The 3D man
May. 24th, 2007 12:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
imomus"You've really succeeded," I tell Florian Perret. "I always knew you would." You can see the talent in the sleeves he did for my albums Folktronic and Oskar Tennis Champion, or the visuals he made for my art projects for Zach Feuer Gallery and MoCA (I'm an artist not only without prices, but without visuals too!). The one thing I got wrong about Florian is that, back when I met him in New York in 2000, I thought he'd end up driving a BMW. That's what I told Kazumi, the girl he ended up marrying. In fact, he hates cars. These days, in Japan's most beautiful town, he's pushing his young son Karel around in a pram or riding a stunt bike past foxgloves and bamboo.
I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Florian in Kamakura, Japan's one-time capital, a highly haunted and magical resort on the Pacific. He's living there in one house and renting another for his 3D production company, Alfabet. For the next couple of years he'll be working on the animation of a feature-length film for a major Japanese animation studio. His workspace is idyllic; a Swedish-style pine lodge in the low, densely-wooded hills just to the north of the town. It's an incredibly tranquil place, surrounded by the whooping calls of unseen exotic birds. The ground floor is all shiny new Macs, sketches of characters, CG software manuals. Upstairs there's a vast and noisy server shuttling files back and forth between Kamakura and Tokyo, and the guest bedroom where Hisae and I stayed. The 3D man is doing what he wants, and doing it brilliantly. He's rounded, making, and made.
Hisae and I rented Yamaha PAS City electric bikes on Wednesday and cycled out along the coast (the sun scorched me lobster red) to Enoshima, then surged over the wooded hills of Kamakura, seeing all the usual temples, caves, towers, giant Buddhas and so on. The PAS City is an amazing invention, a NiCad-charged beast that continuously monitors your pedaling and supplies spurts of power to the back wheel when you flick a switch at handlebar level. You can choose "feeble" or "zoom" (they aren't called that, of course). It's not like a motorbike at all -- the power complements your own pedaling intelligently. If you don't pedal, it doesn't help. The result is a bit like having bionic legs, or walking on the moon.
I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Florian in Kamakura, Japan's one-time capital, a highly haunted and magical resort on the Pacific. He's living there in one house and renting another for his 3D production company, Alfabet. For the next couple of years he'll be working on the animation of a feature-length film for a major Japanese animation studio. His workspace is idyllic; a Swedish-style pine lodge in the low, densely-wooded hills just to the north of the town. It's an incredibly tranquil place, surrounded by the whooping calls of unseen exotic birds. The ground floor is all shiny new Macs, sketches of characters, CG software manuals. Upstairs there's a vast and noisy server shuttling files back and forth between Kamakura and Tokyo, and the guest bedroom where Hisae and I stayed. The 3D man is doing what he wants, and doing it brilliantly. He's rounded, making, and made.
Hisae and I rented Yamaha PAS City electric bikes on Wednesday and cycled out along the coast (the sun scorched me lobster red) to Enoshima, then surged over the wooded hills of Kamakura, seeing all the usual temples, caves, towers, giant Buddhas and so on. The PAS City is an amazing invention, a NiCad-charged beast that continuously monitors your pedaling and supplies spurts of power to the back wheel when you flick a switch at handlebar level. You can choose "feeble" or "zoom" (they aren't called that, of course). It's not like a motorbike at all -- the power complements your own pedaling intelligently. If you don't pedal, it doesn't help. The result is a bit like having bionic legs, or walking on the moon.
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 04:03 pm (UTC)Are you going to be in Japan during late August/early September?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 06:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 07:07 pm (UTC)its a good thing you didnt do this in london
Date: 2007-05-23 07:09 pm (UTC):P
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 07:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 07:47 pm (UTC)Mochi is shit too for pretty much the same reason.
1000 words
Date: 2007-05-23 09:34 pm (UTC)Regards - Thomas S.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 10:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 10:13 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 10:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 10:16 pm (UTC)The favorite there is no dumpling.
