手に歌詞を作ったもんだよ」と教えてくれた。そしてゆずるさんが歌い始めて、まわりの人達の合いの手も入る。すごくいい歌だ。この歌を聞いて沖縄民謡を思いだした。メロディも歌詞も全然違うけれど昔から歌い継がれている地元の唄だからか、人々の温かい感じが唄から感じられる。そういう所が沖縄民謡と共通している。この歌は今では歌える人の数が減っているそうだ。峠村のCDができて、この歌を聴いてくれる人が増えればいいなと思った。

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/we_met_village_.html on 04/07/06 at 11:52 0 Comments

Sunday 2 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

「村の生活スタート」「started toge life」

新潟県のまつだい駅の改札を出ると徒歩３分の場所に、大地の芸術祭の事務所「農舞台」がある。ここでグライスディールアートの芸術家達と合流。アダム・バーナビー・マーカス・ベン、そして私の主人のジェイミー、芸術家達は感じのいい人達ばかりで安心した。

アートフロントの人達に峠村の宿泊先の家まで車で連れて行ってもらった。山奥と聞いていたのでジャングルのような所を想像していたが、３１軒の家が建ち並ぶ集落だったので安心した。今、お借りしている家はリフォームの真っ最中で２階は芸術家（小沢サン）が作業をしている。更に庭では芸術家（吉井サン）がこの家の庭を造るという。今回の大地の芸術祭は「空き屋プロジェクト」なので皆が家をリフォームしながら自分のアートを表現していく。どんな家に変わって行くのかとっても楽しみだ。

アートフロントの奥野サンに案内してもらってレンタカーを借りた。ここは車がないと行動するのは難しい。その後ジャスコへ買い出しへ。

皆、時差ぼけで疲れている為、夕飯後すぐにベットへ。まだまだ何にも理解してない私・・・これからの１ヶ月間楽しく過ごせることを祈ります。

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/started_toge_li.html on 02/07/06 at 11:43 0 Comments

Sunday 2 July '06
(from Seven Samurai)

This time it’s for real

The Seven Samurai project starts, Marcus Coates, Ben Sadler (half of juneau/projects, Barnaby Hosking, Jamie Goodenough, Adam Sutherland are the first wave flying out of Heathrow for a month in the village of Toge deep in the Tsumari Highlands of Japan and within the scope of the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale – a regeneration led art invasion.

Japan arrival from a packed BA flight, not too bad, some shit movies, but as with most things Japan related very quiet

Met on arrival rather surprisingly by Kumagai (an Art Front employee – Art Front organize the Triennale) in a mini bus, and driven to Matsudai, the Triennale central base and then on to Toge. The house we will be staying in for a month looked pretty bleak and as always with Japan there was the usual surprise - the builders would be working around us for the full duration of our stay. I was pretty pissed off. All the work seemed to be to house one artist installation while downstairs 7 people try to squeeze into 4 small rooms. Of course the upstairs artist is adamant that we cant use the upstairs at all, we look at her work and wonder what the stress is about, some decorative screens. It makes you wonder, how seriously can you take all this nonsense. In this context who is it actually for? Maybe just the artist. Art Front seem so stressed out that they cant deal with anything, they seem to be trying to run an international Triennale with no staff and no money - confusion reigns. Kondo the international artists project manager apparently has just lost it all together, just massively overworked I would think - he has to manage 150 international projects, none of them that easy, everyone would be needing reassurance, like us. It makes me think about what it’s like for an artist to arrive at Grizedale, about the feeling that someone actually wants you to be there. I imagine we don't do a good job of giving people that reassurence, however I suspect we do a rather better job than Art Front. We get a very strong feeling that we are not wanted or valued, no one knows anything about us or what we are doing. I am sure that is all because they are too overworked, every person just becomes another potential demand monkey that they will be unable to satisfy however hard they try. The end result of all this is that they have become a demoralized group, who seem utterly joyless about what they are doing, leaving you wondering again what in the hell the point of it all is.

