Vol.22 'Jaime Humphreys Solo Exhibition', 'Famous Ornament' & 'Ways of Worldmaking'

Date: 18.4.2013  
Exhibition Title (period): 'Jaime Humphreys Solo Exhibition' (2011.4.12-21)

Exhibitor: Jaime Humphreys

Exhibition Title (period): 'Famous Ornament' (2013.4.12-21)

Exhibitor: Margaret Lanzetta
Exhibition Title (period): 'Ways of Worldmaking' (2013.4.12-21)

Exhibitor: David Packer

 Participants (titles omitted): Exhibitors, Hiroko&Tatsuhiko Murata, Elizabeth Presa, Sumi Kanazawa, and others

Moderator/ Interpreter: Utako Shindo
Documentation: Mika Harigai, Utako Shindo


<Jaime Humphreys>

David: Was it really necessarily to draw the line? I understand your concept but would it be just enough for the video camera to follow and capture the lines of the building.

Jaime: This time, there was a desperate need for me to draw the actual lines. I have tried in another work the similar idea to what David suggested. It was a video work which explored to connect the exhibition venue and the spaces next door, by tracing the lines existing on the floors and the walls.

Margaret: It was interesting to see you drawing lines on the building. I thought it would be also interesting to show the video which records your action itself.  

Jaime: With this work, I intended to connect the residency space for the artists and the office space behind the gallery, while they are usually not seen and connected. What do you think about this action? 

Elizabeth: There was an artist in the past who actually cut the gallery space into half.

Margaret: The video looks almost black and white, so the occasional interruptions of colors are visually interesting. Can you think another way of tracing other than drawing? for instance, such an approach to trace the lines by hand.

Utako: The building and spaces were connected by a single line. Would it be possible to draw the multiple lines so that the viewer will choose which line to follow?

Jaime: The core idea is to connect the act of drawing lines and shooting video. I would be ideal if the viewers first notice the lines, then interpret the line freely.

David: I recognize the work as a kind of video work which does not require the viewers to keep watching it. Is it possible for the work to be shown at any place, like Francis Alye’s video works? I mean, can be only the video work exhibited?

Jaime: I am interested. I would like to present the work in the venue distant from the filmed space, to view it objectively.

Elizabeth: The line in the video, and the actual line on the wall are almost lined but not quite. This subtlety is a curious one. I wondered if it was intentional.

Hiroko: I was very impressed by the seriousness of Jaime’s attitude towards making works. (The total length of the line is 300 meters. He kept working for the 2 weeks all day.)

Sumi: The obsessiveness is not visible to us. If it is more present, will the work become more interesting?

Jaime: if people notice my hard-work, which is great, but it is not the central concern of the work.  

Utako: If the labor intensiveness is not part of the concept, could you think about a different kind of making process?

David: I think the choice of the material, a tape, was perfect, as it can be used on almost any surfaces.

Elizabeth: I have just realized that the line was made of tape.

Hiroko: It is like the foot trace of ants.

Jaime: Interestingly the ant did walk along the tape when I was drawing outside of the building.

Artist’s friend: There is a basic principal for sketch to draw lines as if the ant walks. The lines are like ones drawn by an architect or like a line of music.

Jaime: That is why the musicians performed at the opening event.

Hiroko: I wonder how the line will look like if the building is just removed.

<David Packer>

David: I am a sculptor, and at the same time, I am an image-maker. I have been collecting the images that resonate with myself for the last couple of decades. I have six categories to understand the world: history, land, city, religion, industry and army.

Elizabeth: Which category are you after this time?

David: This is the first time when I am expressing all categories at once. I let the viewers to decide what they see in the works.

Hiroko: In addition to your own database, did you add any new visual data during this residency?

David: This residency actually increased the number of category: Cherry blossom, architecture and square box. The image given by my friend was originally sourced from the internet. Not only when I undertake residency, but whenever I am, there are always some new influences, and there are resources available which are common to all the categories I have. The world is small, in my opinion.

David: I won’t talk about the Japanese influence this time. I usually tend not to talk about my work. I think that the work can explain by itself.

Hiroko: I agree.

Friend’s artist: I got an impression that you do curving and modeling simultaneously. 

<Margaret Lanzetta>

Margaret: The silkscreen which I used this time was a stylized cherry blossom. By cutting off the image of cherry blossom, it appealed to be away from its original image. The repetition like Buddhism chanting, is one of my method of image making. This time, I intended to talk about the historical and political intentions behind the image of cherry blossom, rather than the beauty and ephemerality of the flower. Historically, the image was used to idealize the death of young people who died during the war.

Hiroko: I think that cherry blossom somehow shakes human’s emotions. In my case, it reminded me of the particular time when my father was in hospital.

Margaret: There is an irony with the title, ‘Famous Ornament’.

Sumi: Did you know the theme before you came to Japan?

Margaret: No. After I came and noticed that there are many cherry blossom images used in town. I then decided to use it as I recognize it as the cultural element. I also learn for the first time about how Japanese have manipulated the image.

Utako: The images of silkscreen are so effective and striking that my eyes almost hurt.

Artist’ friend: If the scale is larger, it may be more effective.

Elizabeth: I am putting the catalogue of this exhibition in my resident. This time I missed to see the real blossom but her image offers the perspectives. I think the works we see here are very tasteful indeed.

Editor's comment

The three exhibitors this time seemed to stimulate each other: a young artist who put a solo exhibition after some time gap, veteran artists who have rich experiences in residency and exhibitions. The opinions were expressed about what to choose and what to let go, till which degree to control the work, and to leave the interpretation of the work to the viewers. Whether it is in the gallery context or the residency exhibition context, the resources always has limit. The three artists exchanged practical ideas about how to perform to get maximum outcome. We hope this dialogues will be reflected on their future activities.