1. This is not a “boycott in protest”. 2. I do not think of the actions described here as “censorship”.
Let me emphasize these two points first.
In Seoul, in an art space called Loop, eleven Japanese and South Korean artists will participate in an exhibition called “Korea-Japan Interchange Exhibition ‘50/50’” from this coming 25th October until 24th November. A Relay Performance will be held on the 24th and 25th October to create the content for that exhibition.
The performance plan here was what I suggested for my own part in the Relay Performance. After that, I was told by Loop: “It’s impossible to carry out a performance using the Rising Sun Flag”. I answered, “Then I’ll think of a plan B”. And then I thought about it a great deal.
And then I made a decision. This blog will be my “Plan B”. So this will be the form in which I express myself.
Apart from the exchange detailed above, Loop and I have not been in contact. So all this was something I thought about and decided to do by myself. I do not consider there to have been any deterioration at all in my relationship with Loop.
I decided not to carry out the performance, if that would mean having to partly or entirely change it. Instead, I decided that - without enacting it - I would show, through this blog, the situation that forced me into only being able to carry out the performance if I changed it.
I want to spread awareness of the fact that you and I are living in a world in which a performance like this cannot take place. For me, such a situation feels abnormal. I want that “phantom flag”, which wasn’t able to be shown in our world, to fill the imagination of each person reading this. That, alone, would be enough.
Since I was the one who “left” this event, objectively I have nothing to do with it any more. However, subjectively, I still have strong ambitions to participate. To put that the opposite way: my strong ambition was what made the choice for me to “leave” the performance event.
Because even if it remains unfulfilled, my aim is for real mutual understanding, and real world peace.
<Postscript> The series of controversies associated with this year’s Aichi Triennale led to a lot of reflection for me, and they continue to occupy my thoughts. Given the timing of this exhibition in Seoul, it was impossible for me not to think of a performance plan based on such events. Because that is how sincere I thought the issue was.
● 관중 중에 한명씩 파란 매직 팬(불투명 매직 posca)으로 어떤 단어나 메세지를 씁니다. 한글로 써야 함. 영어 등은 금지 입니다.
● 그 대상의 앞에 의자가 두개 놓여져 있고 오른 쪽에 아이다가 앉아 있습니다. 옷은 일본의 남자학생의 평범한 교복인 통짜 목 형태의 디자인과 학생모자 입니다. 발은 맨발 입니다.
● 단어나 메시지를 쓴 관중은 다음으로 아이다의 옆의, 좌측 의자에 앉아서 지금 쓴 것에 대해 아이다와 대화를 합니다.
● 전체의 일부 중 시작과 끝을 고정 카메라로 녹화 및 녹음을 하기 위해서 어느 정도 성능이 좋은 기기와 스탭을 준비 해 주시면 합니다.
● 일본어 통역이 가능한 사람이 카메라의 뒤에 있으며 카메라에는 찍히지 않습니다. 민감한 대화가 될 수도 있다고 생각 되므로 정확한 통역이 가능한 레벨이 높은 사람을 준비 해 주시면 합니다.
● 참여를 해 주시는 관중의 인원 수는 정하지 않지만 그 깃발이 파란 매직팬으로 꽉 찰 때까지는 진행을 하고 싶습니다. 1시간으로 부족할 경우에는 어떠한 방법으로 든 진행을 연장시키면 합니다.
● 이 모든 것은 모두 “아이치 트리엔날레"에서 크게 문제가 되었던 “평화의 소녀상"을 되 돌아보는 것을 목적으로 하며, 나무로 만든 의자는 가능한 한 "평화의 소녀상"에 등장하는 것과 흡사한 것을 준비 해 주시면 합니다.
● 완성된 깃발에는 노란 매직으로 일본어로 번역을 아이다가 다시 씁니다. (작은 문자로 쓰며 노란색은 색이 엷으므로 잘 눈에 띄지 않을 것으로 생각 됩니다.) 그리고 일본으로 가져와 마땅한 곳에서 발표를 하고 싶습니다. 인터넷이 될 수도 있으며, 전람회에서 전시를 할 가능성도 있습니다.
● There is a 90 x 150 cm Rising Sun Flag on the wall.
● One by one, audience members write a word or sentence on the flag in blue Posca (opaque marker pen), only in Hangul script. English or any other language is prohibited.
● There are two chairs in front of the flag. Aida sits on the right-hand one wearing a commonplace Japanese schoolboy uniform, with a stand-up collar and school cap, but barefoot.
● The audience member who has just written on the flag is then asked to sit on the left-hand chair next to Aida, and talk with him about what he or she wrote.
● The entire process is recorded with a fixed-lens camera. This will require some good equipment and staff.
● A Japanese-Korean interpreter is behind the camera, in order not to be visible in the recording. This is likely to be a sensitive conversation, so it will require someone with a high level of ability to interpret accurately.
● It is not decided how many people will attend, but the aim is for the flag to be filled with writing in blue Posca. If one hour is not sufficient time for this, it is preferred that the performance time should be somehow extended.
● This all originated in the “Statue of Peace”, which became a significant source of controversy in the 2019 Aichi Triennale. The wooden chairs used here should resemble the ones in that artwork as closely as possible.
● Aida adds the Japanese translations of the writing onto the completed flag in yellow Posca (it should not stand out much, as it will be in small lettering and a lighter colour). After that, the flag is to be brought back to Japan, and presented in a fitting situation. This could be online, or it could be an exhibition.
Exclusive typeface for the new identity of the festival “9ph Photographie et image contemporaine”. The logo is drawn from adjusted glyphs and is included in the typeface for a practical use.