Ota Ward Cultural Arts Information Paper "ART bee HIVE" vol.19 + bee!

Issued April 2024, 7

vol.19 Summer issue

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.
Together with the ward reporter "Mitsubachi Corps" gathered by open recruitment, we will collect artistic information and deliver it to everyone!
In "+ bee!", We will post information that could not be introduced on paper.

Artist: Satoru Aoyama + bee!

Artful place: Atelier Hirari + bee!

Future attention EVENT + bee!

Art can heal divisions.
"Artist Satoru Aoyama"

Satoru Aoyama is an artist who has an atelier in Shimomaruko and actively participates in art events in Ota Ward. He presents his works using a unique technique of embroidery using industrial sewing machines. We spoke to Satoru Aoyama, whose work focuses on the changes in humans and the nature of work caused by mechanization, about his own art.

Aoyama and her favorite sewing machine in her studio

Using the weaving and embroidery techniques she developed at home, she ventured into the world of art.

Please tell us about your encounter with art.

"My grandfather was a painter who was included in the Nikaten Exhibition. Since I was a child, I was taken to exhibitions and watched my grandfather paint, which was my first encounter with art. It was only after I entered university that I was exposed to so-called contemporary art. When I entered Goldsmiths College, University of London, it was the era of the YBAs (Young British Artists). Damien Hirst* was a graduate of the Fine Art Department of Goldsmiths, so London in the 90s was my first experience with contemporary art."

What made you decide to study textile art?

"I had hoped to study fine art, but the school was over capacity and I couldn't get in (laughs). But when I enrolled in the textile art department, it was completely different to what I expected. It wasn't a place to learn textile design like in Japanese schools. It was a place to practice fine art with textiles. It was linked to the feminist movement* in the history of male-dominated art, and I was able to enter the art world using the textile techniques I had developed at home. I didn't know that this was the purpose of the department, and only realized it after I enrolled."

Why did you choose to express yourself through industrial embroidery?

"When you enter the Textile Arts Department, you experience all the techniques related to textiles. You do it all: hand embroidery, machine embroidery, silk screen printing, knitting, weaving, tapestry, etc. Among them, there was simply a sewing machine. Most of my classmates were women. Because of the nature of the department, there were only female students, so whatever a man did would automatically have a meaning attached to it. For me, embroidery and the sewing machine were the things that made it easy to think about what that meaning was."

"News From Nowhere (Labour Day)" (2019) Photo: Miyajima Kei ©AOYAMA Satoru Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

One of the languages ​​that the sewing machine has is labor.

Could you tell us about your theme, the relationship between labor and art?

"I think one of the languages ​​that the sewing machine inherently carries is that of labor. The sewing machine is a tool for labor. Moreover, historically it was a tool used by women for labor. I studied feminism in my department, and in the process of studying the Arts and Crafts movement* in Britain, a period when the times were changing from handwork to machines, labor inevitably came up as a keyword."

Has this been a theme since the beginning of your activities?

"It was more than 10 years ago that I clarified the concept of labor. At that time, the Lehman Shock* had just occurred. People around me were starting to say things like, 'The end of capitalism has come.' Before that, there was a bit of an art bubble. People in the IT industry were buying a lot of art. But when those collectors suddenly disappeared, I felt a sense of crisis."

"A rational person with artistic sensitivity will not use machines" (2023) Embroidery on polyester

Using old machines always creates critiques of new technology.

There is hand sewing, manual sewing machines, electric sewing machines, and computerized sewing machines. I think the sewing machine is a very interesting tool because the boundary between machine and handwork shifts over the years.

"That's right. One of my latest works is an embroidery of a paperback by William Morris, the leader of the Arts and Crafts movement. When you open the page with the post-it note attached, lines appear with phosphorescent thread. It's a book called 'The Art of the People' that I've read since I was a student, and I refer to it from time to time. It says, 'The rational man with a sensitivity to art will not use machines.' For William Morris, the Arts and Crafts movement was a revival of handicrafts as a criticism of capitalism, which was becoming increasingly mechanized. The Arts and Crafts movement linked handicrafts with social movements. For Morris, machines were the enemy. On the other hand, McLuhan* said, 'The previous technology becomes art.' Nowadays, old machine embroidery, which is done by hand, is seen as a respectable handicraft."