The Grizedale group are jet lagged but in good spirit, Marcus being particularly positive and we get on with cleaning up and getting ourselves organized. Jamie, Aiko and I go off to Tokamachi to pick up a car, which seems to have been pre booked and that Art Front seem to be paying for, which is a nice surprise (it was another thing I had asked about several times and just thought would have been forgotten about along with all the other questions). We then go by Jusco - the massive and fantastic supermarket to pick up some food and an instant dinner, by the time we get back Marcus, Baranby and Ben have finished sorting out the rooms and are all asleep. Everyone is delighted with dinner despite the fact that it’s just ready pre-prepared supermarket fodder, but it is good, sushi and tempura, pickles, yakatori, a steady stream of Sapporo.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/07/this_time_its_f.html on 02/07/06 at 01:20 0 Comments

Wednesday 10 May '06
(from Seven Samurai)

It's Wim Wim situation

Super Deluxe

Our first visit Super Deluxe is on Pecha Kucha night http://www.pecha-kucha.org/ an evening where anyone can present 30 slides of their work, limited to 20 seconds per slide, the presentations are pretty dam interesting, a man who demonstrates a drawing machine, a group of Japanese students that have taken up farming and think it's the funniest thing on earth and a number of more architecture centred presentations – Super deluxe is after all run by an architects office. During one of the presentations a eco conference was mentioned, at which the delegates on arrival had to plant 2,000 trees which in 35 years would negate the impact of thier travel to the conference, youch, 2000 trees, 35 years for a few people to say the same stuff they've been saying for years and maybe a couple of illicit shags. Surley this sort of thing can be done via the web (omit shagging), much as they all love that knee to knee thing. It does make me think about our project and its environmental impact 10 artists flown half way round the world and back.

A second visit is more practical to discuss the Grizedale presentation on the 27th July. Maybe we will also do a presentation on the 26th another Pecha Kucha night. Mike the programme manager is a fund of interesting information and enthusiasm, the club is well set up to do most any AV presentation, it all looks easy, let the happening commence.

Every major city should have a Johnny Walker, in New York it’s Jackie McAllister, in Dublin Queveen, someone who is the social centre of the art world, who knows too much about everyone. Johnny is a larger than life self professed screaming queen, with a line in name dropping that is almost Teurrets like, sometimes a story will just peter out, all the relevant names have been dropped and the punch line was never the point anyway. Johnny is of course utterly charming or as a rather flowery friend of mine might have said, ‘oh no no, Johnny’s not utterly charming he’s utterly, utterly charming’.

We have charmingly been invited to attend a dinner to welcome Wim Wenders and the opening of his photo project (a tribute to Japanese filmmaker Ozu) in Otomosando Hills (another footballers wives temple to the god of handbags and Eva Longoria hips). Another consumer driven development by Mighty Mori (Marriko’s uncle and Tokyo’s richest man). The dinner is held in a Jean Nouvelle building on the 47th floor, it’s a rather horrifying lift experience leading to a beautiful view from a room filled with maybe not so much beauty but a lot of naked ambition and career seeking missiles. We have a lot of fun talking, talking.

The last day of the trip and I fuck up my dates getting a meeting down on the wrong day, so on returning to the hotel I am handed a message from the desk and realize I’ve left Jamie (web designer) sitting waiting for me. Jamie has traveled in from some distance, he is remarkably good natured about it but I feel like shit about it, I had got through all the complications and convolutions of the tour only to be pole axed on the last day.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/05/its_wim_wim_sit.html on 10/05/06 at 08:43 0 Comments

Wednesday 10 May '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Tokyo take two

