去年の夏６月に、NYを拠点とするコンテンポラリーダンサー橋本有子と共に、ダンスと書のパフォーマンス『生生流転』ルーマニア公演へ行って参りました。音楽を作曲してくれたのは、サンフランシスコを拠点に活動するミュージシャン・メディアアーティストChristopher Willits氏。在ルーマニア日本国大使館主催で開催されたこの公演に加え、ブカレスト市内の５大学と日本人学校での講義＆ワークショップ指導も行ないました。そのレポートが、「書の研究」１２月号に掲載されましたので、ぜひ紹介させていただきたいと思います。
このワークショップやパフォーマンス公演からの写真も、後にアップします！
Just in time for the holiday season – We would like to invite you to the exhibition & art sales of my conceptual calligraphy artworks at a beautiful space of Ensoma Marion Pernoux. All artworks will be for final sale! Perfect for a surprise holiday gifts, or for your collection to nourish your home, creative space, or business space. Please bring your friends, loved ones and art patrons, and enjoy complimentary delicious sake with us!
December 5, 2013 @ Ensoma Marion Pernoux / 6-10pm
352 6th Street, San Francisco, CA
http://ensoma.biz
FREE entrance / Complimentary sake
Please RSVP here if you’re planning on coming, so that we know how many guests to expect!
_
Available Works
1. Emergence: 全てはここに始まりここに終わる
Everything begins here and ends here
40”x30”, Sumi ink, Japanese paper, acrylic paint on canvas
2. Remembrance: 大地は長い時の記憶から出来ている
The earth is the accumulation of memories of time
40”x30”, Sumi ink, Japanese paper, Acrylic paint on canvas
3. 闇 Darkness, 4’x4′, Sumi ink on Calligraphy Paper mounted on wood panel
4. 熱 Heat, 4’x4′, Sumi ink on Calligraphy Paper mounted on wood panel
5. Soundscape #1, 4’x4′, Sumi ink, acrylics on wood panel
6. Soundscape #2, 4’x4, Sumi ink, acrylics on wood panel
7. Soundscape #3, 4’x4′, Sumi ink, acrylics on wood panel
8. Soundscape #4, 4’x4′, Sumi ink, acrylics on wood panel
9. ME+YOU Greeting Card Series Autumn Edition
https://vpft26yt33b.c.updraftclone.com
＊Artwork in the photo above:
“Remembrance: 大地は長い時の記憶から出来ている”
私と舞踊家橋本有子との、書とダンスのパフォーマンス『生生流転』ルーマニア公演を終えてから、はや一ヶ月。報告がすっかり遅くなってしまいました。ルーマニアで過ごした無休の１０日間を思い出すと、語り尽くせぬほどのエピソードがあります。これからゆっくりレポートをアップしていきたいと思います。
まずは、オデオン劇場での『生生流転』初公演をブカレスト•TV Cityが特集してくれたので、ここで紹介したいと思います。YouTubeでも公開されています。ぜひちら見していってください。
It’s been already a month since I finished our first show of “Shō Jō Ru Ten” with Yuko Hashimoto in Romania in June. It took a while for me to update reports here, but now I finally have time to share the stories with you — I’m gonna whip myself and start updating my blog! So many great / crazy / memorable experiences and episodes in Romania I want to share! I’ll start little by little.
Our performance was featured on Bucuresti TV News in Bucharest, Romania, and here’s its YouTube video. Please have a glance if you have a moment!
Integrating my art into an amazing dining experience – it is something I have been working on for a long time. Early summer, I was introduced to this place called “Naked Kitchen” on Valencia St & 20th in the Mission, SF. You might not notice this place from the outside, but it’s a hidden gem – beautiful SF’s traditional Victorian style home with two dining rooms, beautiful kitchen and heated wood deck. It is a creative underground dinner events featuring both renowned & up-and-coming chefs every week. I just love their philosophy:
“For everything to remain as is, everything must change.
– Giuseppe di Lampedusa
Naked Kitchen is about embracing transparency.
Courage to step out from comfort into a space of innovation regardless of the risk.
Conscious of our actions while holding the best intentions for others and the environment.
Change as a driving force for creativity.
