METHOD NO. 18 (JANUARY 1, 2003)
Email-Bulletin "METHOD" is a free monthly on "Method Painting, Method
Poem, Method Music (Methodicist Manifesto)." Publishers are three
Japanese artists, Hideki Nakazawa as a (visual) artist, Shigeru Matsui
as a poet, and Masahiro Miwa as a composer. You can read the three
manifestos of Methodicism at http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/
If you do not want to receive this bulletin furthermore, contact us at
nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp
This issue, METHOD NO. 18, carries a text by Hideki Nakazawa and a web
piece by Shigeru Matsui, and word and info by the Methodicists. The
format of this bulletin has been revised from this issue. First, we
stopped inviting guest artists. Secondly, we changed the issuing cycle
from bimonthly to monthly. And lastly, we decreased the volume from
four texts and four pieces to one text and one piece. We hope these
changes will help you to read this bulletin.
>>>METHODICIST'S TEXT OF THIS MONTH:
Against This Spoiled Age
by Hideki Nakazawa, artist
Has anything changed since January 1, 2000, when we published the
First Methodicist Manifesto? I dare to say "Nothing," even after the
September 11, 2001. Cheap sensationalism or sensualism, for example, is
still rampant in the New York's art scene. No discipline exists, nor
aesthetic canon, except the P. C. (Political Correctness). Yes, you may
find very conceptual and pretty systematic works sometimes, but I am
disappointed because most of those are depending on humor or wittiness,
rather than on logical inevitability. Postmodernism, which includes
postcolonialism, is still overwhelming even today, January 1, 2003.
Thus I believe the three Manifestos of Methodicism* to be still
effective. Against this spoiled age, we must obey discipline which we
have settled to call "method." I suppose this thought is not so queer,
if anything, being universal and international. Or, you can find many
examples of such world criticism in the past, e.g. neoclassicism.
But this thought has an aspect of being originated in today's
Japan, where most of culture surrendered to America and the West. Of
course, Japan has its own tradition which Japanese people are proud of,
but that is not a mirror of today's Japan. The reality is rather the
cultural backwardness; to say more accurately, lack of political power
in culture, especially in words. The fact is that loan words from
America are tremendously increasing in every aspect of Japanese language
from daily conversation to treatises. This fact ironically suggests
that Japan is an incredibly "advanced" postmodernistic and globalized
country. But we, at least the Methodicists, have no scope for joking.
Such impatience, derived from the self-knowledge of backwardness,
may have led us to extreme radicalism. We did not select the way to
nationalism, adopted logic instead. Yes, Methodicism is neomodernism in
another word. We regard ourselves as modernists, who are reductionists
on the context of aesthetics. Since the word "radical" has the meaning
of "root" in its origin, radicalism is equal to reductionism if we
consider logic as the roots. We use the word "method," just because
logic resulted in tautology during the twentieth century.
Again, such impatience, derived from backwardness, may have led us
to extreme radicalism. I have once read a text by Hisao Matsuura,
arguing the relationship between radicalism and backwardness seen in the
Russian Avant-garde and the Italian Futurism. It seems to me that we
are in a similar situation again almost a century later. There is no
mystery if today's Japan yields "true" reductionism, as the Methodicism.
*NOTE: The First Manifesto on January 1, 2000, the Second on January 1,
2001, the Third on January 1, 2002. Visit aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/
>>>METHODICIST'S WEB PIECE OF THIS MONTH:
Quantum Poem No. 61 - 71
by Shigeru Matsui, poet
http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/QuantumPoem.html
Poems from November 1 to December 21. My intention to write Quantum
Poem is to restore the Japanese ancient poems' ideas such as prophesying,
rhyming, or feeling the changes of the seasons. I used 4-day forecast
of the highest and the lowest temperatures for five days, which were
printed in "Mainichi Daily News," as the substance of these poems.
Continuous weather observation or prediction brings about various
changes in temperature in one day. The work's title is based on "Many
Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics." Please refer to the text
"To Quantum Poem" in the back number, "Method No. 15."
>>>METHODICISTS' WORD & INFO OF THIS MONTH:
Hideki Nakazawa, artist:
nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/
- I have been in New York since November, 2002, participating in the
program of ISCP (International Studio & Curatorial Program), sponsored
for a year by Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan. I have already held
"Open Studio" twice, but I want to show my works to more people. Please
come and see my works at ISCP #610; address and phone number are written
below, email address above. Appointment needed. You can find a list of
the shown pieces and my statement at the above URL, "Studio Exhibition."
