METHOD NO. 22 (MAY 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, a (visual) artist, Shigeru Matsui, a
poet, and Masahiro Miwa, a composer. You can read the manifestos of
Methodicism at http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/
This issue, METHOD NO. 22, carries a text by Hideki Nakazawa and a web
piece by Shigeru Matsui, and word and info by the three Methodicists.
>>>METHODICIST'S TEXT OF THIS MONTH:
Two Types of Method Paintings: Coordinates And a Set
by Hideki Nakazawa, artist
Method paintings can be broadly divided into two types; the type
of coordinates and the type of a set. This classification will involve
an argument about where the paintings to be reduced.
As I wrote before, a painting is an accumulation of color dots,
while a method painting is an accumulation of signs (*1). A reduction
has taken place when I used signs instead of color dots, that is, the
reduction (or the discard) of physiology, the actual sense of sight.
The next matter is how to place signs. One way is to place them
in their respective fixed places like in a grid, which means to give a
certain coordinates value to each sign. That way is of the type of
coordinates, whose examples made by Japanese letters and pieces for a
board game, "go," are at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/work016.html
The other way is to place signs into a certain region but not in
any fixed places, which means that each sign is movable, or, merely an
element of a certain set determined by "{," at the left end, and "}," at
the right end. That way is of the type of a set. An example of a set
of numbers is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/work012.html
and coins in a plastic bag which means a certain region like "{}" is at:
aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/portfolio/jpg/op101moneyamount26.html
From one reductionistic point of view, the type of a set is
superior because it succeeded in discarding even a coordinates system,
which means that a painting is no longer required to be a static plane.
However, from another reductionistic point of view, only the reduction
of physiology is sufficient for being method paintings; the discard of a
coordinates system is unnecessary. Therefore, I just say there are two
types in method paintings; the type of coordinates and the type of a set.
Let me introduce a further example of the type of coordinates.
All the signs are basically of the same size just like the small dots
seen in Seurat's pointillistic paintings. However, if adjacent signs
are synthesized into a big sign, larger signs will appear just like the
larger dots seen in Matisse's early fauvistic paintings. An example
using alphabets is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/work020.html
Also allow me to introduce an in-between type of the two. The
idea derives from the type of a set, while the actual pieces are of the
type of cordinates because the each sign is actually fixed. They do not
obey grids anymore but show certain patterns independently of the
intention of the author. An example made by fixed coins is at:
aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/portfolio/jpg/op029moneyamount1.html
and an example made by fixed coined words is at:
aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/portfolio/pdf/op109sentence1.html
(*1) See "Signs Instead of Color Dots" appeared in "Method No. 13."
>>>METHODICIST'S WEB PIECE OF THIS MONTH:
Pure Poem
by Shigeru Matsui, poet
http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/PurePoem.html
"Pure poem" is a work in which Japanese ancient poems (divine poems)
have been realized in our times. Ancient divine poems can be defined as
a row of letters made by unusual meters which were brought about by the
links between unusual symbols and unusual word orders. "Pure poem,"
which has realized them in the present godless day, can be also defined
as a row of letters made by mere meters which were brought about by the
links between mere symbols and mere word orders. I am self-confident
that this work has highlighted the problems on regions, periods and
fields, that is, "Japan / today / poetry." I will write more about
"pure poem" in succeeding issues.
>>>METHODICISTS' WORD & INFO OF THIS MONTH:
Hideki Nakazawa, artist:
nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/
- ISCP Open Studio Exhibition: tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!!
12-9 pm, Fri., May 2 & 12-6 pm, Sat., May 3. (Reception: 6-9 pm, Fri.)
Floors 4, 6, 7, 8, and 12 at 323 W 39th St. (btw 8th & 9th), NYC, USA.
31 artists from 18 nations welcome you to visit their studios.
Hideki Nakazawa's Individual Performance, "Korean & Japanese Coined
Words Reading," by Sooyeon Lee and Hideki Nakazawa: 5 pm, Fri. & 5 pm,
Sat. at his studio #610 on the 6th floor. ... I am one of the current
participants in ISCP, International Studio and Curatorial Program, being
supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese Government.
Today, I am installing around 30,000 US coins on the floor of my studio.
I have just finished installing 16,208 letters (3,960 coined words)
stuck directly on the walls and the windows. (ISCP: www.iscp-nyc.org)
- METHOD NIGHT VOL. 5: "Coined Words Reading" by Hideki Nakazawa
Performers: Sooyeon Lee, Viktoria Binschtok, and Hideki Nakazawa
7 pm, Fri., May 23 at ISCP #610, 323 W 39th St., (btw 8th & 9th), NYC.
Open Discussion will follow. COME AND WITNESS TODAY'S TRUE RADICALISM.
- My text, "Art-Fundamentalism And War," will appear in the June issue
of Bijutsu Techo, Japanese art magazine, featuring "Art And War." Our
"Methodicist Manifesto of Participation in War" will also be carried.
... The nuance of the word "fundamentalism" in Japanese is a little bit
different from the original meaning in English. Japanese use this word
in many situations like "economy-fundamentalism" and such, and my above-
said "art-fundamentalism" is one of them. For me, "art-fundamentalism"
is a synonym for "art for art's sake," although the former sounds more
confrontational to society as dadaists were, while the latter sounds
more retired from the world as romanticists were.
Shigeru Matsui, poet:
shigeru@td5.so-net.ne.jp http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/
- I am preparing for the performance "marathon READING 2003" in June.
I am planning to have my 'no' performance which will suit to my own work.
The syle of performance is not decided yet.
- Perfomance "marathon READING 2003" on June 28, 2003 (Tokyo).
http://plaza24.mbn.or.jp/~naku/mr.html
Masahiro Miwa, composer:
mmiwa@iamas.ac.jp http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/
- Last month I spent a lot of time for composing a new piece for
orchestra, "Bolero by Muramatsu Gear Engine," which will be first
performed on 5th of June in Cairo. As you can imagine from the words
"Muramatsu Gear" (* NOTE), I regard the piece as "Notated Reverse-
Simulation Music."
Because the "Muramatsu Gear" has its own history about an aborigines
called GIYACK, I kept being a Giyack-ese composer of nationalism in
music while composing. I tried to transfer every details of the style
and the spirit of Giyack-ian music into European orchestral music. For
example, except the beginning of the piece no pitches are indicated on
the part score. Instead of absolute pitch indication there are symbols
for glissandi of 1/3 of a tone up or down.
(* NOTE) About the "Muramatsu Gear," carried as the web-piece of "METHOD
NO. 19," please see: http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/MuramatsuGear.html
Group "METHOD":
http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/
- Preparing for the publication of a series "Off-Line Separate Volumes
of 'METHOD.'"
- Volunteer assistants invited to help our activities.
>>>POSTSCRIPT:
The next issue, NO. 23, will be published on June 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 to 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. 22 published on May 1, 2003
(C) Hideki Nakazawa, Shigeru Matsui, Masahiro Miwa, 2003