Author: admin

  • Food for A Thought

    “Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate.”

    – Chuang-tsu

     

    “If you can imagine it, You can achieve it.
    If you can dream it, You can become it.”

    – Willam Arthur Ward

  • [Upcoming] Live Visuals Performance at SFMOMA Field Conditions Opening Afterparty


     

    I’ll be performing live visuals at SFMOMA’s Architecture + DesignForum presents “Field Conditions” exhibition opening afterparty on September 6th at Public Works. The exhibition is curated by my friend Joseph Becker, assistant curator at SFMOMA Artchitecture + Design, and Jonas Reinhardt from Brooklyn, our SF’s favorite DJ Dials, Loric and EVDM are performing at this afterparty.  It will be fun! I have a super early flight to NYC the next morning, so it’s the PARTY! Don’t miss the actual exhibition opening at SFMOMA from 5pm as well. I don’t get to see you all enough, my friends. Come swing by and say hi!

    *

    SFMOMA ‘Field Conditions’ After Party with Jonas Reinhardt, Jamie Jams, DJ Dials, Loric, and Primo Pitino

    http://fieldconditions.eventbrite.com/

    Join SFMOMA’s Architecture + Design Forum on Thursday, September 6 at Public Works for an opening reception after-party celebrating the new SFMOMA exhibition Field Conditions. The exhibition, which explores ideas of infinity, repetition, and confluence, will extend beyond the museum’s walls as local musicians and visual artists use their own language to provoke a spatial condition inspired by Field Conditions.

    Featured performances by Jonas Reinhardt, Jamie Jams, DJ Dials, Loric, and Primo Pitino; with visuals by Camilla Padgitt-Coles, EVDM, and AOI. Tickets to the event are available for $10 at Eventbrite.

    http://fieldconditions.eventbrite.com/

    -Performers-
    Jonas Reinhardt: http://soundcloud.com/elplacebo
    Jamie Jams: http://soundcloud.com/debaser90s
    DJ Dials: http://soundcloud.com/rivaldials
    Loric: http://soundcloud.com/water-borders
    Primo Pitino: http://2menwillmoveyou.tumblr.com/

    -Visuals-
    Camilla Padgitt-Coles: http://ivymeadows.blogspot.com/
    EVDM: http://www.officevsoffice.com/
    AOI: http://www.aoiyamaguchi.com/

    INVITE YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK

  • [Upcoming] An Exclusive Night of Sebastian Plano Solo Concert + Live Visuals

    Sebastian Plano, an amazing multi-instrumentalist & composer, whom I have been working on a collaborative performance project with, launched a Kickstarter campaign to support his two upcoming albums. In support of this Kickstarter campaign, Sebastian will be presenting you an hour live performance, including new songs from his two upcoming albums. I will be performing live visuals projected on the wall of this beautiful venue, inspired by his music.

    5月のArtPad Fairでのパフォーマンス”UNiBIRTH”を見に来てくださった方々はご存知と思いますが、ここ数ヶ月間、共にコラボレーションプロジェクトを進めている私のクリエイティブパートナー、セバスチャン•プラノが、今年11月と来年3月に二つのアルバムリリースを控えています。一つはかの有名なKronos Quartetのチェロ奏者、Jeffrey Zeigler(ジェフェリー•ゼイグラー)氏とのコラボレーションアルバム「Novel」、もう一つはセバスチャン自身の二枚目ソロアルバム「Impetus」。このソロアルバムは、私も個人的にファンの、ベルリンのネオクラシカル音楽プロデューサーNils Frahm(ニルズ•フラーム)がサウンドエンジニアを手がける事が決定しています(Olafur Arnaldsともコラボしている、最高に美しい音楽を創るピアニストです)。その制作費を賄うため、Kickstarterキャンペーンを一ヶ月間実施しており、来週月曜日に〆切を控え、私とセバスチャンでミニライブショーを開催する運びとなりました。

