Interview with Mariko Mori

Mariko Mori has been working as an artist based in New York since the 90’s. It is still fresh in people’s memory that her installation “Wave UFO” caused a sensation at the 51st Venice Biennale last year. Right now, her latest work “Tom Na H-iu” is open to the public in Japan. She has reached the stage of maturity as a contemporary artist and gained high recognitions internationally. COOL made a visit to her new atelier in Manhattan, which she just moved in pretty recently, and asked about her productions in New York and her views over the New York’s art scene which she had seen all her way.

COOL: Why did you decide to work in New York?

Mariko Mori: I move to London first, to go to school. And then I came to New York to join the “Whitney Museums’s Independent Study Program” and was supposed to be here for a year. The reason why I decided to remain in New York after the program was the fact that New York is very liberal. People from different countries and different cultures live together and all of us are given opportunities equally.

C: What was New York like when you first came here?

MM: It was terrible. I felt the city was very dangerous. But it was much more liberal than it is now. Many artists lived in Manhattan and hung out together, and there were meeting spots for them. Galleries were located in SOHO, not in Chelsea like now, and I could communicate with artists whenever I went to the openings. There was more “local” atmosphere then and New York artists were like cooperating with each other. These days, that “local” atmosphere is felt less and less as artists have moved to Brooklyn and Queens and artists from overseas are holding exhibitions in the city.

C: But weren’t there many artists from other countries at that time?

MM: Yes, but I think they had stronger senses of “I AM A NEW YORKER” than now. Of course, in a real sense, there are few “New Yorkers” who were actually born and grew up in New York, but the artists from those days seemed that they were keeping in mind that they were New Yorkers rather than where they were from.

C: How do you think New York’s art scene has changed from the past?

MM: New York’s art scene wasn’t global before. Rather, it was just a New York’s own thing. But now, New York represents the world’s scene. Artists come in from outside countries and New York has changed its direction from being local to being global. There was a gallery called “American Fine Arts” in SOHO before and the gallery was like a gateway to success for artists. Getting noticed at that gallery meant that you got recognized as a New York artist. Since the art world began to appreciate artists with various cultures and genders, now it looks easier for both New York local artists and internationally artists to work.

C: What do you find attractive about New York?

MM: When I first came to New York 14 years ago, I probably just got attracted to New York itself. New York supports arts at the totally different level. New York just gives artists unconditional supports. There are many people with that sort of passion. Art scene grows because artists are like the seeds in the field and those who support arts water them enough. In that sense, New York is a very good place for artists to grow up. For me personally, New York is where I don’t feel the “magnetic field.” For example, when I am in Europe, I feel the strong magnetic field because European countries have cultures with long and deep histories. I also feel that I am someone who don’t belong to the society because I am an outsider. Likewise, there exists the hardly-changing fine society with long history in Japan. I am also an outsider and I feel the heavy magnetic field as well in Japan. In other words, you are only able to have the identity that the societies will give you in those countries. In New York, people are allowed to have bigger permissible ranges as various people live and various cultures exist…I mean, I can imagine what kind of person I want to be and I can be free as much as I want to be.

C: What is the important thing to work as an artist in New York?

MM: New York is good in terms of knowing what’s happening now. But things changes really fast here.
Lots of things are happening in New York as trends change and many people come in and out. I think the hardest thing here is not to lose yourself. You always have to look at yourself and know what your identity is, what you want to achieve, or what your dream or desire is. Otherwise, you will just get caught up in New York and lose control of things around you. That’s scary. And the most important thing should be that you believe in yourself, no matter what you do or where you are. I think that’s universal.

C: Have you ever had any difficulties or inconveniences while working in New York?

MM: Since things are especially fast-paced in New York, misunderstandings may come up if you don’t communicate well enough. When there is a problem, it always stems from a miscommunication or a lack of explanation. In Japanese society, people can understand each other without exchanges of words sometimes, but that’s not applicable here. So, it is important that you tell things like “This is what I want!” loud and clear. When I first came here, I often cried because I didn’t do that (Laughs). For example, when I was making small pieces, I had to place orders at several factories because one factory couldn’t do it alone. And when I tried to put everything together into one piece, they didn’t fit together. In Japan, if I give the measurements to the factory, they make things according to them exactly. But here, they don’t do that. I should have explained to them with patterns of the actual size or something to avoid those mistakes. Now that I am getting to know the capacities of people here and they know what I want, I don’t have any problems. But it was hard to organize a team with people who share the same sense of value towards work with me since people in New York have so many different backgrounds. It took such a long time to meet those people.