The mechanical labor that Morris saw is no longer mechanical labor.

"Even in such a situation, the meaning of hand embroidery remains unchanged. The beauty of human handiwork is humanity itself, and it can even be said to be beauty itself. The interesting thing about sewing machines is that they contain both contradictions and meanings. This old sewing machine, which I have been using since my student days, is quite important to me, and using old machines always gives rise to criticism of new technology. That is why I chose a sewing machine."

People with different values ​​can communicate with each other through the different language of art.

How old is the sewing machine you're using now?

"It's an industrial sewing machine from the 1950s. But even this sewing machine is a tool that is disappearing. This sewing machine is a swing sewing machine*. When you swing it by hand, it creates thick zigzag lines. But the craftsmen who knew how to operate it are disappearing one after another, and this sewing machine has been discontinued. Now it's all digitalized. You can select things like the thread pitch by computer. But that doesn't mean that a computerized sewing machine can do what this sewing machine can. I think it's not just a criticism of capitalism, but a tool that can also lead to criticism."

What is the difference between criticism and critique?

"Criticism creates division. Criticism is different. Art is a different language. Through the different language of art, people with different values ​​should be able to communicate with each other. It may be a bit overly romantic, but rather than creating division, it can eliminate it. I believe that art has that role and function. If criticism is too easily brought to the forefront, then there will only be one entrance to a work. I think a work that only has one entrance is boring. Many people mistake critique for criticism."

"Mr. N's Cigarette Butt" (2023)

I have been working on the theme of labor up until now, but in a sense it has only been a "concept."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, you have been presenting works using shirts and jackets that can actually be worn as canvases. What are your thoughts on the relationship between life and art?

"Shimomaruko is an area with many small factories. There are also small factories around this atelier. In the back was a family-run factory that had been making air conditioner parts for 30 years. Business started to deteriorate due to COVID-XNUMX, and the father passed away during that time. His son took over the company, but closed the factory and disappeared. The work "Mr. N's Cigarette Butt" was created based on a cigarette butt that was found in front of the entrance to the factory in the back, where a notice had been posted announcing the bankruptcy of the factory. The work is based on a cigarette that was probably smoked by the owner of the factory. I was left alone in this corner and felt uneasy."

It feels like a part of everyday life has been turned into a work of art.

"Around the time of the coronavirus outbreak, I used to talk with factory workers about how work has been tough lately. But suddenly, all of them are gone, leaving behind all their machines and equipment. I've been working on the theme of labor in my art up until now, but in a sense it was just a concept. I honestly wondered whether I was able to connect it to my own life. I think I was overreaching myself. With the coronavirus outbreak, the problems of life and labor have fallen on me as my own problems. These cigarette butts, if you like,他人PeopleIt's the misfortune of others, isn't it? I do feel a sense of guilt about making a work of art about someone else's misfortune. But it could happen to me, and it's something that's happening all over Japan right now. If I was in a position to create a work of art, I thought I should make it into a work of art."

"Rose" (2023) Photo: Satoru Miyajima © Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

The role of art may not only be for the present, but for 100 years from now.

Please tell us about the connection between aesthetic sense and philosophy.

"I think William Morris is an artist who showed that aesthetic sense and social activism can be linked. There is a trend these days that art doesn't have to be beautiful, but I still think beautiful art is good. However, I don't mean to accept both good and bad, and there is value in both beautiful and ungraceful things. For example, my cigarette works don't necessarily touch on beauty. There are works like that, but there are also works like my rose works that in a sense touch on aesthetics. In 2011, I made a simple rose flower just for the year of the earthquake. In the year of the earthquake, everyone was saying things like 'there is nothing art can do'. This was especially true of artists who create works that are based on aesthetics. I felt that something was off. On a positive note, the role of art is not just for the present, but for 100 years from now, so I think the flow of time is a little different."

In fact, when we come into contact with art from 100 or 1000 years ago, we make new discoveries.

"Negative opinions about art were spreading, and because everyone was saying that, I decided to do the opposite and create a work that was purely aesthetic, to leave a work that was purely aesthetic that year. This is a series I started making before the disaster, and looking back, I made only six roses in 2011. If the roses were a work based on aesthetics, then the cigarette work is the complete opposite. It's about filth, things that will disappear in the future, trash. I think the range of an artist's work is to touch on both of these things."

