John Kormeling stands amidst the disarray that is his house. Metal scraps, paper shreds, a screaming child and watermelon rinds are strewn across the space. Models in metal and wood, children’s toys, faded posters, piles of books, trunks and dark corners full of mystery all make it clear that this is a man who keeps everything.
Strolling the lanes of Kyoto’s Arashiyama neighborhood, one passes a number of souvenir stores selling incense, pottery and the like. Then, there is one store that looks different from the rest, with a wooden and leather studded sign that reads “Anomaly Structure” and a bicycle parked in front.
“Carry your own tree within your heart.” Ever since reading those words by the great poet Sansei Yamao I have searched for my tree. A tree rooted in the Earth, a tree that has been there for years and years. Trees are gods. If you have a problem or are troubled by something, the best thing to do is to spend time with a tree.
It’s hard to find a spot in Kyoto that feels all your own. The city is dotted with famous temples and their gorgeous grounds, but it’s impossible to find one that isn’t crowded year round. What’s more, while each boasts historic sculptures of Buddha or painted screens, when you go for a look you find them roped off and placed in musty chambers dark enough to blur their venerable outlines.
Online gallery of
Japanese Contemporary Art
www.azito-art.com
“All my films start with places- cities, deserts. But then in the process of filmmaking, these places step into the background. The characters and stories become paramount, and finally the only parameter of the movie is the truth of that story, and the truth of the characters overriding everything else. With photography I can reverse the process, and I can leave these places up front. They are what the pictures are about.” – Wim Wenders
For Koji Asada and the Lesque (les-ke) team, skateboarding isn’t particularly the answer to all the endless questions we face in life, but rather an essential way of dealing with the tribulations and occasional emotional turbulence of life. This ethos of acknowledging skateboarding as a positive force and its indispensability remains at the center of the Lesque team and their march towards progress.
Haruomi Hosono’s early discography contains the band Happy End (1970-73). Digesting the influences of America’s West Coast rock, they established an idiom for Japanese language rock. Solo releases like “Bon Voyage Co.” (1976), which rediscovered Asia via the perspective of Hollywood, saw him enter a period of exotic sound exploration. Blending in Kraftwerk-style electronica, Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978-83, 1993) took this sound in a disco direction. “Omni Sightseeing” (1989) then delved into the roots of pop worldwide. Throughout, Hosono’s music leads listeners on journeys that transcend both borders and generations.
