METHOD NO. 26 (SEPTEMBER 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. 26, carries a text by Shigeru Matsui and a web
piece by Masahiro Miwa, and word and info by the three Methodicists.
>>>METHODICIST'S TEXT OF THIS MONTH:
Inevitability of the Restoration of Authoritarianism in Literature
by Shigeru Matsui, poet
Before arguing historical inevitability of the restoration of
authoritarianism, I want to explain that the literary theory has
historically developed as ideology described subjectively. Generally,
literature means especially poetry, novels, and criticisms, etc., among
those innumerable writings which exist in the world. Roland Barthes
said that literature was nothing but the thing to be taught. That
means ideology formed literature by giving authorities to the writings.
That is, the literary theory is an incommensurable dogma supported by
the ideology of the same age, not a falsifiable theory derived from the
result of analyzation of works. In other words, literary history is the
history of ideology, not the history of writings. As an apt
illustration, you can refer to the index of "Literary Theory - Second
Edition" (Blackewell, 1996) written by Terry Eagleton, a contemporary
literary critic. You will find there: English Literature Criticism (New
Criticism), Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Reception Theory, Structuralism,
Semiotics, Post-Structuralism, Psychoanalysis, Political Criticism
(Post-Colonial Theory is included in the "Afterword"). Here, you can
verify that literary history of the twentieth century almost agrees
with the history of ideology.
I want to argue inevitability of the restoration of
authoritarianism in literature, accepting positively that literary
history is the history of ideology. You can understand literary history
of the twentieth century as the process of the development from
modernism to post-modernism, as you can infer it from the above-
mentioned index. I am acting with the belief that methodicism should
appear in the index, if it has a sequel, as a movement which reacts
against post-modernism.
Post-modernism is a logical consequence of liberalism that was
brought about by the democratic system. As a result, literary theory of
post-modernism treated all writings equally, not limiting to poetry,
novels, and criticisms, etc. In other words, it abandoned its authority
for declaring literature as literature. Disappearance of hierarchy
among writings and abandonment of authority may be considered as
corruption itself that caters to the popular taste. It is this
standpoint, I think, that regards itself as an heir to the orthodox
literature in our times. This is the methodicism itself. From this
standpoint, we have already published four manifestos. And, I, who
regard myself as a method poet, have given a definition of method poem
in the manifestos and actually have made poems. In consideration of the
precedent made by T. S. Eliot who advocated authoritarianism at the
beginning of the twentieth century against the license of industrial
capitalist society, I think that there is inevitability to restore
authoritarianism in literature at the present time of after post-
modernism, if the rise of reactive dogma is considered to be a
historical law, after the absence of dogma caused by the excess of
freedom.
Methodicism, as ideology, intends the restoration of
authoritarianism as seen above. Authoritarianism has been connected
with tradition and nationalism. If seen from my works, methodicism has
some part that should be spoken in relation to tradition and nationalism.
That can be thinkable to some extent if you remember the above Eliot's
matter. I will write the subject further in another article.
>>>METHODICIST'S WEB PIECE OF THIS MONTH:
Matari-o-Max VR v1.0
by Masahiro Miwa, composer
http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/XORensemble.html
Good news! Finally you can enjoy Matarisama alone at home! Seven
virtual Matarers (Matarisama players) are ready to play together with
you at any time. "Matari-o-Max" was originally developed for two robot
arms but it was too expensive (about $25,000). Now you can exercise
Matarisama with a "VR" version for free! Please download "Matari-o-Max
VR" software. Use the space key as your castanets (= KAKE) and the
return key as your bells (= SUZU). You can set the level of reaction
speed such as "beginner," "advanced" and "professional." The rule of
Matarisama is very simple. Please read "Performance of Matari-sama" on
the same web page. When you delay or mistake, please shout "Ma-taaa-
reeee!" to show spirit. Practice and improve yourself secretly, and
let's surprise your Matarer friends!
