Happy Halloween!!!

I took my friends to the People's Park. Happy Halloween!!!
友達を人々の公園に連れて行った。ハッピーハロウィン！！！

My biggest solo exhibition in Northern Ireland is coming up next week!

My biggest solo exhibition in Northern Ireland is coming up from next week,
I hope you can make it.
北アイルランドで最大規模の自分の個展が来週開催されます。
是非お越し下さい。

Self Sufficient Life
Shiro Masuyama

Exhibition Opening: Friday 2 October, 7-9 pm*
3 October - 25 November
Artist Talk: Saturday 10 October, 2-3 pm

Millennium Court Arts Centre 
William Street, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 3NX 

http://millenniumcourt.org

*Free Bus leaves Belfast (golden thread gallery) at 6.30pm on 2 October. Leaves Portadown (to return to Belfast) at 9pm. For more information or to book a place contact geraldine@millenniumcourt.org

A new 68 page publication coincides with the exhibition, with essays by Jun Yang and Slavka Sverakova.

***

Millennium Court Arts Centre is delighted to present ‘Self Sufficient Life’ a new solo exhibition by Shiro Masuyama which brings together three international projects made between 2012 and 2015.

Taking animal husbandry as his point of departure for the theme of self-sufficiency Masuyama travelled in Ireland (2012), Peru (2014) and Mongolia (2015) to make the three projects: ‘knitting the woollen jumper for the sheep I sheared using its own wool’, ‘weaving the scarf for the alpaca I sheared using its own wool’ and ‘making a saddle for the Bactrian camel I sheared using its own wool.’ In each location he learned the place specific techniques of shearing, spinning and weaving, in order to make an item of clothing for the sheared animal to wear.

Masuyama’s approach is collaborative and the work is shaped by the specific materials, skills, knowledge and energies of people in each place. The locations and landscapes in this series of works vary wildly, between rural Ireland to rural Peru and Mongolia which present more remote and self-sufficient environments. Ultimately the processes and dialogues involved in creating the three objects become central to each project.

The exhibition is composed of video documentation, photographic portraits of the animals and the objects themselves. Though realised with characteristic humour ‘Self Sufficient Life’ is motivated by genuine inquiry and raises political issues. Masuyama cites the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the resulting shockwaves through Japanese society and the implications of nuclear power for the future global energy landscape, both as prompting a significant shift in his own outlook and as a catalyst for this project, and its central theme of self-sufficiency.

The 5th vandalism / 5回目の破壊行為

We have been planning for the meeting for the vandalism today in Ballymena. When I arrived in the park for the meeting, I found the vandals destroyed the stem again . Our recent huge effort and contribution didn’t work out unfortunately.
When my Facebook friend Mark visited my sculptures just yesterday, the sculptures have no damage. The crime must be happened during the night time just after the park closed yesterday.

After the launch event of sculptures, during my working on my own to fix the destroyed stems in the park, I found many local kids and people are delighted with sculptures with giving me positive reactions. But to be honest, I also encountered a kind of dodgy kid who seemed like middle teenager. He was with a few kids like his age. He asked me “What material is this?”. I told him “Fiber-glass“ He continued "If so, If I use a hammer, I can destroy them. Right?”. Me : “Don’t do that!”. Kid : “I don’t do that.”. This 5th vandalism reminded me about the kid I met.

At this time the stem was not possible to destroy without using tools like heavy hammer or something. But in fact, the stem was cruelly snapped on the middle part of it and the steel bone inside the stem are also bent and twisted by the vandal. I felt insulted and upset deeply.

Since I got this commission, I have struggled to make the great “piece” of the art for the “peace" as a part of “Building Peace through the Arts”. But the vandals have kept destroying this symbol of the “peace”.

今日作品の破壊行為についてミーティングする予定だったのだが、自分がミーティングのため公園につくと、また何者かにによってヘタが破壊されていることに気づいた。我々の大きな努力は残念ながら無駄に終ってしまった。

ちょうど昨日フェイスブック・フレンドのマークが彫刻を見に来た時は無傷だった。犯罪行為は公園が閉まった後の昨晩の夜間に行われたに違いない。

彫刻の公開イベントの後、壊されたヘタを公園で修理している間、多くの地もとの子供たちや人々が自分に良い反応をしてくれ、彫刻に喜んでいることに気づいた。

しかしながら、正直のところ14〜15歳位の怪しい少年に出会ったのである。彼は同じ位の歳の2〜3人の友達と一緒だった。彼は自分に「これは何でできてるの？」と聞いてきた。自分は「グラスファイバーだ」と言った。続けた「なら、金槌つかえば、壊せるよね？」自分「そんなことするなよ！」少年「自分はしないよ。」。五回目の破壊行為が自分が出会った少年のことを思い出させた。

今回はヘタは大きな金槌等の道具を使わなければ壊せないように作られていた。しかしながら、ヘタは無惨にも真ん中で折られ、ヘタの中の鉄骨も曲げられていたのである。

このコミッションが始まって以来、「アートを通して平和を構築する」プロジェクトの一貫で「平和」のために、素晴らしい作品を作ろうと奮闘努力してきたが、破壊者はこの「平和」のシンボルを壊し続けているのである。

Installing stems / ヘタの設置

Big operations started
大手術の開始

It looks already completed if I see them from this angle.

この角度から見るともう終ったように見える

I need 1 more day for touch up painting.  I will come here one more time on my own. I sanded after Peter and Conor left. Thank you so much Peter and Conor! I really think I could not sort out the problem without your help.

タッチアッチペイントにもう一日だけ必要。自分１人で来る予定。ピーターとコナーが去った後研磨した。本当にありがとうピーターとコナー！君らの助けがなかったら問題を解決できなかったと心から思う。 

Stems are ready for installation / ヘタの設置前の準備完了

Added yellow a little bit more

黄色を少し加えた

Added brown a little bit more as well. Now they have completed 

茶色ももう少し加えた。そして完成。

Thank you so much! Peter Spence!!

本当にありがとう！ピーター！ 

Spraying for the 1st time on my own / 初めて自分でスプレー塗装した。

Stopper again

再びポリパテ 

Sanding again

再び研磨 

As I want the different texture with the surface of the apples, I painted base color using the brush with leaving marks on the surface on purpose.
林檎の表面と違うテクスチャーが欲しいので、意図的に塗装面にハケ跡を残すためブラシで塗装した。 

Started spraying on my own for the 1st time during the project.

このプロジェクトでは初めて自分でスプレー塗装を始めた

I must have finished working because it started raining.
雨が降って来たので仕事を中断せざるを得なかった

Spraying stems / ヘタをスプレー塗装

Again Peter has processed some work for me. Thank you so much Peter!
またピーターが仕事を少しすすめてくれた。ありがとうピーター！

After sanding stems a little bit more,  I asked Peter to spay them.

更にヘタを少し研磨したあとピーターにスプレー塗装をお願いした。 

After spaying I have found some dents on the surface of stems. I have to come again tomorrow to do stopper, sand and spray them again. Peter & Conor in front of the stems.
塗装した後に、またヘタの表面の凸凹を発見。自分の研磨があまかったせい。また明日来て、目止め、研磨の塗装をもう一度繰り返さなければならない。ヘタの前のピーターとコナー。