Ikebana - A giant among flowers

Passing an Ikebana school Alistair notices they offer English instruction at 1.30 and suggests I might like to do it. I dutifully present myself at the rather tiny desk for enrolment to be met with near hysteria, which is a little off putting but having started the process there is clearly no way out, despite my protestations that if it isn’t appropriate for men etc. I am eventually ushered to the back of a classroom filled with tiny tables and chairs and tiny delicate women artfully arranging tiny delicate flowers. The principles of Ikebana turn out to be much like the principles of English landscape painting of the 18th century, subject, object, fill and asymetry, all groups in odd numbers, 3,5,7, easy! There is a simple system for getting proportions right, 2 x diameter + 2 x height of vessel = height of subject, 1/3 height of subject = height of object. Painting with flowers. My efforts do look a bit like Frankenstein’s monster arranging a posy and I do slightly feel like I have ruined everyone else’s afternoon, silence reigns, I ‘ve made everyone self conscious and I am utterly ignored, like the my friend who once waited in the Antiques Roadshow valuation que with a standard plastic garden chair for 2 hours.

A revisit to Lord Geordie’s bar in darkest Kuwengi finds John on great form, we are hoping that he will perform the part of Rambo in Nathaniel Mellors performance ‘First Blood’, John seems keen he certainly has the presence for the part. The bar itself is surrounded by Americans of various sizes whilst the rest of the bar is entirely filled with Japanese women all desperate for John’s attention and food/cooking gifts. John manages to run a kitchen that dispenses food as special favours there is no asking for specific food, food appears as and when, Spanish in style and always excellent. My kind of bar, no decisions, if only all restaurants were so reliable. John maintains a entertaining banter with all and sundry, always walking the tightrope of decency and the individuals standards of acceptablity, we see another side of Japan. John calls apparently respectable women, dirty old slappers, and asks them who they are gonna shag tonight, the answer is invariably, laughingly ‘you’ he talks about their past boyfriends suggesting they have spent a lifetime under fat sweaty Americans. There is a lot of sex banter, the Americans – David – a charming and funny first horn in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra seems to have a special relationship with a number of women in the building and describes many more. We hope he might provide a horn section for the performance in Ikebukuro.

The photo is of John and his baby girl Rosa.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/05/tokyo_take_two.html on 10/05/06 at 08:14 0 Comments

Wednesday 10 May '06
(from Seven Samurai)

Today Toge

Toge is a scattered village of 31 houses set on the upper reaches of a mountain, there is the quality of a Swiss mountain village about it.

Our first visit of the day coincides with the visit from the Buddhist priest, we quietly wait while the ceremony is completed, some intonation of various texts, the local popular form of Buddhism is very much centred around the household - not Zen like attainment of higher planes of existence, a much more workable down to earth form. All the houses have shrines dedicated to the ancestors, whole rooms dedicated to them, normally you would pay your respects to the ancestors on arrival, it’s not an option we are offered.

Our 2nd visit is to the village headman, he who had spoken so extensively at the meeting. He explains the complexities of village life and the power struggle between the two factions in the village, the old and the older. We discuss at length agricultural conditions, very similar to the UK, a once rich farming tradition reduced to the single cash crop (rice). There is less of an expectation of impending doom, many ideas for new approaches and ways forward an enthusiasm for enterprise. We discuss tourism, principally the photographers, the desire to generate an income from the visitors. The headman complains that they have reached saturation with the cars, up to 50 in a day driving through the village, mmm they’ve got a shock in store if tourism really picks up, our local anti car village has recorded 2,000 cars in a single day winding through similarly small roads. We are looking for a way in through some kind of creative activity so we quiz fairly extensively about winter activities and despite denial of and creativity slowly a body of crafts activitiy eventually start to emerge, there is ink painting, straw plating, golden rice arrangements, paper folded constructions, Ikebana, screen making and photography - pretty good going for a village of only 31 houses. Additionally there are flower gardeners, a hunter, a general interest in wild food particularly spring mountain vegetables and mushrooms, a few people that fish, footpath clearing group and of course skiing (cross country) and a keen enthusiasm for Kareoke with several machines in the village and regular village hall nights, although these have apparently died away recently..

We smoke a good deal.



The Hardware store in Tokamachi (nearest bigger town) is a wonderous spectacle, there is a chainsaw testing area, a trough of earth to get a feel of your prospective plough, and as many bits and bobs as your eyes can stand to see.