Having met the owner Kong Son, who is open to new ideas and dive into untapped field, I have decided to release my new series of abstract calligraphy paintings, titled “Soundscape” which I have been working on since last year. You can think of this event as a combination of art opening and a special course dinner, and relaxed lounge time afterwards. Yes it’s June already, a month for Gemini’s! June 17th is my birthday – so I’m going to celebrate with favorite people including *YOU*, it will be lovely to have great energies before a big journey. This memorable dinner will be presented by Anthony Yang from Michael Mina. Even if you can’t make it to the dinner, we will open the door for you if you’d like to swing by for a drink, hang out and enjoy art – it’s going to be a speaskeasy style, so please let me know if you are planning on coming! You can check the password on Facebook event invitation page or email me at info@aoiyamaguchi.com – I can send you the password to your email!
I’m going to write more about “Soundscape” series in the next post. It’s an ongoing project, I will keep working on this series for the larger project in the future.
I have been dreaming about having an intimate dining experience surrounded by my artworks, with amazing food made with care, while favorite music serenades the space, with my dear friends. I am very looking forward to see you there, and share this special moment together.
素敵な「食」の時間と「アート」の融合を、探りながらかれこれ数年経ちます。書家として、今まで様々なレストランとお仕事をしてきました。それぞれのオーナーさんの志向、コンセプトを聞きながら、ロゴ制作や空間作りに携わることが出来るのは、私にとってワクワクし創造力をかき立てられるコラボレーションのひとつです。そうしてオープンして来たレストランに足を運んで、沢山のお客さんの笑顔を見たり、自分も友人を連れておいしいご飯をごちそうになるのは、楽しみのひとつです。
今回、友人から紹介を受けて、サンフランシスコはミッション地区にあるNaked Kitchenというひと味変わった場所に作品を飾ることになりました。
Naked Kitchenでは、毎週今旬のシェフが一晩だけレストランから離れ、自分のオリジナルのメニューで自由にクリエイティビティを発揮出来るという場所で、一晩10人から30人程までの限定ディナーイベントを開催しています。チケットを買ったお客さんは、指定の時間にNaked Kitchenへ、好きなワインを片手に足を運びます。シェフのテイスティングメニューは毎回そのシェフが決める５〜６コースの一度しか味わえないメニューです。私も先日、一度参加してきました。シェフが料理するキッチンのカウンター席に座ると、目の前で全ての料理が作られていき、完成するまでを見る事が出来ます。シェフの思い入れや、コンセプトを聞く事が出来るのもこのスタイルならでは。普通のレストランではなかなか得られない、目と舌で存分楽しんだ３時間でした。今週末、６月１５日（土）は、私がこのディナーイベントをNaked Kitchenと共に主催します。シェフはMichael Minaというレストランから、ナパの有名なFrench Laundryで働いた経験を持つAnthony Yangをフィーチャーします。
６月は私の誕生日月であり、アメリカ生活１０年目を記念するアニバーサリー月でもあり、新たなパフォーマンスプロジェクト公演を公開する月でもあります。そんなタイミングでこのイベントを開催し、大切な友達やアートと食を嗜むみなさんと、良い時間を過ごせたらというのが今回の企画です。展示するのは去年から取り組んでいる新しいアブストラクト書道作品シリーズ「Soundscape (サウンドスケープ）」。「文字」という形から少し離れ、音楽を感じるまま線で表現しようという新たな試みで、それぞれ異なる音楽家／作家の曲をインスピレーションに制作しています。今回はその一部をNaked Kitchenの内装に展示します。このシリーズについては、また別のポストで詳細を書きたいと思います。
ディナーは６時から９時まで、限定席です。ディナーに参加出来なくても、９時からラウンジ時間としてドアをオープンします。スピークイージースタイルで、ドアでパスワードを言ってもらう形にします。Facebookのイベントページで当日パスワードをチェックしてくださいね！
では、土曜日を楽しみに。。。
For more information, menu, reserving seats, please click:
インフォ、メニュー、チケットはこちら：
On such a warm beautiful day like today, I am excited to announce that Sebastian Plano and I are going to perform together once again in June 2013.