C: What do you think is the difference of the perceptions towards contemporary art between Japan and America?

MM: I am not familiar with the contemporary art scene in Japan so I can’t say anything for sure, but it seems that the environment where artists can grow up hasn’t quite established yet. First of all, to support arts, there should be not only galleries and museums but also people among general public who are actually art collectors, and there are those kinds of people in Europe. No matter how hard artists work, it is impossible for them to continue to do their own things if there aren’t people who understand, love, and collect their pieces with actual financial support. I guess such an environment, like where artists can grow up, has been established little by little but it is still underdeveloped.

C: Where do you get inspirations from?

MM: I always do researches, like I visited remains in Scotland last year and also visited the Jomon remains across Japan 2 years ago. I personally think that the future lies in the past. There are myriads of “dots” called time which is continuing from the past and they link together and become a “line.” I mark a dot, and then someone from the next generation mark another dot, and that continues on and on towards the future. In that sense, I think time is like “Moebius band.” Even though you have a problem now, the answer doesn’t necessarily exist now. Thus, instead of seeking for an answer in the present time, I go back to the past to learn about the future.

C: Last of all, can you tell us about your recent work and your solo exhibition which is running in Japan now ?

MM: The title (of my recent work) is called “Tom Na H-iu,” which means something like “the place where the soul reincarnates before its metempsychosis” in ancient Celtic language. I have traveled across Japan for the research of Jomon remains since 2 years ago and I went to see “standing stones,” which were built in B.C.3000 just when Jomon remains was also built, in Scotland last year. As I look at those prehistoric old-world remains, I felt the life-and-death issue of people of that era, in other words, I found their image towards death magnificent and cosmic. I was inspired to make “standing stones” of our own times. “Tom Na H-iu” is a glass-made “standing stones,” inside of which the image of “light of death” is reflected. At the explosion of supernova, which means the ending stage of stars, the substance called “neutrino” are emitted, and I detected them at the facility “Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Reseach (Super Kamiokande)” in Japan and I used those detected data to express the image of “death of light,” which occurs when stars die in the space.



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Mariko Mori
After she graduated from Chelsea College of Art in London, she moved to New York to join “Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program” and started her career there in 1993. She was awarded for her outstanding performance at Venice Biennale in 1997. She has held solo exhibitions at major museums like Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, State Museum in Los Angeles, and Pompidou Center in Paris. She has also joined international exhibitions and group exhibitions all over the world and gained international reputation.

photo by Richard Learoyd

Interview with Tsuyoshi Takashiro

COOL: To start with, would you please tell us about the undertakings that you're currently working on?

TAKASHIRO: Well, a DVD is coming out soon. While being primarily a computer-generated image creator, I've been DJing as well recently. The DVD will contain tunes I selected as a DJ and video I added as a VJ. It will be released from Universal/Def Jam on September 7.

C: I know you, as a VJ, hosted an event at ageHa (a club in Shinkiba, Tokyo) the other day. How did it go?

T: It sure was a wingding, I'm tellin' you. It was for the seasonal Opening of the pool on the premises, so it became sort of a poolside party filled with a whole bunch of mad people. Too many to fit in so they had to start controlling incoming guest volume later on.

C: What got you started as a DJ?

T: I turned 40 in summer last year where I started feeling that I should take up something new, one by one each year, and that's what. Traditionally, DJs are to perform at clubs, but I, for one, am aiming to become one that does not perform there. Per my principle, I'm always searching for a new media and a new place. I've been a "living room" artist, and in that sense, I wish to grow into a DJ whose music is playable and enjoyable at home.

C: I understand that you have been VJing since your teens. What were your influences?

T: I was an Art major at Nihon University, already as rebellious as I am now. I would go mouthing like "there's nothing to learn from college professors," fly to New York and see Jim Jarmusch's, Spike Lee's and such. Overseas has been a huge impact on me. I was in a great deal under the influence of the subculture and underground culture of video and music. Back in those days, Paradise Garage was the club to go and I would hit the place week after week in late 80's.