On this evening we find the fabled Matsudai art bar, run by a former art front employee, it is an art bar, cluttered with odd and lightly humourous items, a Kermit puppet, a snakeskin banjo, a whiskey collection collected by the owner on her tour through Scotland.

Later on Kondo arrives and talks about being polite, the Japanese royal family and a conspiracy theory where the historic records of a 100 year period have been suppressed and the royal family’s rice farm inside the Imperial palace where they are obliged for the good of the agragrian nation to farm a ceremonial rice paddy.

There is evidently some considerable concern around how polite the artists will be and me I suspect. The importance of a big hello is repeatedly impressed upon me, ‘konichi wa’ and a big bow, evidently my diffident style of politeness is not appreciated – what is required is more of a Yorkshire thing, bellowing bonhomie. The other big hurdle with politeness is the custom for audible food appreciation, slurping noisily is polite, appreciative, difficult for us to achieve after a life-time of censure.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/05/today_toge.html on 10/05/06 at 07:44 0 Comments

Saturday 6 May '06
(from Seven Samurai)

There's Snow Land Like..

Heading north to Tsumari and Toge AKA Snow land

The car is fitted with a chip that registers the road toll as you pass the barrier - very efficient, each time you pass a barrier the chip emits a tak tak – the real sound of one hand clapping

As we pass through the 11km tunnel through the mountains that divide north from south we move from sunny spring to frozen winter, the coolness is a relief.

I am completely shocked by Tsumari, the snow - which is melting - but still piled up 4 metres deep has destroyed the place, it’s like an annual earthquake, the trees are all broken up the sides of hills totally scalped. It seems almost impossible that in 3 months time this will all be a scene of verdant abundance. There is a pressing urgency to get rid of the snow and get the rice in the ground, it's a short season, the snow is already 2 weeks late. This really is a tough place and one wonders why the people still hang on under such conditions.

Toge village meeting

40 old people lined up on their knees (of the 31 houses in the village 28 turn out for the meeting), these are very tough people and outside of the translation I could smell the word joker hanging in the air. There were sharp questions, ‘how does he (me) know what you are translating is what he is saying’ mmm. I suggested that we might help in some way - they suggested weeding amid much laughter, sounds ok weeding rice fields in 40 degrees hot rain from 6am till 6pm I am hoping the Samurai are up to it, like an endurance test if we fail we are lost.

One man explains that the photographers come to Toge and take pictures, the village get no money. Music to my ears the very subject we had been thinking we could help with. I know Art Front (the Triennale managers) are ambivalent about this idea, they are concerned about being confrontational to the tourists and they don't like the mention of money. Both aspects I think are levelers, the real subject, a measurable response, a real currency. The dialogue with the tourists should not be confrontational, once there is communication everyone is humanized and interested in each other. The idea of generating money for the village is certainly a straightforward attempt to give direct benefit, but it should be money generation that the village can easily maintain. Money is a great leveler, unattached to art, the village will be faced with the quandary of what to spend it on.

But these are very practical tough people existing in a tough environment, they remind me of Aberdeenshire farmers, no time for jokers, this is going to be hard.

The people in the village have some time in the winter, they don't make crafts much, as one villager later pointed out to me all the people who wanted to develop themselves have left. They do have afew traditional activities like rope and straw work, mostly farm related equipment. There is a lot of ‘well we used to do that’ lost activities, a sense of an end of a way of life, an impending doom, without inhabitants the village will be flatten by the winter snows within a few years (we see several flattened houses). In the 5 month winter and 12metres of snow they as they ‘laughing in the face of adversity’ say ‘Ski and shovel snow’.