- I will start monthly event series at my studio as below:
METHOD NIGHT VOL. 1
1) "Method Cocktail" composed by Nakazawa, Matsui, and Adachi in 2001
2) Talk and Discussion on Method Art
Starts at 7 pm on Friday, January 24, 2003.
ISCP #610, 6th Floor of 323 West 39th Street, New York NY 10018
(between 8th and 9th Avenues; A, C, E to 42nd Street, exit at 40th)
Tel 212.947.0752 Cell 646.361.9130 Admission free.
No appointment needed this day. You can come earlier than 7 pm to see
my works. Come, and observe today's true radicalism as a witness!
- My pieces, "Set No. 5 Which Consists of 187 Japanese Words," "Japanese
Syllabic Polyphonies in Two Voices" etc. will be presented in a part of
"About Method Poem" at Urawa Art Museum, Saitama, on January 19, 2003.
See the info by Shigeru Matsui.
- I won a premium prize at VOCA exhibition, which will be held from
March 15, 2003, at Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo. The title of my piece is
"41193 Yen Which Consists of 19235 Coins (Money Amount No. 24)."
Shigeru Matsui, poet:
shigeru@td5.so-net.ne.jp http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/
- The year of 2002 was a commemorable one for method poem. Because, it
was just 10 years ago when Motoaki Shinohara called his own compositions
method poems. It was great pleasure for me, who respect Shinohara, to
costar with him at "About Method Poem," an event related to the
exhibition "Melting Point: on Poetry and Sculpture" by poets and artists
at Urawa Art Museum, Saitama. Programs of "About Method Poem" were made
by Shigeru Matsui. Other two events will be held in January, 2003.
-'One Hour for Poetry of Shigeru Matsui' January 5 at 2:00 PM
Performance of Matsui's poetry.
-'The Recital: Method Poem and Surrounding Arts' January 19 at 2:00 PM
Poets and artists will read method-like poems and works. For further
information, please visit the above URL.
Masahiro Miwa, composer:
mmiwa@iamas.ac.jp http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/
- I will write here about a unit, "The Formant Brothers," for this issue.
"The Formant Brothers" was born in 2000 for collaborating composition by
Nobuyasu Sakonda and myself (we are not real brothers!). In the first
composition, "La Internacio" (the title is written in Esperanto), the
Brothers transformed breath noises of a trumpet into speaking (singing)
voices in real time so that a trumpet could sing the old well-known but
now almost forgotten communist song "The International."
On December 19, 2002, the Brothers premiered the second composition,
titled "From an Administrative Daily Report of the Office on Day Nursery,
the Department of Social Service, N City, for a Cello and a Computer."
Melodies and noises from a cello are transformed into speaking and
singing melodies of a Japanese children's song and also crying and
laughing voices of children and babies. These modified sounds are fed
back to the body of a cello using a contact speaker as an attachment.
"The Formant Brothers" always aims to reproduce human speech with
formant synthesis using a technique being embedded in our originally
developed software. But we are trying not to enjoy the synthesized
speech itself but to consider why we have strong desire to listen to the
artificial speech using the latest technology. It is important, because
we suppose such desire is exactly the same as a religious/erotic love
towards 'machine' throughout the history of man.
- My first poetry work as a Methodicist will be presented in a part of
"About Method Poem" at Urawa Art Museum on January 19. See the info by
Shigeru Matsui.
- Kiyonori Sokabe, a trampettist, will play "SendMail v3" in his recital
"Electorical Parade at Daikanyama" at Hillside Terrace Daikanyama, Tokyo,
on January 25. He may also have a chance to play "La Internacio" of The
Formant Bros. As for "SendMail v3," please read my text and see my work
appeared in the back number, "Method No. 16."
Group "METHOD":
http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/
- As for "About Method Poem," see info by Shigeru Matsui.
- "Brief History of Methodicism" has newly appeared at the above URL.
- Volunteer assistants to help our activities wanted.
- Attention! MethodiCISM is not Methodism. Do not confuse them.
>>>POSTSCRIPT:
The next issue, NO. 19, will be published on February 1, carrying a text
by Shigeru Matsui and a web piece by Masahiro Miwa. There are two
versions of this bulletin; one is only in English which you are reading
right now, the other is accompanied by Japanese translation which we can
send you at your request. To read the back numbers, visit the above URL
of "METHOD." To subscribe or unsubscribe for this bulletin, email any
of us at the above email addresses. You can send on this bulletin
to others freely, but corruption and appropriation are prohibited.
Monthly Email-Bulletin METHOD NO. 18 published on January 1, 2003
(C) Hideki Nakazawa, Shigeru Matsui, Masahiro Miwa 2003