C: I have the image of Jim Jarmusch and Spike Lee having been analog advocates up to date, and I would say your digital-oriented works are quite in inverse relation to theirs...

T: Do the same stuff as them and I'd be stuck in the 80's. I'd rather Move ahead and make good use of technologies and media of the leading edge, while keeping in touch with their analog spirits.

C: I hear that you work about 20 hours a day...

T: I would call it creating rather than working. About 4 hours and a half of sleep works the best.

C: I believe it's safe to say that you employ and practice new things at all times. How do you manage the time for collecting information and working on ideas?

T: First of all, I don't collect information. I have monitor screens, but no TV, 'cause I don't have a tuner. I don't browse on the internet or read magazines. I'm on a diet trying to stay "thin-formation." [Laugh]

Gaining information on the internet deludes you into thinking you Have come to know already so much about it just from reading it that there's no need for you to actually go out and experience it. I call that "inf-obesity." [Laugh] When you stop that way of information consumption, you'd want to get real live information. You'd get your idea about it by experiencing it. Frankly speaking, I think it's time for us to stop collecting information, time to discard it and keep only necessary pieces. Inspirations have already been inside us, or you get one or two of those spontaneously on the spot by hands-on experiences. Isn't that enough?

As for working on ideas, I place a significance on time to face myself, instead of time to collect information. I make it a point of sparing an hour and a half or two for that everyday. Just like today when I sat myself in a Denny's for many hours and was making notes of ideas on these Post-its. (He takes out of his pocket awful heaps of
Post-its of notes.) Thus, I keep a pocketful of ideas in here all the time and am realizing them one by one.

C: Any reason why Post-it?

T: It comes in handy when you have to jot down something while on the
phone, 'cause the adhesive keeps it from moving around. Besides, though it's kinda untidy pieces of crap, yet colorful ones. Pretty, one might say. [Laugh] I'm making no sense what so ever here, I know. Anyways, I'm not really one of those fancy fellas you see in the industry.

C: Where did your title "Hyper Media Creater" come from?

T: As a student at university, I had already had my hands broadly on images, music, graphic design, media promotion and so on. One time, a reporter on a newspaper came visit the university to interview me. He said it was not quite appropriate to refer to me as a film director or a TV director, then he came up with the title which what I had been doing appropriately fell under. It's my identity that I express myself widely on a level beyond the concept of media I have gone through such as print, mobile, television and live.

C: What's this? (An unusual thing with a small monitor and a circuit board integrated together sits on a disc.)

T: That's something I'm building now. It's a form of media which starts up when the lying monitor is lifted upright. Just like how you read a book held upright, I've been simply experimenting to see if it's possible to make a monitor viewable the same way. I'm learning stuff on my own and doing this by trial and error. Basically, I'm the Akiba type of a guy. [Laugh] Everytime I go to New York, I visit those Canal Street shops and spend hours checking out parts. I don't go to 5th Avenue, well, except for a few occasions when I must be up there on business. [Laugh]
This year, I went to New York in January for shoots for a Documentary movie of A Bathing Ape in Soho which I've been producing. On a side note, their close neighbor, Louis Vuitton, is another client of mine. (Mr. Takashiro produced the Louis Vuitton-Takashi Murakami animation film "SUPERFLAT MONOGRAM.") I support A Bathing Ape as a leading worldwide brand name that's out from Japan.

C: Being globally successful, you've been to all over the world. Where's your favorite place?

T: Tokyo. The city I belong to. I like Japan and I enjoy Japan. I was going around Europe like Greece until a week ago. Yesterday I was on location in Shonan and was hanging out at one of the teahouses on the beach afterwards. Next, I'm going to Hokkaido this weekend. I was doing promotion for Okinawa and its tourism for a while and it went quite well, so I might do Hokkaido next.

Creators and artists do two things at base: to "create" and to "create and convey." In the past, all we had to do was to "create," but today, in addition to "create," we are expected to give thoughts to how we "create and convey" our intentions. As far as I'm concerned, I "create," "create and convey," and furthermore I "convey," that is, to convey what's already there. There have been quite many commissions where my expertise as a media and communication specialist is all the clients ask for in sending out their messages.
After all, creating boils down to communicating. In jobs like promoting Okinawa, all my responsibility is just to "convey," because enough is already there ready to be brought to public attention. The beautiful seas, a lot of good food, fun stuff... My clients demand the art of conveying in my way. I don't have much of ego like, "I'm an artist and do not do commercials." As long as my schedule allows, I do take jobs of a wide variety, even small ones, and get one job done to another.