After the meeting I walk through the one house frontier town looking for Alistair and Lisa, the click of my heels echoes down the street, it’s 9.30pm and there is no sign of life – a man in a poncho steps out from behind a house, there is a low whistle …. A single lit beacon leads me to a bar and the sound of a Scottish accent confirms the occupancy, the sole occupants. While we drink and chatter excitedly about the day I notice the barmaid is working on complex lace patterns which she studies in a book – it’s craft Spock. Lisa and Alistair have had a full evening bar side and when we leave the bill seems unfeasibly large, we click clack our way up the street, suddenly a car races up the street and pulls in sharply, the barmaid leaps out shouting ‘mitake, mitake, solly, solly’ and bowing she hands me back half the value of the bill. Lisa comments that you would’nt find that sort of service in Coniston and I regret thinking of Lisa and Alistair as dipsomaniacs.

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/05/heading_north_t.html on 06/05/06 at 09:47 0 Comments

Saturday 6 May '06
(from Seven Samurai)

'Judge baby I'm back'

After a slightly horrific flight from China it is a relief to arrive in Japan, an established well oiled organization with a 80’s vibe. The first meeting of the trip is a planning meeting for the Ikebukuro project, a site visit and a go through of the practicalities. Of course as often happens in Japan it is rather different than I had imagined, for one there are 12 people at the meeting, many of whom don't say anything, an impressive turnout for a Sunday morning. The meeting is long, going through various phases and this is only the preparation meeting for another meeting later in the week.

We visit a disused school that is to be the rehearsal space, it’s vast, the air conditioned rooms are recommended, reminding me of the extreme heat we are likely to experience in July. There is an unfeasibly large collection of unicycles which no one comments on as well as an 8ft straw owl in a case. The school had its own radio station and well equipped music rooms. The decline in population means that there are 6 schools in the area all closed and a need to find alternative use for the spaces. The school is currently used for adult ed and community use at the moment.

A new venue/square has been added to the programme replacing the previous dusty square, the new square is very designed, it has a beautiful cascading fountain at one end, and is planted with elegant trees, the two works planned for the square are a ‘opera’ piece where 2 brothers sing to one another, one a failure and one a success, and a work that dramatises in a formal manner the final scene from ‘First Blood’ the original Rambo film. The square is also the site of the hangings of the Japanese war criminals (sacrifices in Japan terms) and has a commemorative site that is clearly still well tended. This seems a little overcharged as a context but the only question asked is how best to remove the blood from the 1st Blood performance, and this is discussed in some detail. The issue of meaning and connections, though raised by me, does not seem to be of importance, the somewhat horrific nature of the work equally insignificant - Japanese theatre I am told is filled with gore (but no sex). During our visit to the square there is a demonstration against the purchase of organs from excecuted Chinese criminals, there are some very explicit images of roughly sewn together and presumably relativly empty people.

There is an active extreme right wing in Japan, they drive around at weekends in Kamikazee head bands standing on the roofs of crazy quasi army vehicles or white vans, shouting extreme right wing stuff through crazy megaphones, its performance art and no doubt especially as they are entirely ignored by the vast swathes of rabid shoppers. Could such a group be enticed to contribute to the performance in the square?

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/05/judge_baby_im_b.html on 06/05/06 at 09:27 0 Comments

Monday 6 February '06
(from Seven Samurai)

email with Marcus Coates

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2006/02/email_with_marc.html on 06/02/06 at 10:41 0 Comments

Thursday 24 November '05
(from Seven Samurai)

Other stuff by other people

Here are a few web sites that might be of interest and give an alternative view from my own narrow perspective.

A what’s on guide to Tokyo


http://club.nokia.co.jp/tokyoq/

Echigo-Tsunari Triennale site


http://www.echigo-tsumari.jp/eng/index.html

Tokyo art/night club, ‘ok people once in while’


http://www.super-deluxe.com

Rodger MacDonald’s blog - curator, co-director AIT, man about town and brother of Peter (London painter)


http://rogermc.blogs.com/tactical/

American curator/English teacher

http://www.sugarboots.com/notebook/index.php?id=328

Originally posted at adamsutherland.typepad.com/grizedale_arts/2005/11/other_stuff_by_.html on 24/11/05 at 08:24 0 Comments