Installation view ("Dedicated to Nameless Embroiderers" (2015), Mizuma Art Gallery) Photo: Miyajima Kei © AOYAMA Satoru Courtesy of Mizuma Art Gallery

What's important is not the concept in capital letters, but your own concept = motivation.

There is an element of contemporary art that requires that it be guaranteed to have ideological merit.

"For example, when I do embroidery, people wonder, 'Why embroidery?' That 'why' and its meaning bounce back on me. What I tell young people who want to be artists is that it's not so-called capital concepts that are important, but your own concept. It's what we call motivation. Why are you doing this? I think the strength of that motivation is what gives you the energy to continue working as a contemporary artist and as an artist. The sincerity of your motivation is what's being questioned."

"To maintain that motivation, it is essential to come into contact with various philosophies and ideas, as well as social issues. The life of an artist is long. I turned 50 this year, but it's possible that I'm not even halfway there yet. To keep my motivation fresh throughout my long career as an artist, I need to keep my antenna up, read books, walk around the city, and see what's going on at the moment. I'm getting very serious now (laughs)."

*YBA (Young British Artists): A general term for artists who emerged in the UK in the 1990s. The name was taken from the exhibition of the same name held at the Saatchi Gallery in London in 1992.
*Damien Hirst: A contemporary artist born in the UK in 1965. He is known for his works that evoke a sense of life within death, including The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of the Living (1991), in which a shark is preserved in formalin in a huge tank. In 1995 he won the Turner Prize.
*Feminist movement: A social movement based on the idea of ​​women's liberation that aims to liberate women from all forms of gender discrimination.
*The Arts and Crafts movement: A 19th century British design movement led by William Morris. It resisted the machine-based civilization that followed the Industrial Revolution, advocated the revival of handicrafts and the social and practical nature of crafts, and advocated the unity of life and art.
*Lehman Shock: The phenomenon that began with the collapse of the American investment bank Lehman Brothers on September 2008, 9, and developed into a global financial crisis and recession.
*William Morris: Born 1834, died 1896. A 19th century British textile designer, poet, fantasy writer, and socialist activist. A leader of the Arts and Crafts movement. Known as the "father of modern design." His major works include "The Art of the People," "News from Utopia," and "Forests Beyond the Earth."
*McLuhan: Born in 1911 and died in 1980. A Canadian-born critic of civilization and media theorist. His major works include "The Bride of the Machine: A Folklore of Industrial Society," "The Gutenberg Galaxy," and "The Principles of Human Augmentation: Understanding Media."
* Horizontal swing sewing machine: The needle moves back and forth, and letters and designs are embroidered directly onto the fabric. There is no presser foot to hold the fabric in place, and no feed function for the sewn fabric. While stepping on the pedal to adjust the speed at which the needle moves, the lever is pushed with the right knee to move the needle sideways and create a width from side to side.

Profile

Born in Tokyo in 1973. Graduated from the Department of Textiles at Goldsmiths, University of London in 1998. Received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001. Currently based in Ota, Tokyo. Recent major exhibitions include "Unfolding: Fabric of Our Life" (Center for Heritage Arts & Textile, Hong Kong) in 2019 and "Dress Code? - The Wearer's Game" (Tokyo Opera City Gallery) in 2020.

website

Upcoming Event Information

Satoru Aoyama Exhibition

• Date: Wednesday, October 2024th to Saturday, November 10th, 9
• Time: Tuesday to Saturday 11:00-19:00 Sunday 11:00-18:00
• Closed on Mondays
• Venue: Mizuma Art Gallery

website

May wonderful and fun things come down to you with a flourish.
"Atelier Hirari"

From Unoki Station on the Tokyu Tamagawa Line, walk along the tracks towards Numabe for eight minutes and you will come across a staircase covered in latticed woodwork. Up there, on the second floor, you will find Atelier Hirari, which opened in 8. We spoke with the owner, Tsuchiya Hitomi.

An entrance filled with the warmth of wood

The owner, Mr. Tsuchiya, and his LED lamp, who was also chosen as one of the "100 Ota Craftsmen"

We want it to be a place where visitors are enriched in spirit and filled with smiles.

Please tell us how you got started.