    8月18日(土)、Ensomaにて45分間の生ソロ演奏、そして私は彼の音楽にインスパイアされたライブビジュアル(VJ)を披露します。チェロ、ピアノ、パーカッション、エレクトロニックサウンドを融合した彼の優美で叙情的な音の世界に魅了される、濃密な一時間となると思います。ぜひご都合の着く方は、お誘い合わせの上足を運んで頂けると幸いです。

    Saturday, August 18, 2012 | FREE Entrance
    Venue: Ensoma | 352 6th St, San Francisco
    Door 7:30PM, Starts 8PM

    Make a pledge & donation at the concert if the music inspires you.
    For the pledge of $50 or more, you will receive my “UNiBIRTH” series limited edition postcard set for rewards!
    Wine and refreshments will be served.

    * Your support will help Sebastian Plano release two upcoming albums:

    Novel
    Collaboration with cellist Jeffrey Zeigler from world renown Kronos Quartet.
    Release date: Nov. 2012

    Impetus (solo)
    Sound Engineering by Nils Frahm in Berlin.
    Release date: Mar. 2013

    VIEW KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN

    _
    About Sebastian Plano:

    Born in a musical family in Argentina, Sebastian Plano is a classically-trained contemporary music composer / multi-instrumentalist. Exploring his strong roots in folk music, Tango, and enchanted by the resonance of electronic music, he began to interpret his imagination into own sounds at the age of 12.

    Besides his main instrument, cello, Plano skillfully meshes the sounds of the piano, bandoneon, percussion, and his vocal, and creates entirely new soundscapes. Its passionate yet graceful melody paints a cinematic landscape of the world unseen – allures you to be lost in the pleasant waves of divine sounds, and leaves you sway within a dream filled with reminiscent moments.

    Reviewed as one of the strongest contemporary classical albums of the year, Plano’s debut album “The Arrhythmical Part of Hearts” has gained international acclaim placing him as one of the pioneers in looking for new sonorous combining classical and electronic elements. He says: “I am looking for innovation; variations and mixture of genres, the combination of known sonorities making the new scope within a composition.” Plano is currently working on an EP in collaboration with Jeffrey Zeigler from Kronos Quartet, and his second album “Impetus” is scheduled to be released in early 2013.

    www.sebastianplano.com
    www.aoiyamaguchi.com
    www.ensoma.biz

    Looking forward to see you all there!

  • [Upcoming] Sketch Tuesdays Featuring Female Artists

    Adam Rozan from the Oakland Art Museum invited me to be part of this month’s Sketch Tuesdays at 111 Minna Gallery. It has been a while since I participated in Sketch Tuesdays last. I am excited to be making art with this line of female artists. For those who don’t know what Sketch Tuesdays is: 111 Minna hosts this live art-making event with emerging & established artists every 4th Tuesday of the month. Artists will be making small artworks live that will be for sale on the spot, you can explore and see them in action, and buy the art at remarkably affordable price. You are welcome to bring your sketchbook and doodle, meet new friends and get inspired.
    I will be making small pieces, card series – come by and say hi! 🙂

    いつもお洒落なオークランドアートミュージアムのアダム • ロザン氏から、111 Minna Galleryで行なわれている今月のSketch Tuesdayに参加しないかとご招待をいただきました。女性アーティストをフィーチャーした今月のSketch Tuesdaysは彼がキュレーションを担当しているそうで、いつもと雰囲気が変わり面白いものになりそうです。
    Sketch Tuesdaysとはなんぞや?という人の為に:111 Minna Galleryで毎月第四火曜日に開催されているこのSketch Tuesdaysは、ギャラリーにより選定された20人程の今をときめくアーティスト達が、その場で作品を創り、来場者はその場で出来たてほやほやの作品を驚くべき低価格で買えるという、参加型アートイベント。自分のスケッチブックを持って来て、ソファーに座りスケッチをするもよし、新たな才能を発掘に来るもよし、好きなアーティストのコレクションを増やすもよし、アーティスト友達を増やすもよし。
    私は小さなカード作品を創ろうかなと思っています。ぜひぜひ立ち寄ってくださいね!