C: Is there any difference you feel between New York and Tokyo in the feedback and opinions about you that you receive from people?

T: I don't believe there is anymore. Born in Shibamata, Katsushika in Tokyo, I'm all Japanese from head to heel and in love with Japan head over heels and traveling around all over the country all the time. So I sort of feel if I'm not accepted in Japan, neither will I in New York.
I think the 80's was the time when New York was really exciting, with all inclusive: music, art and clubs. Then San Francisco was hot from late 80's to early 90's and Amsterdam in late 90's. And now Tokyo is the happening place, I think. Now the Japanese brand names are huge worldwide, whether at Paris Collection or in Soho, New York, and you see Hidetoshi Nakata in advertisement everywhere. I think the
Japanese is doing great in the world.

C: As a kid, what did you wish to become?

T: Well, In the lower grade, my teacher would lecture me for writing "becoming a bird" as a future dream. [Laugh] I was like, "It'd be cool. Being a bird, I wouldn't have to work." [Laugh]

C: How about your current dream?

T: No idea what I want for the future. I've got engagements already lined up up to around 2010. Got quite a few jobs about soccer, too, but I'm a total stranger to
the sport. Hidetoshi Nakata is a good friend of mine and he doesn't know the first thing about computers. He gets vacation only twice a year, summer and winter, and he was with me both times last year, traveling around. [Laugh] I was in London on business and he lived in Italy, and we joined each other and together visited around Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania... We're unlearned in each other's profession which may be the secret of us getting along well. [Laugh]
Anyhow, the nature of the jobs brought in is diverse, but I'll just get one down to another, that's all.

Being a big fan of Star Wars, I think of my life in three parts, Like Greek myths as well. In Part I, I discover a different myself and realize the life I have led is false. In Part II, I devote myself towards what I really must do, accomplish them, and meet various people on a journey I continue on. In Part III, I finish the last work and finish my life complete. Perhaps, I'm somewhere towards the end of Part II at the moment. Still on the journey.

C: What are you up to now?

T: I'm publishing a book on my thoughts to what could be subsequence to digital. It’s the first book I've written in the last eight years. I'm doing tons of digital works, of course, so some might way, "What? Thought you'd be the last person to be thinking something like that." [Laugh] I'd really like you Japanese to read it as it's something like I'm introducing new concepts to the Japanese. There's a book I recently read and was impressed with, which is by an author whose name is Mark Lehnardt. He is a man of vision by profession who’s impacted Britain considerably by observing his ideas on the country’s outlook and dreams. I wish to deliver a new vision and dreams for Japan as impressive as his.

I'm also into body training right now. My body fat percentage reads about 7% at the moment. I realize myself being at the gym working out all the time. Strengthening body improves your mobility and gets me further.



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Tsuyoshi Takashiro
Filmmaker / Hyper Media Creator / Captain of Future Pirates, Inc. / supervisor of Toei Animation, Inc.

Born in Shibamata, Katsushika. A Grand Prix winner at the International Video Biennale, the nation’s largest video art competition held in Tokyo. Following the debut, nationwide and worldwide attention has increasingly been drawn to the image creator of the digital age. An animation film by Louis Vuitton and Takashi Murakami, "SUPERFLAT MONOGRAM" shown at 300 store locations worldwide, is a recent production.

URL: http://www.takashiro.com/

text, photo by Mieko SAI

Interview with DJ GOMI and DJ Babyblu

New music styles are being evolved everyday among New York’s cutting edge DJs. DJ GOMI, who is a resident DJ of XL, the hottest gay club in the city, and DJ Babyblu, who is a pioneer of the DJ style referred to as ‘Mash-Up’, talked about the club scene in this turbulent city.

COOL: How did you get the high-profile gigs at XL and B.E.D.?

DJ GOMI: I worked with another artist named Kevin Aviance. He is a performer, dancer and singer. He introduced me to the club owner. He also gave me an opportunity to get to know Junior Vasquez, an amazing DJ and remixer with whom Kevin usually hangs out. I really wanted to work with Junior Vasquez. So, I went to a club that he was spinning at every week and gave him my demos every time I saw him. Finally, he invited me to join him.

