<essays> Chisai in 2024 (3)

Long time no see! Chisai went to Berlin in June. Why? Have some delicious coffee and cookies at hand and read her essay!

In May, I bought air ticket to Berlin. Actually, I couldn't buy such a large amount of money (?) with my credit card! Anyway, I could get air ticket to Berlin!!

Going to Berlin —- I had two purposes. One is introducing the Berlin calligrapher Juju Kurihara to The Nature of Cities (TNOC). Another one is speaking about Osamu Kokufu's video work "NPV".

Juju is one of my old friends. I met her when we were in the “geography research club” in the university. We went to islands and depopulated areas in Japan and researched there together. And we got on the same train after the activity. Her father had lots of films and she also likes art movies. She recommended it, so I could see many “Juju favorite” movies, like “Bagdad Cafe”. And we love one senior friend, Ukyo. We often talked friendly. Our friendship continued even after we graduated. But Ukyo died of cancer before she turned 30. Then Juju and I lost touch. After ten years later, one day, Juju sent a message from Facebook, and we kept in touch again. She became a calligrapher in Berlin. Last year, my friend Mr. P asked me, “do you know any artists in Berlin?” — I replied immediately, “Juju”. 

Arriving in Berlin, I went to the gallery to see Juju's performance. I saw her calligraphy for the first time. Moreover, it was a collaboration with dancers. Mr. P also came there, so I introduced Juju to him. This accomplished my primary purpose.

The Nature of Cities (TNOC) is a group of artists and researchers who combine art with nature, the environment and cities around the world. When Mr. P, who lived in Japan, left Japan, he invited me to join the group. There are no artists or researchers in Japan who think this way. Before I had contributed to the group's website, but I didn't really know what TNOC. They have a festival once a year. The first TNOC festival after Covid era was held in Berlin this year. So, I wanted to go to Berlin and  I was glad to meet them. I went to the venue every day and helped carry desks and chairs. Then I realized that there were a lot of artists and researchers, not only European, but also US and South American, gathered here.

Juju also performed there.

Juju in The Nature of Cities Festival, June 4, 2024

I briefly talked about the video work "NPV" by Osamu Kokufu.

Kokufu was a sculptor who made artworks using cars. Based on these works, he also made video works. The “NPV”, an automobile using wind power, when he presented this one, "the Kyoto Protocol" was adopted in Kyoto, where he lived. From that time on, Kokufu incorporated environmental issues into his artworks. In my presentation, I will never forget the moment I said "the Kyoto Protocol" when everyone in there nodded.

And while I was in Berlin, I had always thought, "I can't meet the deadline!", That's because the day after returning from Berlin was the deadline for the paper for Tainan Art museum. Let's talk about that next time!

～～～ <essay> Chisai in 2024 (2)　　　　　<essay> Chisai in 2024 (4)～～～