  • New Commission Work: 「火とは」(再訪) | "Hi toha / Fire (Revisited)"

     

    「火とは」

    火とは生命の源
    火とは生命の営み
    火とは文明の起源
    火とは大地の恵み
    火とは自然の語らい
    火とは心のともしび
    火とは風の戯れ
    火とは太陽の微笑
    火とは希望のあかり
    火とは情熱の陰影
    火とは一瞬の栄華
    火とは愛の温もり
    きみとぼくを生かすもの

    Fire is the Origin of Life
    It is the Way of our Lives
    The Origin of Civilization
    and the Blessings from the Earth

    Fire is the Conversation in Nature
    It is the Lumiere of the Heart
    The whimsical Play of the Wind
    and the Smile of the Sun

    Fire is the Light of Hope
    It is the Shades of Passion
    Fire is the Ephemeral Glory
    and the Warmth of Love
    Ignites our lives to thrive, yours and mine

    5 ft x 7ft
    Acrylic on Japanese Handmade Paper

    今年5月に制作した、コミッション作品「火とは」。
    数年前にグループショーとして開催した FOUR ELEMENTS シリーズ第二弾”FIRE”の際にライブパフォーマンスとして書いた作品を、再訪したものです。詩も本来のテーマをもとに新たに書き下ろしました。サンフランシスコのとある建築デザイン/建設会社の社長邸宅に、完成後飾られるそうです。

  • Calligraphy Title for the Award-winning Short Film "Mo Ikkai": 短編映画「もう一回」題字豪筆(ShortShorts Film Festival & Asiaグランプリ受賞作品)

    嬉しいニュースが舞い込んできました。米国アカデミー賞公認のアジア最大級国際短編映画祭、ショートショートフィルムフェスティバル & アジアにて、平柳敦子さんの「もう一回」がグランプリを受賞しました。数ヶ月前、監督である敦子さんご本人からご依頼を受け、ポスターの書道題字を豪筆させて頂いた作品です。ショートショートフェスティバル至上初の女性監督グランプリ受賞だそうです。今回の受賞によりこの作品は、アカデミー賞短編映画部門ノミネート候補となるそうです。日本のみなさん、29日に東京、横浜の各会場で上映会が開催されているそうなので、ぜひ足を運んでみてください!本当に、胸を打つ素敵な作品です。私は自分のスタジオで見させて頂いて、問答無用、泣かされました。そして、自分の人生に置き換えて考えさせられる、心に残るストーリーです。

    The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, an Academy Award qualifying festival and Asia’s biggest short film festival, awarded the Grand Prix award to Atsuko Hirayanagi ’12 (MFA, Kanbar, Film) for her film “Mo Ikkai”. I was commissioned to work on the calligraphy title for the film’s poster by Atsuko herself a couple months ago. Friends in Japan, please go see the screening on 29th in Tokyo – it’s such a beautiful, heart-rending film, made me cry when I watched it alone in my studio. It will reward the time you spend with it. And of course, made me think of my own life..

    Official Website: http://www.shortshorts.org/index-en.php
    More about theathers & tickets: http://www.shortshorts.org/2012/ja/info/ticket.php

  • [Upcoming] "UNIBIRTH": New Conceptual Calligraphy Performance at ArtPad SF

    I am excited to announce that I was invited to perform a new conceptual calligraphy art performance at San Francisco’s contemporary art fair ArtPadSF on the night of Saturday, May 19th from 7:30pm. Big thanks and love to Mike Cuffe, founder / editor in chief of Warholian.com.