DJ Babyblu: I clawed my way to the top. I never had a manager. In the beginning you have to play for free. You have to play for a beer. And when people hear you, they want to book you somewhere else. So it just sort of slowly works out that way.

C: How do you keep on top of the game in competitive NYC?

BB: It’s important to go out if there is a special event where you know you’re going to meet industry people, not just to go out anywhere. But as a DJ you have a million emails everyday. You have a million parties. So you can’t go to all, so you pick the ones where you think you’ll run into people that you want to stay in touch with.

G: Sometimes I listen to the radio to check out what’s going on. And my friends email me and send me new songs from record companies. I use mostly new songs. I check hundreds of records every week. I don’t listen to the whole song. Just the intro - not the whole song.

C: I heard that you (BB) don’t use new technology.

BB: I am a purist when it comes to vinyl. I believe that DJs should play records. I don’t play CDs.

G: No computers? I am glad to use technology - I am always looking for new technology. I want to try it.

BB: I have seen people use FinalScratch software, which is very impressive and I would like to move that way.

G: How do you like final scratch?

BB: Basically, a record is physical and its information and what final scratch does is puts all the information into a computer and then you just spin two records and you assign a song to each record and it makes it a lot easier. You have more flexibility.

G: DJs are creating their own technique and technology. Now CD players are taking over instead of turntables, because it has new functions that the turntable doesn’t have. I think artificial progress is closely related to technological progress.

BB: Technology always affects everything. Always! And its not a very romantic idea, we like to think of our opinions and these modern times as shaping who we are these days, but really it’s technology. Hip hop wouldn’t have happened without the technology of sampling.

G: Your technique is ‘mash up’?

BB: The ‘mash-up’ that I do, I do live. I really don’t like to pre record the mixes. I feel like, you’re there to perform and if you pre record your work, it’s cheating. But also I get bored just standing there playing a CD. I want to always be doing something.

G: If you have a cappella and an instrumental version, it’s always original?

BB: I always use originals like Bon Jovi with Star Dust, the House song. I try to take two songs that are as different as possible, because my philosophy of mixing is like , if you mix coffee and coffee, your coffee is too strong , if you mix cream and cream, you get a whole lot of heavy cream., but if you mix coffee and cream, you get a great drink. Different things compliment each other.

G: Mixing house music, I try to make it smoother. They can be nine minutes long. That’s why those house guys can play for fifteen hours.

BB: Unless you have to go to the bathroom.

G: Sometime when you have to pee, and the place is too crowded, it’s a nightmare. I play a long mix, or a long song. Ten minute song, maybe. And then I go.

BB: But the time can go really fast. Sometimes you have to just use whatever bathroom there is. Ladies’ room, Men’s room, whatever. And then, if there’s a line of people, you say, sorry, do you mind. Usually they’re nice, but sometimes, they’re like, you can wait like everyone else. Sometimes if you leave the turntables, people will come in to the DJ booth and start mixing.

C: How different are New York crowds from the other country crowds?

G: The difference a between Japanese crowd and New York crowd…the New York crowd is very picky. If I don’t play ‘good’ music, they will boo. Especially a gay club, they are very tough. Their ears are good, so if I don’t do good job, they complain to me directly and leave the club.

BB: NY is a place where Robert De Niro walks in and sits at a table next to you and everybody pretends not to notice. Everyone here thinks they are so f**king important . People have more fun in other places. New York is an exciting place, but it’s got a lot of attitude. You play in London, you play in Spain, people are real excited, they just want to fun, but in New York, it’s about the velvet rope, bottle service and looking fabulous.

C: What is the most impressive event for you in your life?

G: Too many. Every week something happens. The most embarrassing event for me was once in the countryside. They didn’t have a good sound system. I went to pee. The electricity went off. So I am in the bathroom and I hear no music. Everybody stopped dancing. That happened a couple of times in the night.

BB: I used to play at this club called Wax. Now it’s called Sway. So they have candles everywhere and this guy gets up on the bar and sticks himself in the candle and pours the wax all over himself. Then this girl comes into the DJ booth and says, ‘Hi. Want to see my new underwear?’ and just pulls off her dress. As a DJ it’s important to be social and you have to talk to people. But when I’m playing I don’t usually feel like talking to anyone. I just want to keep working.