>>>METHODICISTS' WORD & INFO OF THIS MONTH:
Hideki Nakazawa, artist:
nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/
- Solo Show at Goliath Visual Space in Greenpoint, Sep 20-Oct 12, 2003.
117 Dobbin St., Brklyn, NYC.(G, Nassau / L, Bedford) www.goliath777.com
Opening Reception: 6-9 pm on Sat, Sep 20. Hours: 1-6 pm on Sat-Sun, by
appointment on Mon-Fri (GVS 718.389.0369, Nakazawa 646.361.9130).
Nakazawa will exhibit new works using pulleys according to his "method."
- METHOD NIGHT VOL. 9 (THE LAST): "Method Music Concert" by H. Nakazawa.
7 pm on Saturday, September 27, 2003, at Goliath Visual Space.
Music pieces by four Methodicists, present and former, will be performed.
Some of those will be played by Fumie Hihara, a Japanese koto player.
The place is where Nakazawa's solo show is to be held (see the above),
and this will be the last METHOD NIGHT, the series of his monthly events.
Nakazawa's activities in NYC with a support from Japanese Government
will end next month. COME AND WITNESS TODAY'S TRUE RADICALISM.
(The program includes "Matari-sama." See the details on Nakazawa's HP.)
- Group Show curated by Yasufumi Nakamori at Chambers Fine Art, Chelsea.
210 Eleventh Ave., 2nd fl, NYC. (corner of W 25th St.) T 212.414.1169
Through Sep 6, 2003. Curator's talk and walkthrough: 6 pm on Thu, Sep 4.
Nakazawa is exhibiting "US$1000.00 Which Consists of 40384 Coins."
Shigeru Matsui, poet:
shigeru@td5.so-net.ne.jp http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/
- I hope you are keeping well in spite of the lingering summer heat.
This is one of the formulas of Japanese season's greetings. My name is
Shigeru Matsui. I was born on January 7, 1975. I have never stopped
writing poems since January 7, 2001. Therefore I have been a poet.
- I will exhibit "Pure Poem" and "Quantum Poem" for the theme exhibition
"YUMITSUHO" at Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi, which will be
open from September 14 to December 28, 2003. "YUMITSUHO" is the
exhibition by Yutaka Matsuzawa, artist, and Mitsu Sakura, poet.
- Performance "The poet Shigeru Matsui reading his own Poems" at 3:00 pm
on September 14, 2003, at the gallery on the second floor of Toyota
Municipal Museum of Art.
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art www.museum.toyota.aichi.jp
Masahiro Miwa, composer:
mmiwa@iamas.ac.jp http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/
- 9/1: I will be in Linz/Austria with Mr. Noriaki Ogasawara and
preparing for showing the Matarisama Dolls (water driven mechanical
dolls as XOR logical computing devices) at Ars Electronica festival.
Please visit Art & Tek Institute, Linz, and watch the moving and
sounding dolls as the final version! The exhibition is from Sep 6 to 11.
www.aec.at/en/festival/programm/project.asp?area=11&iProjectID=12226
- 9/5: The Formant Brothers (with Mr. Nobuyasu Sakonda) will show the
"Klavocode," the real time human speech controller as the world premiere.
Ms. Tomoko Mukaiyama (pianist living in Amsterdam) will come to Japan
and demonstrate the interface at Aichi Art Center, Japan, using her
brilliant piano technique, and will make an international telephone call
with me in Linz!
www.bekkoame.ne.jp/~nsakonda/aac030905.html (Japanese)
- 9/13: Solo event "The Time of Reverse Simulation Music" at Winds Cafe,
Kichijoji, Tokyo. IAMAS High Speed Matarisama Team will show you the
result of their daily training!
www.st.rim.or.jp/~mal/Cafe/ (Japanese)
Group "METHOD":
http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/
>>>POSTSCRIPT:
The next issue, NO. 27, will be published on October 1, carrying a text
by Masahiro Miwa and a web piece by Hideki Nakazawa. 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. 26 published on September 1, 2003
(C) Hideki Nakazawa, Shigeru Matsui, Masahiro Miwa, 2003