    The new piece is titled “UNIBIRTH” – Unibirth is a live performance art project which is conceptualized, directed and performed by Aoi Yamaguchi, in collaboration with Argentinian contemporary composer Sebastian Plano, contemporary dancers Celine Alwyn and Emmaly Wiederholt. Inspired by unifying concepts of “universe” and “birth”, Unibirth celebrates the reincarnation of lives that exist in nature and signifies the infinite cycle of the universe, incorporating the physical movement of calligraphy, contemporary dance, sounds and visuals. The dancer represents the spirit of humanity – the music, representing the earth’s ensemble, and the poetry, written on the bodies and garments by the artist, awaken the spirit from long hibernation. Blessed in the brush strokes and divine sounds, the newborn spirit will be sublimed into the nature’s resonance.

    PRESS RELEASE on ArtPadSF


    ARTISTS:
    Sebastian Plano (Cellist / Contemporary Composer)

    Born in Argentina of a musical family, Sebastian Plano is a classically trained contemporary composer and multi-instrumentalist. He started cello lessons at age 7 and left home at 17 to study abroad, eventually landing in San Francisco. Extensive travel from an early age instilled in him a deep appreciation for living with and learning from people of different cultures around the world. Despite his strong classical background, Sebastian’s music derives from a mixture of forms and genres, carefully combining diverse stylistic elements into thoughtful arrangements that bear the stamp of a single, unifying vision.

    Celine Alwyn (Contemporary Dancer)
    A native of San Francisco, Céline Alwyn has been performing, teaching, and creating both nationally and internationally professionally for the last 9 years. While in New York, she trained at the Ailey School, received her Pilates certification from the Kane School, and performed on Broadway in Bombay Dreams as an original cast member. In the United Kingdom, she completed an MA in Contemporary Dance at the London Contemporary Dance School, danced in works by Stephen Petronio, Garry Stewart, David Massingham, and Rui Horta, and toured with Bare Bones, a Birmingham-based dance company. Before returning to San Francisco, she toured internationally with Cirque Du Soleil’s Dralion, playing the character role of ‘Oceane’. Most recently, Céline has enjoyed working with local choreographers Katie Faulkner/Little Seismic Dance Company, Rachael Lincoln, & Amelia Rudolph. Together with the company of ‘Incognita: Revisited’, she won an ‘Izzie’ in 2012 for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Company Performance’. Céline is a dedicated dance educator and choreographer and is currently teaching creative movement, improvisation, and contemporary dance to students of all ages in schools and studios all over the Bay Area.

    Emmaly Wiederholt (Contemporary Dancer)
    Emmaly Wiederholt is originally from Albuquerque, NM and graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA in ballet and a BS in political science. She is an alumna of the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance and currently dances with Malinda LaVelle’s Project Thrust. She has previously danced with Vabang Dance Company, AXIS Dance Company in David Dorfman’s choreography, Christine Cali, Alyce Finwall Dance Theater, and Katie Faulkner’s Little Seismic Dance Company.  Emmaly also writes about dance, and contributes to the SF Examiner, the SF Bay Guardian, and In Dance. Emmaly is the founder, author, and editor of stanceondance.com.

    _

    Little by little, my vision is coming together. I am so fortunate to be able to work and collaborate with such a gifted talents with inspiring spirits, and have amazing support.

    See you at the show!

  • 躯が高揚する感覚

    カラダが高揚する感覚を忘れちゃだめだ。

    何枚書いても納得する線が書けず、数日間に渡って一人苦悩の制作現場に居た。
    今日は朝から快晴で、外は初夏のように暑い。
    日のあたらないアトリエの鍵を開け、新しい紙を引っ張り出してくる。
    いつもは音楽をがんがんにかけるところだけど
    今日は、静寂がいい。