C: Do you plan to continue to stay in NYC?

G: I don’t know. Now Asia is starting to happen, there is more and more interest. You feel something is going to happen there whenever you take a business trip to Asian countries. I want to always be a witness in the most exciting city.

BB: I do presently plan on staying in NYC, butＩhave dreams of moving to Japan, or at least DJ'ing there.



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DJ GOMI
Gomi studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is a resident DJ at club XL in NYC. He has produced and / or remixed for Madonna, Mariah Carey and also engineered for Junior Vasquez. His latest remixes are in "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" with Jessica Simpson.
http://ggv.net/

DJ Babyblu
Babyblu is a pioneer of the "mash-up" sound. He has performed with many artists, such as Moby and Dirty Vegas, to name a few. Also he has created original music for TV, film, and fashion shows in London.
http://www.djbabyblu.com/

text by Ayumi UEDA & Takuya KATSUMURA, photo by Akiko TOHNO

Interview with Fred Benjamin

A chorus of acclamation and nonstop applause— came at the site where surrounded by great cheers, Fred Benjamin, who was sitting on the wheelchair, appeared on the ground floor below the stage. He slowly stood up, turned his body toward the audience, and responded to the audience with a smile on his face, lifting his one hand. In fall 2003, Benjamin came down with a cerebral embolism suddenly during his visit to Japan. He was in critical condition at one point. It’s been about a year and half since then. He made a miracle comeback; his first show after the incident ended within great success. Although Benjamin spent nearly six months in hospital, he composed a full choreography for this performance using his everlasting wit. I asked Benjamin about his enthusiasm for the performance and his passion for dance.

COOL: Could you tell us about yourself?

Fred Benjamin: I am from Boston, Massachusetts, and I started dancing at a very early age. I moved to New York in 1962 to further my dance career and have been here ever since.

C: What made you interested in dance?

FB: When I was four years old my sisters took dance lessons. My mother had to bring me to them. I'm the youngest, and she had to keep an eye on me because I was a mess. So she put me in the classroom. That’s how it all started.

C: You've been in the dance industry for a long time ever since. What are the important factors for you as a dancer?

FB: Training in ballet class was very important to me. It kept me going for many, many years. And I studied ballet in NY and then did the musicals "Hello Dolly" and "Promises, Promises". They got me into my musical career, and while I was in "Hello Dolly" I started experimental (dances) with the company by own, and that was in 1968. I just kept going and going and going.

C: What is dance for you?

FB: It's hard (to explain). 'Cause it's what I can do all my life. Dance is what keeps me going and going. It's that important to me. It keeps me sane.

C: For this show, you use pretty modern songs from artists such as Destiny's Child, R.Kelly and Chaka Kahn, and also modern jazz songs. Do you choose songs by yourself, and how?

FB: Yes. I choose songs by myself. When I hear music, it starts to speak to me, on what to do dance-wise.

C: You mean lyrics speak to you, or music?

FB: Mostly music. What artists are trying to express, not just the words, but from the voice itself.

C: Where do you get your inspiration?

FB: I don't know, man. It's just there. When I hear music, I almost see a picture in my head. And then I know I want to use the particular music for something. Sometimes I listen to the music and I just see nothing. It's just for the enjoyment of music. Because listening to music is almost like work I can't make myself do. But it happens that I listen to the song and it makes me see pictures. Then I can't control that. It just goes.

C: So you visually see physical movements of bodies, rather than just a feeling or emotion?

FB: Well, I feel while I hear, (and it's like) movements, and so it's like music paints a picture for me so that I try to do that for the audience. It's like painting the picture that I saw in my mind.

C: You had a stroke almost 3 years ago in Japan, and since then you went through surgery and medical treatments. It must have been a long time for you. How did it affect you? Do you see any differences in your choreography before and after the stroke?

FB: Yes indeed. But I don't see any differences. It's continuous to me. I'm the same person. Well, I think it might be a little different. It's just that I have to do it more mentally (now). And I was mostly used to be doing stuff physically and be able to show them what I want. Now I have to do verbally. So I learned how to paint pictures with the words to show you, like, “I want to look like this”, and I had to make my own kind of vocabulary. In fact I showed them what to do (by words and drawings) but haven't just verbalized everything. I am very happy still.

