Art and Music-Search for New Synesthesia

In Tokyo, an experimental exhibition was held from October 27, 2012, to February 3, 2013, at Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo: Art and Music-Search for New synesthesia.

 

Organised by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Tokyo culture Creation Project Office and the Tokyo Shimbun (Tokyo Newspaper).

 

The works exhibited were of Sakamoto Ryuichi, Takemitsu Toru, Carsten Nicolai, John Cage, for example. But I was quite impressed by “clinamen” by Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, and “Two Times 4’33” by Manon de Boer.

 

 

The “clinamen” drew me into the unknown world. Its sounds, rung by porcelain bowls’ kissing each other floating over the framed pool, made me left speechless.

How can we define whether it is art or music? It is quite impossible to do it, I suppose. Fundamentally, “music” is a component of the vast definition of “art”. In such a meaning, Wassily Kandinsky would describe “musicians” were those who could realise the abstruct subject.

Sketchbook in Leather Jacket: The Only One in Japan for My Father

This beautiful leather work is a product from Aspinal of London, the leather shop.

http://www.aspinaloflondon.com/eshop-catalogue/albums-and-books/leather-journals-and-notebooks/lizard-print-refillable-leather-journals/lizard-print-large-refillable-leather-journal/5614-large-refillable-journal-in-navy-lizard

This is a refillable leather notecover, and usually people buy it with a notebook with ruled lines.

But when I asked a nice lady who works at Aspinal of London Covent Garden Shop that I would like to buy something special for my father, artist, in Japan, she proposed it would be better to use this cover for a sketchbook.

According to her, an artist came to the shop and he ordered to cover a sketchbook with the leather product in the past. Since then, Aspinal of London has been producing plain notebooks as sketchbooks.

Indeed, their plain notebook was absolutely fine for drawing. I believed this was the best gift ever for my dearest father who enthusiastically loves to drawing and painting.

I have no idea how Aspinal of London is famous in Japan, but it is almost true that my father is the only owner in Japan, who has a fine refillable leather jacket for sketchbooks.

When you visit London (or England), find a shop of Aspinal of London for the better gift for your dearest person.

See Aspinal of London’s website:

http://www.aspinaloflondon.com/

Design History Workshop Japan

What is the difinition of the term ‘design history’?

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Unfortunately it is not simple to answer. Design historians are partly historians. We research the history of design or its surroundings, mostly focusing on society, economy, politics, policies, etc.

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‘Design’ has played a vital role to change our society, or vastly the world. And it will, in the future. Not only the situation but also human being itself has been changed by design. Those who are called design historians are studying and clarifying the interwoven internal and external elements on design.

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Those who study ‘history of design’ are not design historians, I suppose. They could be historians who advocate the art field. Design historians would always focus various directions: socially, economically, politically and popularly.

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The activities of design historians are popular in the United Kingdom and Japan. In the United Kingdom, The Design History Society (1977-) internationally supports the study of its field, and their publishing Jornal of Design History is the leading journal from Oxford Journal. It is written in English, and published four times a year.

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In Japan, in 2002, the academic society Design History Workshop Japan was founded, and has been playing a pivotal role to spread the field of ‘design history’ into Japan. I have been a member of this society since 2008.

The society also publishes annual journal: The Journal of the Design History Workshop Japan. It is bilingual (Japanese and English) because our society attempts to promote our activities internationally.

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The above picture represents the 10th issue (the 10th anniversary too!). My paper was published through this issue: Promoting Modern Swedish Design after the 1990s.

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We will be able to ship our journals off to abroad, so if you are interested in them, let me know.

Glass factory: Kosta Glasbruck

Kosta Glasbruck is one of the oldest glass factories in Sweden. Småland, the south part of the country, is quite famous for glass factories like Orrefors and Boda. The history of Kosta Glasbruck started in 1742, and it has been producing beautiful but daily glass works as well as works for the national events and the royal family.

The below team was producing beautiful champagne glass works which had been used for Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding, when I visited there in Oct, 2010.

What I want to try is the wall decoration.

See? What an amazing!!! It is a little bit impossible (or should I say dangerous?) to furnish such glass works on the wall in Japan because the country is often hit the earthquakes. But is it interesting?

After a lady guided me their factory, she took me to the small exhibition corner where I could see successive works of Kosta. What the most impressive was two glass works which were designed for Stockholmsutställningen 1930 (the Stockholm Exhibition 1930).

Especially the right one was fabulous! The engraving pattern was not originally Swedish, but the technique and the balance were absolutely fantastic! The works were designed by Elis Bergh, in 1929.

Kosta has produced a lot of modern design and most of them are very fashionable. But when you visit there, try to see works that were produced before the WWII. Its world will take your breath away.

See Kosta (Boda) website:

http://www.kostaboda.se/

Skönhet för alla: my first post

This is my first post on this blog: ‘Skönhet för Alla’.

The phrase ‘Skönhet för alla’ is one of my favourite Swedish words, and means ‘Beauty for all’ in English. This is the title of an essay (Uppsala, 1899) written by Ellen Key, a Swedish feminist and educator  who was active in the late 19th century.

 

 

The above picture is the front page of her essay. Its design was by a Swedish artist, Carl Larsson.

Why did I choose this title for my blog title? It is quite simple. What she mentioned in her essay inspired me: her essay is based on my study about Swedish design history.

So I will post articles on design, art, culture on this blog. I will also post on travelling that I really love.