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Public relations / information paper

Ota Ward Cultural Arts Information Paper "ART bee HIVE" vol.3 + bee!


Issued April 2020, 4

vol.3 Spring issuePDF

The Ota Ward Cultural Arts Information Paper "ART bee HIVE" is a quarterly information paper that contains information on local culture and arts, newly published by the Ota Ward Cultural Promotion Association from the fall of 2019.
"BEE HIVE" means a beehive.
We will collect artistic information and deliver it to everyone together with the 6 ward reporters "Mitsubachi Corps" who gathered through open recruitment!
In "+ bee!", We will post information that could not be introduced on paper.

Art person: Flower artist Keita Kawasaki + bee!

Art person + bee!

"Flower messenger" driven by gratitude for living things
"Flower artist Keita Kawasaki"

Keita Kawasaki Photo

I have been involved in flower work for over 30 years.As one of Japan's leading flower artists, Keita Kawasaki advocates a new flower culture that lives in life from various angles, such as exhibitions, spatial displays, and TV appearances.Mr. Kawasaki is convinced of flowers that "flowers are not things but living things."

"When you look at the flowers that are in full bloom in the environment of the four seasons, you cannot help but feel the preciousness of life and the greatness of vitality. We learn to enjoy using all of our perceptions from nature. I have gained the joy and courage to welcome tomorrow. It is most important to have a feeling of gratitude for living things, and I always want to give back naturally through flowers, so my role is I think it's not just about the beauty and gorgeousness of flowers, but about the various learnings that can be gained from flowers. "

As one of the expressions, Kawasaki's work often brings together fresh and dead plants, and continues to fascinate people with a world view that has never been seen before.

"Some people say that dead plants in vacant lots are shabby and dirty, but the value of things changes completely depending on how you see them as mature and beautiful. I think that's the same with human society. Fresh plants It is a "youth" full of freshness and vitality, and withered plants gradually lose their vitality over the years, but it is a "maturity period" in which knowledge and wisdom are accumulated and it appears in the expression. Unfortunately, in modern human society, the two extremes are not intersecting. You can feel the beauty created by respecting each other, young and old, through the flowers. I hope to contribute to society through sharing. "

Pursuing a design that makes living things happy "as a companion on the same earth" rather than the beauty designed "human-oriented".Mr. Kawasaki's way of facing flowers is consistent.

"As long as human beings are at the top of the food chain on earth, the value of" below humans "will inevitably disappear, whether they are plants or animals. Being a human-centered society It is an undeniable fact, but at the same time, we must have the value of being "lived" in living things, because human beings are also a part of nature. Each person reaffirms such value. I think that the way of thinking and thinking about various events will change depending on the situation. These thoughts are the basis of my activities. "

[Conceptual work] Conceptual work

My infinite imagination is born by observing the characteristics, talents, and attitudes of each flower.
I tried to tell the power in the work as a message from the flower.

Work "Spring born from a dead grass nest" Photo
《Spring born from a dead grass nest》
Flower material: Narcissus, Setaria viridis

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

In winter, mature and dead plants become the foundation for nurturing the next life.

Work "living flower folding screen / spring" image
《Living flower folding screen / spring》
Flower material: Sakura, Nanohana, Mimosa, Forsythia, Forsythia, Beans, Sweet pea, Cineraria, Ryu cocoline

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

When you watch the folding screen with flowers, your imagination of color, fragrance, environment, etc. spreads and you can feel richer than knowledge.I would like to see another changing flower.If these flowers were raw flowers ... the curiosity became this work.

[Conceptual work] Conceptual work

My infinite imagination is born by observing the characteristics, talents, and attitudes of each flower.
I tried to tell the power in the work as a message from the flower.

Work [KEITA + Itchiku Kubota] << Hymn to Color >> Image
[KEITA + Itchiku Kubota]
《Psalm for color》
Flower material: Okurareuka, Yamagoke, dried flowers

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

A work with the theme of "joy of color" learned from the natural world, such as the colors rooted in the earth and the light descending from heaven. The "natural beauty" that lives in "Ichiku Tsujigahana" and the plants are integrated to create a glamorous and fantastic landscape.Fine colors that plants and trees hide quietly.While paying homage to Mr. Itchiku Kubota, who enjoyed the richness freely, he expressed his gratitude for the various colors of the plants.

Work [KEITA + Rene Lalique's glass] << Turned leaves >> Image
[KEITA + Rene Lalique glass]
《Leaf that turned around》
Flower material: gerbera, green necklace, succulents

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

If you turn to the right, you will be worried about the left.It is the instinct of living things that you want to go up when you go down.

Birth of "Flower Artist" Keita Kawasaki

Mr. Kawasaki continues to convey his heart as a "flower messenger."The existence of my mother, Mami Kawasaki, is indispensable for talking about its roots.
Mami Kawasaki went to the United States as the second international student after the war and was impressed by flower design at a flower shop where she worked part-time and acquired the technique.After returning to Japan, after working as a reporter for the Sankei Shimbun for several years, in 1962 he founded Japan's first flower design class "Mami Flower Design Studio (currently Mami Flower Design School)" in Ota Ward (Omori / Sanno). With the philosophy of "cultivating wonderful people who can make their daily lives rich and enjoyable through contact with plants," we aimed for emotional education that fosters women's freedom, independence, and affluent minds.