"I've loved music since I was a child, and when I lived in Yokohama, I worked as a volunteer staff member for five years for concerts, mainly classical music, held at the Okurayama Memorial Hall*. After that, I planned and held four concerts a year in spring, summer, autumn and winter at the same hall for 5 years with five other music-loving friends. In 5, I moved here to use it as my home and workplace, and that same year, I had the opportunity to hold a private concert here with violinist Koji Morishita* and pianist Yoko Kawabata*. The sound resonated better than I expected, and I immediately thought that I wanted to continue holding salon concerts here."

Please tell me the origin of the name of the shop.

"It may sound a little girly, but I came up with the name 'Hilari' with the hope that one day something wonderful and fun will suddenly fall upon me. Toshihiro Akamatsu*, a vibraphonist who I have known for a long time, suggested that I add the word 'atelier' to the name and make it 'Atelier Hirari,' so we decided on 'Atelier Hirari.'"

Can you tell us about the concept of your store?

"We want to make music more accessible. We want to increase the number of music fans. We aim to hold concerts that can be enjoyed by the audience, performers, and staff alike. We also hold exhibitions and events. We want our venue to be a place where visitors can be enriched in spirit and filled with smiles."

The realism of a salon concert: Masaru Murai, cello, German Kitkin, piano (2024)

Junko Kariya Art Exhibition (2019)

Ikuko Ishida Stencil Dyeing Exhibition (2017)

Great performers bring great collaborators.

Please tell us about the genre you handle.

"We hold a wide range of concerts, including classical, jazz and folk music. In the past we have also held play readings. The exhibitions include paintings, ceramics, dyed and woven textiles, glass and textiles. We hold a series of events, including a full-course meal of music and French cuisine for a limited audience of 20 people. We also hold a somewhat unusual event, combining kaiseki cuisine with music. Since I am the only one doing it, I can be flexible."

Basically, it's something that Tsuchiyama is interested in and can agree with.

"That's right. Also, it's just a matter of luck and coming across something at the right time. I don't really go out of my way to look for it, but rather, I keep an open mind and think, 'What a wonderful thing to come across!'"

This ties in with what we were just talking about, but what are your methods and criteria for selecting writers and artists?

"For example, in the case of music, the most important thing is for me to feel excited when I hear the performer play at a concert. I want that to be direct. I think performers I meet for the first time will be surprised and ask, 'Oh, where is this lady from?' (laughs). There are all kinds of performers, and some are suited to big stages but not to close contact with the audience. I try to carefully consider this. As for the exhibition of artists' works, it is also a matter of chance encounters. After that, I choose works that will match this space."

How do you find concerts and exhibitions to go to?

"As my physical strength declines every year, I go to fewer live shows. Jazz live shows are held very late at night. However, when I meet a musician, we develop long-term relationships that can last for 20 or 30 years. And great musicians bring along great co-performers. My current concern is that I would like this person and that person to appear, but my schedule is full so I have to postpone it to next year, so it's a luxurious concern."

Guests are invited to interact with the performers while enjoying tea and snacks.

I heard that after the concert, you have a tea time with the performers. Can you tell us about that?

"When there are a lot of guests, we stand, but when it's more relaxed, you can gather around a table and enjoy tea and some light snacks while interacting with the performers. Even when you go to a live show, it's rare that you get to meet the performers up close after the show. This is especially true when you can chat with them. Everyone is very happy."

What has been the reaction of artists?

"We don't have a dressing room, so people wait in the living room upstairs. People who have performed here many times say it feels like they've come home to a relative's house. Some people even take naps there. One bassist who was performing with us for the first time ran into other musicians coming down from the upstairs at the entrance and was surprised, saying, 'What, you live here?' Apparently they mistook us for someone else because we were so relaxed (laughs)."

What kind of people are your customers?

"At first, most of the customers were my friends and acquaintances. We didn't even have a website, so it spread by word of mouth. We started 22 years ago, so our customers from the beginning are relatively older; those who were in their 60s then are now in their 80s. We took a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-3 pandemic, but that became an opportunity, and in a sense we are now in a transitional period. Recently, we've seen more and more people say they saw the poster at the entrance, or at Seseragi Park."

Is it mostly people from the local area?