We have been planning this for so long, since last year — and it is finally happening. If you missed our first collaboration show “Unibirth” at ArtPad at Phoenix Hotel in May 2012, this is your second chance…
Sebastian is such a talented musician / composer. His new album “Impetus” is scheduled to be released in September from a label in Berlin — and he has been working on a collaboration with Jeffrey Zeigler from Kronos Quartet (how exciting!). He is going to play songs from the new album at our show with his string quartet on this special night. I am going to perform live calligraphy, inspired by the visions that we both have, accompanied by him and the string quartet. Why do we collaborate? Because we both believe in each other’s aesthetics. I admire his sound, makes me dream. We both love the fact that we have similar background: coming from years of traditional, classical training since when we were little, and now create something anew in a contemporary approach by giving his imagination a voice, and by painting my own picture in unique way. Challenging, yes, but being true to who I really am.
We decided to do this show at Salle Pianos in Hayes Valley, where has been historically dedicated to pianos since 1920s. Salon-style, intimate atmosphere — that is what we want. We want you to be close to us, hear us breathing, catch lights in our eyes, feel the subtle wind from my body movements, and really connect with our energy — and see your own “visions.”
VISIONS: Sebastian Plano + Aoi Yamaguchi
@ Salle Pianos, San Francisco
Saturday June 8th, 8pm-
Pre-sale / VIP tix available here: http://visionsperformance.eventbrite.com
Limited seating of 130. Make sure to grub yours!
I am truly looking forward to share this precious moment with you.
– Beautiful photo by my dear May Xiong.
The video from our calligraphy demonstration at Asian Art Museum is now on their website under the Education section. In the video, Christian Cabuay and I are demonstrating calligraphy – writing “Origin” in Tagalog and Japanese.
You can also download the calligraphy worksheets for free from the download links on the site “Decoding Japanese Calligraphy” 🙂 There are five different popular words – “Love,” “Happiness,” “Beauty,” “Peace,” and “Strength.” Feel free to make a copy and practice at home!
10月にアジア美術館で行なった書道デモンストレーションのビデオが、美術館のウェブサイトにアップされました。サイト上のDecoding Japanese Calligraphyというリンクからは、私が書き下ろしたお手本をダウンロードする事が出来ます。プリントアウトして、ぜひお家で息抜きに筆を持ってみてはいかがでしょうか？:)
サンフランシスコ太鼓道場主催のインターナショナル•太鼓フェスティバルが今年も二日間に渡って今週末開催されます。 今回、二日目土曜日８時からの公演で、サクラメント太鼓団とのコラボレーションでライブ書道パフォーマンスを披露することとなりました。
迫力ある太鼓に囲まれ、かなり大きな規模でのパフォーマンスを予定しています。会場はYerba Buena Center for the Arts内、Lam Research Theater。ぜひ皆様お誘い合わせの上、お越し下さいませ。
I’m excited to announce that I was invited to perform a LARGE-scale live calligraphy with Sacramento Taiko Dan at the International Taiko Festival, hosted by San Francisco Taiko Dojo.
Surrounded by numbers of powerful Japanese taiko drums, I will be writing a large piece with mop-sized calligraphy brush. I’ll be dedicating this calligraphy piece to the spirit of traditional Japanese taiko, and one of the members of Sacramento Taiko Dan who’s fighting with cancer. Wishing to bring you all the positive inspiration and joyful energy though this amazing collaboration.
Photo: Sacramento Taiko Dan
*
Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka & the San Francisco Taiko Dojo International Taiko Festival
@ Lam Research Theater at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Friday, November 16th • 8:00pm $38 & $32
Saturday, November 17th • 8:00pm $38 & $32
Matinee Saturday, November 17th • 2:00pm $25
San Francisco Taiko Dojo, one of the nation’s foremost taiko drumming performance groups & schools under the direction of Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka, will bring the exuberance & the dynamic excitement of taiko drumming at its very best to Bay Area audiences. The 44th annual International Taiko Festival will be presented the Lam Research Theater at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Also performing are special guests artists, including the acclaimed Wako Daiko drumming ensemble from Japan, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Sacramento Taiko Dan, Dance Brigade & the San Francisco Taiko Dojo Rising Stars.