C: This is your first time that you have done a performance after the stroke. How do you feel about it?

FB: I'm pretty happy. And I'm grateful that they came back to do this for me.

C: Your students here have such diversity. What do you think about those young dancers, who are trying to be successful like you, and those who want to start dancing?

FB: I think they are very, very brave 'cause it's a hard world to conquer, to make it possible. So I have a great respect for upcoming dancers. I'm not into race or anything. If I see within the dancer the love of dance, that makes me interested.

C: What is your next plan in your career?

FB: To keep doing constant work. I danced many dancing. I have done some script dancing. I've written dramatic plays. And I liked that but it's not quite as exciting or satisfying as dance.



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Fred Benjamin
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1944, Fred Benjamin began dancing at the age of four. He danced at Talley Beatty Company from 1963 to 1966. He was strongly influenced by Talley Beatty. Later on, Benjamin moved to New York City and founded The Fred Benjamin Dance Company. He established the new genre, called "Ballet Jazz," which contains Modern Ballet's elements of Tally Beatty.

text by Takuya KATSUMURA, photo by Noho KUBOTA

Interview with Masakatsu Takagi

The new century’s artist, Masakatsu Takagi, works in several mediums, animation, electronic music, and video art in Japan. He exhibits his works at various places, such as Apple Store worldwide, 21st Century of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, and the Agnes B store also in Tokyo. He went on tour with the group, Sketch Show, whose members include Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. He also jointed David Silvia’s live tour in the U.S. and Europe. He has created promotion videos for two solo musicians, Yuki and UA (pronounced oohah), who releases albums on German and New York’s labels. His latest exhibit, titled Masakatsu Takagi+ Saeko Takagi: Color of Empty Sky, which took a place in Transplant gallery in Chelsea from 4/29 to 5/26. This exhibit included the latest project, Color of Empty Sky, which is the collaboration work of Masakatsu Takagi and his wife, Saeko Takagi. In addition to Color of Empty Sky, Masakatus also had the exhibition on drawing, titled Zert, was held at ATM gallery. While other Masakatsu’s projects at Transplant Gallery are made with live-action footages, the animation piece, Color of Empty Sky, was made from the very beginning, including materials. It caught a lot of attention for the new front of two artists; as a result, many people visited at the galleries on the opening day.

Masakatsu Takagi was nice enough to sit down for Cool Magazine interview during his busy schedule.


COOL: Can you tell me briefly about yourself and career?

Masakatsu Takagi: I was born in 1979 and am from Kyoto. I was majoring in English at University of Foreign Studies, but I dropped out after a year. At that time, I was making a free paper, like a magazine, with the people I met at the college. I sometimes included an audiocassette in that free magazine. To my surprise, the magazine won the FM Radio Award. I was also doing photography at that time, so we decided to add some motion pictures to the music, which our members were making. Although, I started working on video like the extension of photography, I began enjoying it a lot. I had about twelve footages, after I continued working on video for a year. The people in Tokyo happened to see my work. I then started releasing moving images on DVD. Since then, I began doing live performance at clubs. I had enormous positive feedback to the live performances. My sense of professionalism rapidly rose. I was not interested in clubs and techno to begin with, so I began creating music and screen images as my creation. At first, the music was only extra for the screen images, but there were a good number of people who said that my music was good. Right now, I do both music and video picture.

C: For your current exhibition, you displayed at Transplant Gallery; and your wife, Saeko, did at ATM Gallery, both at the same time. Can you tell me the process of these exhibitions?

MT: The opportunity of exhibiting at ATM came first. As for Transplant, I’ve known them for some time because they have my DVDs placed at their gallery, so, taking this opportunity, we decided to do two exhibitors at the same time. Also, I wanted to show the promotion video, which I created for UA, as one of my creation at museums and galleries.

C: What was the reason to collaborate with UA?