"It seems that women from all over the country wanted to get a job in their hands and want to teach someday. At that time, it was a closed society and it was difficult for women to advance into society, but Mami Kawasaki I think that he has consistently run into emotional education through flowers while envisioning future people who can balance work and family, saying that both men and women should contribute to society. I also taught you things, but above all, by coming into contact with flowers, you can realize the preciousness of life and the greatness of vitality, and the importance of being considerate of others and raising children. From the beginning, I valued that it would lead to family love. "

Mr. Kawasaki was born to Mr. Mami Kawasaki, a pioneer in the Japanese flower design world.When I asked him if he had spent his childhood with a lot of contact with plants, he was surprised to find that "the only flowers I knew were roses and tulips."

"I haven't received any flower" gifted education "from my mother. I was just my parents who loved living things, so I was crazy about searching for'Hakobe'to feed my chicken. If you think about it, this may be the origin of my interest in plants. When I graduated from high school, I was studying environmental design in Japan at the Department of Decorative Gardening at an American university. I became interested in, and moved to the University of the Arts to major in print and pottery. After returning to Japan, I was training at a pottery workshop with the aim of becoming a potter. "

It is said that Mr. Kawasaki first came into contact with his mother's flower design when he visited an event hosted by Mami Flower Design School as a part-time job.

"I was surprised to see it. I thought that flower design was a world of flowers and bouquets. However, in reality, I created not only cut flowers but also stones, dead grass, and all kinds of natural materials. I knew for the first time that it was a world to do. "

The decisive factor in entering the world of flowers was the event at Tateshina, which I visited with a friend after that.Kawasaki is fascinated by the appearance of a single golden-rayed lily that he saw while walking in a wooded area early in the morning.

"I stared at it unintentionally. I wondered why it blooms so beautifully in such a place without anyone seeing it. Humans would like to exaggerate," Look, "but it's too humble. I was impressed by the beauty. Perhaps my mother is trying to nurture emotions through the beauty of these plants, so I link there. "

Mr. Kawasaki is now active as a flower artist representing Japan. From 2006 to 2014, Mr. Kawasaki himself was the presiding officer of Mami Flower Design School.Currently, his younger brother Keisuke is the principal, and he has about 350 classrooms in Japan and overseas, centered on directly managed classrooms in Ota Ward.

"I had the opportunity to interact with various people as the presiding officer and studied a lot. On the other hand, it was frustrating that it was difficult to directly convey my thoughts to the general public, so I started activities independently of Mami Flower Design School. However, although the expression method is different from my mother Mami Kawasaki, the philosophy and policy she was thinking of is firmly engraved in me. My work is also engraved. , I think that it is to convey emotional education and emotional sharing through plants across industries.
In one dimension, tangible things will eventually crumble, but I believe that the spirit will last forever.Up to now, there are about 17 people who have been educated at Mami Flower Design School, but I think that their spirituality is input and each of them is utilized in child-rearing and society.
I don't think I can do much of what I can do in a 100-year life.However, even under such circumstances, I would like to play a part in laying the foundation for a bright future of Japanese flower culture while working hard together with people involved in the flower industry. "

The equation that cultivates human power is "curiosity-> action-> observation-> imagination-> expression"

Mr. Kawasaki may have a sense of concern about modern society.That is, the consciousness of living using the "five senses" that human beings originally have is becoming weaker.I ask that the evolution of digital civilization may be a major factor in this.

"While the evolution of modern digital civilization has made" inconvenience convenient ", we sometimes feel that" convenience is inconvenient. "The application of wisdom and rich emotional expression born from the" five senses "will change over time. There is no such thing as "bloody humanity." I do not intend to deny the digital civilization itself, but I think it is necessary to have a solid segregation of where to rationalize using digital. What's more, modern human life must seem out of balance. "

1955 (Showa 30), when Mr. Kawasaki was born, is a period of high economic growth.Mr. Kawasaki described the time as an era in which "people gained knowledge while making the most of their five senses and turned that knowledge into wisdom", and each person's "human power" lived. I look back on the times.

"Speaking of my childhood, my dad was a little stubborn, and even though he was a kid, he would never laugh if he didn't find it interesting, even if he said something strange to make him laugh. (Laughs). So, when I kept thinking about making me laugh and finally laughed, there was something like a sense of accomplishment. Isn't it really trivial? When I was a student, I didn't have a mobile phone, so before I make a frightening call to a woman's house I'm interested in, I simulate when my dad answers the phone, when my mom answers, and so on. (Laughs). Each of these little things was the wisdom to live.
This is a really convenient time.If you want to know the restaurant information, you can easily get the information on the Internet, but the important thing is to actually go there and try it.Then, take a close look at whether you thought it was delicious, not delicious, or neither.And I think it's important to imagine why you thought it was delicious and to think about what kind of expression you can connect that thought to. "

According to Mr. Kawasaki, the first thing that must be valued in cultivating human power is one's own "curiosity."And what is important is to actually move to "action" based on that curiosity, "observe", and think about "imagination".He says that there is "expression" as an exit beyond that.

