footnote :
1. 'sensation of motion in time' #02 is a performance project by Erika Matsunami in the film programme of the exhibition 'Der(im-) perfekte Mensch' at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany, 2003
Performance: Claudia Pfeifruck, Tim Petersen, Erika Matsunami (live Dia projection 'body landscape'), Photography: Erika Matsunami
Music for this performance: Music of Guqin/Kokin by Wu Fang
Concept/Choreography: Erika Matsunami;
In collaboration with Theater Thikwa, Berlin, Germany
2. The guqin (simplified/traditional: 古琴; pinyin: gǔqín; Wade–Giles ku-ch'in; literally "ancient stringed instrument") is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family. It has been played since ancient times.
3. English edition
Translated by Anthony Mathews
Publisher Reaktion Books, London, 2000
4. Michael Newall, Is Seeing-In a Transparency Effect?, British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 55, Number 2 April, 2015, pp.131–156.
5.
My audiovisual concept on the subject of the body comprises both feelings of closeness and distance.
I try to create a virtual world of sensitive touch which interacts with the shared senses of others.
- fact and body, and literary formalism (Idea)
episodic memory, associative memory, echoic memory
I started this work B.O.D.Y. in 2002 for my project 'sensation of motion in time'1 #02 that is the performance with the Dia-projection which was presented in the Film programme of the exhibition 'Der(im-)perfekte Mensch' at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.
My choreographic Idea and subjects which based on this performance 'sensation of motion in time' #02 were 'episodic memory, associative memory, and subjectivity and objectivity' into the choreography, and improvised movement and performance with the emotion of/for own body that were my concept of this performance. I wanted to express mostly the performer's emotion of/for thier own body in the performance #02.
How did I start to create the choreography with two disability performers who have spasticity:
I'd started to talk with each one, and I'd listened each of thier stories from thier childhood. Then I'd started to take a picture of thier memory in thier body, such as scar, skin and detail of body. Their personal stories were not only about trauma, but there were rather wish, dream and about beauty etc. Together with these stories of them I created the photographic work 'body landscape' with black and white Dia-Film.
And I'd shown performers this my photographic work 'body landscape' with black and white Dia-Film, which I projected in the theater rehearsal room. After this photographic presenation I'd listened thier impression. Next step was; how do we create emotional movement. For this subject I'd taught them some movment and performance techniques and methods. Thereby one of important lesson was the movment and thier breathing such as in and out, slowly and faster. A performer had been sitting in the wheelchair since long time, but she'd started to stand up and to perform standing up position since this performance 'sensation of motion in time'#02, and she'd started to walk that she'd wanted. (Her want to stand up was same as baby, but she had the norm of 'standing' in her mental, she looked always other 'form' who can stand and walk. I proposed her another possiblity for standing and I showed antoher norm of form by the photographic porjection such as body landsacpe. For this reason 'body landscape' must be a part of her body and from her body for the performance 'sensation of motion in time' #02.) My choreographic idea for this two disablity performers was not a dance choreography, but rather it was a literary formalism.
The music of this performance: I selected a modernized music by the chinese traditional instrument of the Guqin/Kokin (古琴)2 which was played by Wu Fan, which one is not based on the western rhythm and tonal, but rather it is the chinese dynamic expression that is a chinese musical 'time' conception.
(In my expreience with the theater Thikwá in Berlin I'd oriented to the evolutionary psychology and the neuroscience.)
body landscape - after 'sensation of motion in time' #02:
I'd been listening of the personal stories by others who I met by chance, and my friends, colleagues, family and I'd been taking the pictures until 2009 or longer that was random action of mine. This art works were re-conceptualized as the project B.O.D.Y. (2010).
literary formalism by the listening from other personal stories:
'brainchild' in this context that is mine to see in my drawings and to listen my sounds, that is my listening (memory) of storytellings by others which can not be summarized, because in the processe I have felt my emotions for these stories of others which were very individual and my action was random. In this case there is no 'paradigm'. for exapmle; I could not characterize and describe a person who told me own stroy, such as 'A Turkish drag qeen is a man', and it is not same 'A man is a turkish drag qeen'. (I met several times a Turkish drag qeen at a café in Berlin and I listened his story.) At the same time I had to reflect about individuality and personality such as age, gender, and mostly about identity (national identity, culture identity, professional identity, sexual identity, etc.) that were undescribed. so that I'd taken the pictures such as skin, to manifeste and to disclose their invisible natur which are undescribed personality as abstract photography.
Installation B.O.D.Y.
Drawing B.O.D.Y.
Sound B.O.D.Y. - 5
- Illustration of the Imagination (procedure of visual concept/composition)
Thesis:
„Bilder sind bedeutende Flächen. Sie deuten – zumeist – auf etwas in der Raumzeit „dort draußen“, das sie uns als Abstraktionen (als Verkürzungen der vier Raumzeit-Dimensionen auf die zwei der Fläche) vorstellbar machen sollen. Diese spezifische Fähigkeit, Flächen aus der Raumzeit zu abstrahieren und wieder in die Raumzeit zurückzuprojizieren, soll „Imagination“ genannt werden.