Special guests for the matinee include Wako Daiko, San Francisco Taiko Dojo Junior Rising Stars, Grass Valley Taiko, Maikaze Daiko, Enshoza, CAL Raijin Taiko, UC Davis Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan, Philip Gelb (Shakuhachi), Rachel Ebora & Walter Tsushima.
Photo: Francisco Villaflor
“The collaboration between Baybayin (pre-Spanish Filipino script) artist Christian Cabuay and calligraphic performer Aoi Yamaguchi demonstrates the history and culture of Japan and the Philippines. Cabuay and Yamaguchi explore the differences and similarities of their art and struggle. By embracing traditions, rituals, and roots, they are pushing the boundaries and creating something anew, integrating international cultural ideas, styles, and forms. Meaning “beginning/origin” in Tagalog and Japanese, Simula and Gen symbolize the artists asserting identity through their calligraphy traditions.”
先月のアジア美術館での書道デモンストレーション＆プレゼンテーション、New Traditions: Simula x Genのビデオを美術館がYouTubeにアップしてくれました。コラボレーターのクリスチャンはフィリピン語で”Simula”「始まり、起源」を、私は日本語で「源」を、大きなキャンバス地に書きました。比較的新しい馬の毛の筆で書きましたが、まだまだ特訓が必要です。。
見に来てくださった皆様、有り難う御座います。
Video by Asian Art Museum
For three days from Friday October 19th to Sunday October 21th, I was one of the featured artists for the first series of AsiaLive events for the exhibition Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. For this round, the concept was that two calligraphers from different traditional or cultural background will collaborate in the demonstration and co-create an artwork. I was invited to collaborate with Christian Cabuay, Philipino calligraphy (Baybayin) artist, for the live demonstrations, lectures and workshops. We spent hours for meetings, discussions and preparation from April this year, and learned about each other’s traditions and cultural struggles.
Here’s the photo documentation of Saturday & Sunday sessions (photo by Akko Terasawa).
[DAY2: Saturday Oct 20, 2012]
Baybayin artist Christian Cabuay (on the right) and I explaining the concept of the event.
Step 1 – mixing inks
Christian writing “Simula (origin)” in Baybayin
He is using a flat brush. I have never used this kind for my calligraphy works.
My turn – writing “源 (Origin)” in Japanese, using a big brush made of horse hair
Last stroke. 最後の一画
It was an interactive demonstration – audiences can ask us questions as we write each sections of the piece
Christian starts writing the first section of his Philipino traditional proverb:
“Those who don’t love their language are worse than animal or smelly fish”
Then I write the first section of one of my favorite quote by
鴨長明 (Kamo no Chomei, 1153-1216) from his famous essay 方丈記 (Hojo-ki):
「ゆく河の流れは絶えずして、しかももとの水にあらず。」
“Though the river’s current never fails, the water passing, moment by moment, is never the same.”
Then Christian writes second half of his proverb
Christian’s spraypaint stencil signature
At last, I wrote the second half of the quote:
「よどみに浮かぶうたかたは、かつ消えかつ結びて、久しく
“Where the current pools, bubbles form on the surface,
bursting and disappearing as others rise to replace them, none lasting long.”
Finished with the chop (印 inn)
– For the workshop table, I made original instruction sheets of five characters: 力 (power), 和 (peace), 幸 (happiness), 美 (beauty) and 愛 (love). They were available to take home at the workshop table, and visitors were encouraged to get their hands dirty and try on their own. These will be available for download on the museum’s website very soon. It was lovely to see everyone holding brushes!
Some of them were really into practicing! 🙂
Lots of questions and active visitors & friends – it was a great day 2!
[DAY 3: Sunday Oct 21, 2012]
Last day. Seats were getting filled…
Live camera feed on the monitor helps audiences to see the actual writing in the right orientation.
Feels so good to write on a large canvas! Writing「源」
Breathing rhythmically
Although I use the same brush and ink, words and strokes look different everyday.
From 2pm, Christian and I both gave a 45 minutes keynote lecture, introducing a brief history of writing systems, nation’s spirituality, struggle and our art works.