MT: UA saw my DVD piece World is So Beautiful. I had the offer from her. When I showed her the first project Lightning, which I created for UA, she told me it was different from what she thought (laugh). She told me that she was expecting that her promotional video was going to be like World is So Beautiful. She eventually said OK when the video was completed. I made Lightning after I had its proposal from UA, but as for the second project Color of Empty Sky, I approached her with the idea. Therefore, I created the second of UA’s project as one of my own project, so it was more like I borrowed her music. During the process of creating Lightning, I always made sure the UA’s ideas were included. On the other hand, Color of Empty Sky was constructed by all my ideas.

C: Were there no communications involved in the process of creating Lightning?

MT: Lightning was a promotional video, so of course I had meeting with UA. She created her song, imagining that she was in light with absolutely no shadows. This image differed from my perception of the song. Also, I was understating Lightning as “flare,” but it was actually “lightning” as in thunderstorm (laugh). From that time on, we discussed many times.

C: I think most of your work has done by a computer and live-action image. Compared with that, your piece this time is a little different, isn’t it?

MT: In the past, I was creating my work based on the moving pictures that I shot. After I created the videos for UA, I changed the formats and created some pieces, even though I was doing it in the same way.

C: World is So Beautiful was originally made for Agnes B (a retail store). What was the reason for that?

MT: A person who worked at Agnes B saw my work by chance. Agnes B in Japan just wanted to do something related to arts. Then, they got an approval from Agnes B’s head office in France. There were no precedents; therefore, I could freely work on the project. Since I really liked the atmosphere in Agnes B’s store before I took a part in that project, I always thought it would be great if my video picture was placed there.

C: Can you tell me a bit about “Birdland” in World is So Beautiful?

MT: I always get an idea in the middle of working on a project, after I started working on a project. Firstly, I add color onto the images I shot; and I try something I can do with it technically. If it’s a series, something like a total theme in simple Chinese characters comes up in my head. For example, sometimes it’s 成長(growth), 発芽(germination), or 飛躍(rise). It’s always related to explosive energy. If I see my screen image in terms of process, I always leave rough parts, like only the first one-minute. I like to see how that develops. I always have the feeling that I want to reach the place where I never imagined. I do not want to make the piece that has a solid concept from the beginning to the end. It’s more like showing one picture in five minutes’ footage. I want to include the drafts that cannot be seen in the final stage. Unlike making more high quality piece than the first image, when you entirely look at my piece, I want you to have the same impression as you see one picture. As for “Birdland,” I just had the rough idea by looking at people’s movements and images of birds. I don’t decide everything from the beginning, so sometimes; I make silly things (laugh).

C: Where do you get the inspiration for your work?

MT: Travel. I travel three or four times a year. I just came back from Nepal. When traveling, I come up with about two ideas, especially in sketching and taking memos. I don’t shoot while at traveling. However, if the thing I saw during my trip stuck in my mind for a long time, it comes out as my project after at least half a year or a year. When I shoot, the inspiration from my trip pushes me to do something without my consciousness. Inspiration needs to be fermented once. Also, I have to be in a trance like condition; it’s me, but it’s not. Without that complicated feeling, I can’t think of my work.

C: You are doing various things, such as electronic music and video arts, and also joining other artist’s live tours. What is your first priority?

MT: I don't have any special preferences. I just do it when I want to do it. My feeling of what I want to create changes. If I concentrated on one part very hard, I always begin to feel that another part is annoying (laugh).

C: Can you tell me about your eighth DVD, Coieda?

MT: I made this over a year ago. This is the latest of all my DVDs released in the past. Each of my pieces created before Coieda has a different taste. One has computer sounds; one has the sound of musical instruments; another one has songs, so it is more like pop music. They are all separated, no association. My projects were made depending on my egotistic feeling, so each project has totally different taste. For Coieda, I gathered everything that I separated, so it’s a more concrete piece. It’s a comprehensive compilation of my DVD creations for four years. As for the moving picture, I spit all my thoughts out in World is so Beautiful, so I can feel that I’ve begun making the pieces that have the new style. Coieda was the turning point.

C: What are you planning to do in the future?

MT: I saw several pieces done by great artists at museums in New York City after a long absence. And then I thought about this: I was only in a very small world. So, I thought it would be great if I became number one in that small world because I am still young, but for the first time I felt strongly that I have to work on the equal stage from now on with those great people who are in their 40’s and 50’s.



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Masakatsu Takagi
Visual Artist / Musician

text by Kazumi UMEZAWA, photo by Wallace Spain