"I value this" equation "very much. Expressions are naturally different for each person, and in my opinion, they are flower design and flower art. From old prints and ceramics, expressions as an exit to flowers It means that you have changed only. You have the same power to be curious about things and to see, observe, and imagine them with your own eyes and feet. "Thinking" is the same thing. It's a lot of fun. I personally have the imagination of creation, and I think that each life can be much richer if everyone has this power. Is that even if each expression is different, if the process is the same, there is a ground where we can find and transmit common values ​​to each other. That is a stubborn belief. "

[Conceptual work] Conceptual work

Work "Rule of Nature II" Image
《Rule of Nature II》
Flower material: tulips, maple

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

The plants that color the earth surrounded by the soil die with the arrival of the season and turn into soil for the next nutrition of life.And again, a new color is shimmering on the ground.The lean way of life of plants feels perfection that I can never imitate.

[Collaboration] Collaboration

Work [KEITA + Taro Okamoto's building] "Tears like a waterfall" image
[KEITA + Taro Okamoto's building]
《Tears like a waterfall》
Flower material: Gloriosa, Hedera

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

A blue tower that has risen toward the sky for about 40 years.It is an art left by Mr. Taro.The tower also became obsolete and had to be destroyed.Ask Mr. Taro Heaven. "What should I do?" "Art is an explosion." I saw tears like a waterfall behind the words.

The existence of each human being is art

At the end of the interview, when I asked Mr. Kawasaki what "art" was, he got an interesting view unique to Mr. Kawasaki who sincerely faces "the preciousness of life".

think.After all, I think that it is art to live and express each other in "selfishness".With that in mind, I think it's okay for the recipient to interpret some kind of message that I send.However, some people may think that the field of "art" itself is not necessary, but I think that balance is important in everything.If there is something delicious, there may be something bad, and if there is a top, there may be a bottom.I think that the power of art that gives such awareness will become even more important in the future. "

What Kawasaki consciously values ​​is "enjoying art."The true meaning of that word is Mr. Kawasaki's strong intention that "if you are not happy, you can never make people happy."

"I don't think it's possible to make people happy with sacrifice. After all, take good care of yourself. And when you think you're happy, be sure to take care of the people around you. I think we can make the people happy. If the people around us become happy, then we can make the community happy. That will eventually make the nation happy and the world happy. I think that the order should not be mistaken. For me, since I was born in Ota Ward, I would like to aim for the development of the flower culture of Ota Ward while valuing myself. It will spread to Tokyo and to the industry and society-I would like to continue our activities, valuing each step. "

[Flower graphics] Flower graphics

Work "Flower graphic" image
《Flower graphic》
Flower material: Sakura, tulip, Lilium rubellum, Turkish bluebell, sweet potato

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

The beauty of flowers that you can see with the naked eye and the beauty of flowers that you see in photographs look a little different to me.I focused my attention on the beauty of flowers when viewed on a flat surface (photograph), and tried to visually appeal the expression of flowers that I have not yet seen.

[Unknown possibility of flowers]

Work "Go to tableware" image
《Go to tableware》
Flower material: Ryuko corine, Turbakia, Astrantia mayor, mint, geranium (rose, lemon), basil, cherry, green necklace, strawberry

Commentary by Keita Kawasaki

Any shape that can collect water can be a vase.Put flowers in the space created by stacking bowls, and put ingredients in the top bowl.

Profile

写真
Keita Kawasaki creates various works in the demonstration.

Graduated from California University of Arts and Crafts in 1982.After serving as the presiding officer of Japan's first flower design school "Mami Flower Design School" founded by her mother Mami Kawasaki in 1962, she launched the Keita brand and has been involved in numerous demonstrations and art presentations on TV programs and books. ..He has won numerous awards for spatial installations and displays.Actively collaborate with artists and companies.He has written many books such as "Flowers Talk" (Hearst Fujingahosha) and "Nicely Flower One Wheel" (Kodansha).

Book image

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Keita Kawasaki's homepageother window

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[Artist introduction] AOIHOSHI

A music unit "AOIHOSHI" by Roman Kawasaki and Hiroyuki Suzuki who are active as "Flower Messenger" with Keita Kawasaki.Traveling around the country, he samples sounds collected from the natural world, such as the sounds of wind, water, and sometimes storms, and plays rhythms and melodies using a computer and keyboard.Developed "AOI HOSHI FLOWER VOICE SYSTEM" that converts the bioelectric current emitted from plants into sound, and is in charge of music at the event where Keita Kawasaki appears, and also plays at various events in Japan and overseas.

AOIHOSHI Photo
Romanist and composer Kawasaki Roman (right) and Hiroyuki Suzuki (left) who also works on the theme songs for TV animation.
"'Co-starring' with plants is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We are very impressed by the plants."

Contact

Public Relations and Public Hearing Section, Culture and Arts Promotion Division, Ota Ward Cultural Promotion Association