I talked about the invention of Japanese writing system, the art of Japanese calligraphy, Japanese spirituality, the transition from the traditional to contemporary, and the concepts of my live calligraphy performances – my challenges as a calligrapher and a contemporary artist.
Thank you for all who stayed for my presentation, I was happy to share my journey with you all!
– And I closed the presentation with explaining the idea behind the theme of this event, “New Traditions”:
Embracing traditions, rituals and our roots, we are pushing the boundaries and creating something anew by integrating international cultural ideas, styles and forms into our traditional foundations in the contemporary culture. “Traditions” in plural since we have different cultural background and writing systems – Japanese and Baybayin. A tradition does not only come from thousands of years ago, but we’re also the innovator of new traditional art practice – what we are creating will be part of the tradition for the next generation.
Saly Lee, Senior Educator for Arts and Gallery Programs at AAM (on the left), Christian Cabuay (middle), and me
Thank you so much, Saly and Christian, it was great working with you two.
Always amazing photos by Akko Terasawa.
10月10日、サクラメントのシェラトングランドホテルで開催されたSake Festにお招きを受け、ライブ書道パフォーマンスをして参りました。日本全土、アメリカ各都市から酒造や食品メーカーが集い、日本の伝統芸術を嗜みながら交流を広めるというこのイベントは今年で８年目。私はパフォーマーとして今回初参加させていただきました。まばゆいほどのお酒たちに囲まれ、「飛龍乗雲」と豪筆。
「飛龍乗雲」: 英雄が時に乗じて、勢いを得ることの意味。
空を優雅に翔る竜が雲に乗る姿を、
サクラメント太鼓団の団長/創設者Tiffany Tamaribuchiさんとのコラボレーションということで、彼女の、男性顔負けの力強くも情緒のある太鼓の音に包まれて心地よく書かせていただきました。Tiffanyとは今回のイベントで初共演。一度の打ち合わせのみで当日即興演奏というものでした。さすが長年の一流の太鼓演奏歴を持ち、世界をツアーしてきた彼女との共演はとてもスムーズで、勢いのある文字に仕上がったと思います。来月、１１月１７日にYerba Buena Center for the Arts (ybca) で開催されるInternational Taiko Festivalでもまた共演することが決まったので、迫力のある太鼓との共演をぜひ見に来て頂けたら嬉しいです。
詳細はこちら：YBCA Website
I was invited to perform live calligraphy at Sake Fest at Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento on October 10th. It was the 8th annual festival, inviting more than 60 sake and food vendors from all over Japan and the branch factories in the United States. Surrounded by gorgeous sake and amazing food, and accompanied by Tiffany Tamaribuchi, an internationally acclaimed Taiko master and the founder of Sacramento Taiko Dan, I wrote “Hi-ryu Jo-unn,” meaning “flying dragon rides on the clouds,” wishing that the every business that participated in this event will flourish and rise up high as the dragon flies high up in the sky as it catches the clouds.
It was my first time collaborating with Tiffany – she is an internationally recognized female taiko master, striving in the realm of male-dominant traditional taiko. We had one meeting / discussion beforehand, and we presented an improvisational performance. Her strong and energetic Taiko performance was so impressive – very dramatic, as if the music run though her entire body. I was honored to collaborate with her on a performance at this festival.
We are going to perform together again at The International Taiko Festival, organized and hosted by Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka & the San Francisco Taiko Dojo at YBCA on Friday November 16th. Tickets are available from YBCA’s website: TICKETS & INFO
Hope to see you there!
Koedo Beer! Very smooth
Very nice calligraphy for the label. Inspiring 🙂
Tengumai’s very modern package design.
Tiffany on the right – very powerful performance!
Sacramento Taiko Dan
It takes so much muscle strength to keep this posture
Tiffany on the drums.
Meditate… then the first stroke
「飛」
はね
「乗」
「雲」
「飛龍乗雲」
このあとは完全に酒盛りでした!
Special thanks to: Takumi Kinugawa san, 八海山の酒造からのみなさん、Tiffany Tamaribuchi, and my dearest photographer Akko Terasawa
Photo by Akko Terasawa.