Die Bedeutung der Bilder liegt auf Oberfläche: Man kann sie auf einen einzigen Blick erfassen – aber dann bleibt sie Oberfläche. Will man die Bedeutung vertiefen, das heißt: die abstrahieren Dimensionen rekonstruieren, muß man dem Blick gestatten, tastend über die Oberfläche zu schweifen. Dieses Schweifen über Bildoberfläche soll „Scanning“ genannt werden. Dabei folgt der Blick einem komplexen Weg, der zum einen von der Bildstruktur, zum anderen von den Intentionen des Betrachtes geformt ist. Die Bedeutung des Bildes, wie sie sich im Zuge des Scanning erschließt, stellt demnach eine Synthese zweier Intention dar: jener, die sich im bild manifestiert, und jener des Betrachters. Es folgt, dass Bilder nicht „denotative“ Symbolkomplexe sind (wie etwa die Zahlen), sondern „konnotative“ Symbolkomplexe: sie bieten Raum für Interpretation. „ (Vilém Flusser, Für eine Philosophie der Fotografie (1983), S.9.)
("Images are significant surfaces. They suggest - mostly - on something in spacetime 'out (of) there' that they should make us conceivably as abstractions (as reductions of four spacetime-dimensions (four-dimenstional space-time) into the two of surface). This specific ability, to abstract surfaces from space-time and to project into the space-time back again, that should be stated "Imagination".
The meaning of the images lies on the surface: You (man/one) can see (apprehend) at a single glance - but then it remains superficial. If you (man/one) want to deepen the meaning, that is to say: the abstract dimensions reconstruct, you must allow the view, to wander across the surface gropingly. This sweeping over image surface is to be called 'scanning'. Thereby the eye follows a complex path, which is formed on the one of the image structure, on the other hand of the intentions of the viewer's. The importance of the image as it reveals itself in the course of scanning, therefore, represents a synthesis of two intentions: that which manifests itself in the image, and that of the viewers. It follows that images are not "denotative" symbol complexes (such as numbers), rather "connotative" symbol complexes: they offer expanse (space) for interpretation." (Vilém Flusser, Towards A Philosophy of Photography, (1983), p. 9 (German edition). Trans. by Erika Matsunami for a contemplation.) Towards A Philosophy of Photography3 p.8 (English Edition)
Vilém Flusser
- Lecture Vier Menschenbilder / Mensch & Technik
- 1988 Interview about technical revolution
My understanding about this essay of Flusser that was critical about western modernism (industrialization and authority) as well as colonialism from his perspective which was towards A Philosphy of Photography in progress (He had written this essay for the futuer at that time.), when I'd read this essay in German in the 90s in Berlin, and in 2015 I read his essay for a philosophy of photography in Berlin again.
The translation of English edtion by Anthony Mathews is really good that would be able to forward his theses after post-modernism such as digital photography (the chip als material) together with computer science in the 21st century.
My approch with artistic project B.O.D.Y. is inexplicalbe things which project was started such as philosopical aspect of Flusser from the perspective modernisum with analog photography (the film als material).
Flusser's in this paragraph of in the post-modernism is one of our (human) traditional and ontological about 'the image/das Bild' with the technology as well as philosophy, aesthetics (including phycology) and photographic science and engineering that is universal.
body landscape - analog photogpraphy without computer simulation
Hypothesis:
The Attempt of Flusser in the 80s 'Erfindung der linearen Schrift' (the invention of linear writing) and 'Erfindung der technischen Bilder' (the invention of the technical images) in his essay Towards A Philosophy of Photography as Thesis I attempt to create my Hypothesis from a perspective in the early 21st century e.g. photography B.O.D.Y.. (with the technology as well as philosophy, aesthetics (including evolutionary psychology, neuroscience) and photographic science and engineering that is universal.)
About "Bilder sind bedeutende Flächen. Sie deuten – zumeist – auf etwas in der Raumzeit „dort draußen“, das sie uns als Abstraktionen (als Verkürzungen der vier Raumzeit-Dimensionen auf die zwei der Fläche) vorstellbar machen sollen." (Images are significant surfaces. They suggest - mostly - on something in spacetime "out of there" that they should make us conceivably as abstractions (as reductions of four spacetime-dimensions (four-dimenstional space-time) into the two of surface).
In this sentence "auf zwei der Fläche" this likely on twice 'surface', thereby I'd like to bring up the subject laws of 'scission' of Michael Newall in his paper 'Is Seeing-In a Transparency Effect?' 4 additionally. My consideration about laws of 'scission' in his paper that is universal which would be brought into the cultuer sense (common being) in each location - 'in situ'.
- Black - White : reducing - zero (in the process of conceptualisation)
Diaphragm - iris of the eye and light:
Etching, Photography, Photogravure:
- Imagination and encoding between visual and auditory (conceptualizing)
-> music (auditive)
-> installation
-> performance (performative)