"Unoki was surprisingly rare in the past. There were actually more in Denenchofu, Honcho, Kugahara, Ontakesan and Shimomaruko. I wonder why that is, maybe people are reluctant to go there. It's on the second floor, so it's a little difficult to get up there. But the number of Unoki is gradually increasing. We're getting calls from people saying they saw it while passing by, so it's going in a good direction."

Are there many people coming from far away?

"We often have fans of the performers. They are very enthusiastic, and come from as far as the Kansai and Kyushu regions. For customers and fans from other regions, Atelier Hirari is the perfect place to get up close and personal with the performers. This is something that doesn't happen very often, so they are very touched."

Special Exhibition "Antique Market"

"Atelier Hirari" is like a perch.

Please tell us about your future developments and prospects.

"I don't know how long I can go, but first I want to continue holding concerts for a long time. We also have tea times, so I hope that more young people will come and that it will become a place where people of all ages can interact. When an artist who had a solo exhibition here came to a concert previously, he saw how the audience was enjoying themselves and said, 'Atelier Hirari is like a perch.' Those words are a precious treasure to me."

What is the appeal of Unoki?

"Unoki still has a very laid-back atmosphere and I think it's a great place to live. You can enjoy nature throughout the seasons at parks around the Tama River and Seseragi Park. Even though the population is growing, I don't think it's too noisy."

Lastly, please give a message to our readers.

"I hope that listening to live music will increase the number of music fans. People will find their favorite works at the exhibition and then display or use them in their daily lives, which will enrich their lives. Sharing the joy, spending time with smiles, and feeling warm in the heart will make me happy if that warmth spreads to friends, families, and society."

*Okurayama Memorial Hall, Yokohama: Founded in 1882 (Showa 1971) as the main building of the "Okura Institute of Spiritual Culture" by Kunihiko Okura (1932-7), a businessman who later served as president of Toyo University. Reborn as the Okurayama Memorial Hall, Yokohama in 1984 (Showa 59), it was designated a tangible cultural property by the city of Yokohama in 1991 (Heisei 3).

* Koji Morishita: Japanese violinist. Currently the principal solo concertmaster of the Osaka Symphony Orchestra. He is also active in chamber music. Since 2013, he has been a professor at Osaka College of Music.

*Yoko Kawabata: Japanese pianist. She was a lecturer at the Toho Gakuen School of Music for Children until 1994. She has participated in music seminars overseas in Nice, Salzburg, and other cities, and performed in commemorative concerts. In 1997, she performed at the Seville Arts Festival in Spain, and has been very active in her performance career.

*Toshihiro Akamatsu: Japanese vibraphonist. Graduated from Berklee College of Music in the US in 1989. After returning to Japan, he played in bands with Hideo Ichikawa, Yoshio Suzuki, Terumasa Hino, and others, and also performed at jazz festivals around the country, on television, and on radio with his own band. His 2003 album "Still on the air" (TBM) was nominated for the Swing Journal magazine Jazz Disc Award Japan Jazz Award.

A relaxing space that feels like a chat room

Atelier Hirari

• Address: 3-4-15 Unoki, Ota-ku, Tokyo
• Access: 8 minutes walk from Unoki Station on the Tokyu Tamagawa Line
• Phone / 03-5482-2838
• Business days/hours/events vary.For more information, please visit our website.

website

Upcoming Event Information

Kita Naoki & Kuroda Kyoko Duo

• Date and time: July 7th (Sun) 28:14 start (30:14 open)
• Performed by: Naoki Kita (violin), Kyoko Kuroda (piano)

Satoshi Kitamura & Naoki Kita

• Date and time: July 9th (Sun) 15:14 start (30:14 open)
• Cast: Satoshi Kitamura (bandoneon), Naoki Kita (violin)

Classic 

• Date and time: July 10th (Sun) 13:14 start (30:14 open)
• Performed by: Mionri Yamashita (violin), Izuru Yamashita (cello), Mitsutaka Shiraishi (piano)

For details, please check the Atelier Hirari website.

Please check each contact for the latest information.

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"Art and Manga" Exhibition (tentative title)

Slow LIVE '24 in Ikegami Honmonji Temple

Future for OPERA in Ota, Tokyo 2024
J. Strauss II Operetta "Die Fledermaus" (performed in Japanese)

The Future of Tango

Contact Us

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