    うーん。
    何枚書いても、リズムに乗らない。線にキレがない。
    ふとっちょの食いしん坊が食い散らかしたサツマイモみたいな線ばかり。

    ふと筆をもう一本足してみた。
    二本の筆を持ち、もう一度深呼吸。

    わ。
    いい線が書けた。
    この調子。
    新しい紙を切ろう。
    まっさらな一枚を敷く。
    筆が走り出した。
    線が踊りだした。
    このリズム。
    この高揚感。
    体が熱い。
    額から汗が垂れて来た。
    このまま、このまま。
    もう数行。
    やった、書ききった。

    自分の納得がいく線が書けるまで諦めちゃだめだ。
    たったひとつの違いで全てが変わる。
    たったひとつの線で全てが生き生きする。
    いい作品は、どこを切り取ってもバランスがいい。

    一気に、今日という日がいい日になった。

  • RISE JAPAN. "AKASHI" Candlelight Vigil + Live Calligraphy Performance for Earthquake Remembrance Events

    I still remember this tragic Northern Japan Earthquake and tsunami like it happened yesterday. We have been updating the reports from reconstruction efforts in damaged areas on our website (if you haven’t visited recently, please do! Here’s the link – http://www.risejapan.us). Recovery from this natural disaster takes years and years, as you can see – we are trying to continue fundraising efforts and contribute to volunteer activities from the other side of the ocean.

    To honor and remember this historical tragic event and victims, Rise Japan holds a candlelight vigil on Saturday. I will be there to hand you candles, and pray for the souls with all of you and people in Japan at 9:46pm sharp.  Also, I will be performing live calligraphy painting on 8 ft x 8 ft wood panels on the main stage at Peace Plaza on Sunday. We will auction the finalized pieces after the performance at Rise Japan booth. We would love your love and support.

  • MISSION NIGHT MARKET.

    Lovely friends!
    Time flies like a shooting star, it’s been already a month since I got back in Bay Area. I have relocated my self in San Franciso, been really busy settling and re-organizing my atelier after a long trip to Japan. Just wanted to let you all of you know that there’s an exciting event coming up tomorrow for 3 nights in a row – “MISSION NIGHT MARKET”, organized and presented by Ken Ken Ramen in the heart of Mission district.

    I was invited to have a vendor booth, selling greeting cards, prints, T-shirts, small artworks and bags (new stuff!)! There will be lots of clothes, goods, food, art installations and more!! This is the event you can’t miss, it’s going to be super exciting and fun!

    Here’s the word from the organizer:

    “Hawkers, Vendors, Madness and More: Ken Ken Ramen presents Mission Night Market!

    We love Asian Night Markets full of interesting stalls, vendors, food, and craziness — so much so that we’re turning our noodle factory into a three-night Mission Night Market!

    Set up next door to Ken Ken Ramen at 3376 18th St, Mission Night Market will run Thursday, Friday & Saturday, hosting independent vendors, crazy artists, and more. Themes and vendors will range from Surfers to Vintage to Palm Readers to Jewelers to Japanese Dessert Makers & more!

    Look for a wild selection of local artists setting up shop and hawking their goods at this evening bazaar. Three nights only! March 8-10 2012. 6pm to Late.

    Selected vendors and more include:

    Bobaguys
    ScuttleFish Vanagon Surf Mobile
    SanFlan Japanese Desserts
    Palm Reading
    The Gypsy Shop by Curator Amanda Krampf
    Alite Camping Equipment
    JackKnife Outfitters
    Revolver Select
    Cureall Vintage
    Auger + Ore Jewelry
    Webster Reading Room
    Roppongi Records
    Aoi Yamaguchi
    Installation by Nikki Mirseiad and Taj Robinson
    Valerian Jewelry
    Dillon Montara Clothing
    Adam Lam Furniture
    Yuka Ezoe Jewelry
    Terrariums by Kelly Malone

    Mission Night Market
    3376 18th Street
    6pm  to Late
    Thursday, Friday, Saturday
    March 8th, 9th, 10th, 2012
    Right next to Ken Ken Ramen!

    See you there ♥