Re: its a good thing you didnt do this in london
Date: 2007-05-23 10:17 pm (UTC)Re: 1000 words
Date: 2007-05-23 10:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 10:22 pm (UTC)Oh and you stand proud too. Air those toes!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-23 10:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 12:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 12:34 am (UTC)Long time no see, Charles!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 01:17 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 01:21 am (UTC)kazu
Date: 2007-05-24 01:46 am (UTC)ce qui me generais un peu, c'est l'effet de l'utilisation du verbe end up.ca cree un parallelisme entre la voiture et la personne. et le sentiment dont le mariage egale a une fin si je ne me trompe.
on sera toujours heureux de vous voir faire la security de notre bureau pendant la nuit, que de voir faire du camping.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 03:07 am (UTC)Re: kazu
Date: 2007-05-24 05:17 am (UTC)Oui, en effet c'est une tendance impose par mon modele narrative -- genre "J'ai toujours su qu'il va reussir, et tiens, regarder, j'ai eu raison en fin du compte! Ils ont une belle marrriage, bon carriere, beau fils, deux maisons...".
Mais bien sur il n'y a jamais un "fin du compte" en realité, il y a un processus qui se plie et deplie en permanence. Le travail, les enfants, ca change aussi, et c'est jamais fini. J'ai tendance a reserver cette verite Bouddique et peripatetique pour moi meme, mais de regarder les gens beaucoup plus jeune comme "arrivé" quelque part. C'est probablement un mauvais habitude, et peut etre un espece de revanche pour mon viellesse! Les jeunes sont arrivé, et je suis vieux mais cependant toujours en voyage! Quelle vanité!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 05:29 am (UTC)I don't know how widespread the bikes are in Japan, but in the bike rental shop by Kamakura station that's the only kind they had, which says something. I suppose electric bikes are like Starbucks coffee -- they give you the chance to, ahem, charge more.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 06:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 07:38 am (UTC)I've always liked the idea and the sound of the place, and the resonance of its name, but have never been. Maybe next time I'm in Japan...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 08:00 am (UTC)Eel in teriyaki sauce is great. Takoyaki is another favourite of mine. White peaches are pretty popular in Japan and they're delicious.
Infact, I like most Japanese food, I just hate traditional Japanese sweets -- they're all crushed rice and bean paste... You look at them, and they're very attractive, hundreds of different designs and colours... then you put them in your mouth and they turn back to wallpaper paste...
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 08:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 09:23 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 09:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 09:57 am (UTC)dig your old-skool lolita look, btw.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 10:47 am (UTC)tl:dr -- Seafood + teriyaki sauce = kabayaki
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 11:42 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 12:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 01:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 02:07 pm (UTC)It's like in English -- Juice concerntrate and Cordial are exactly the same, but they're used differently to describe types of juice syrups. You would never say "orange cordial", but you would say "lime cordial" even through a cordial the same as a juice syrup concerntrate.
Your Show Detail June 2
Date: 2007-05-24 02:31 pm (UTC)I turned around and said hello in the Yamanote Line tonight. You told me that there will be a show in Shibuya. But where is that going to be? I've serached thru Click Opera and other sections in imomus, but counldn't find the right info...
It would be great if you noticed this message and replied or wrote it on Click Opera!
Thanks!
beatnik67
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 02:58 pm (UTC)Re: Your Show Detail June 2
Date: 2007-05-24 03:02 pm (UTC)The show is at Apple Store Shibuya (opposite Parco) at 8pm on June 6th. It's free.
Re: Your Show Detail June 2
Date: 2007-05-24 03:27 pm (UTC)I picked up a Poison Boyfriend CD near my college in Boston (back in 88!) and have been a fan of yours since!
I'll be there!
beatnik67
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 03:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 03:41 pm (UTC)yay
Date: 2007-05-24 06:50 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 07:11 pm (UTC)Re: 1000 words
Date: 2007-05-24 08:38 pm (UTC)You're using those specs as a filter again, rather like the results, a little like the wonderfully serendipitous effects one could get with the combination of some of those old seventies film emulsions and crappy, overdue high street processing.
Film photography lost a certain poetry-of-chance as colour rendition became more 'real'.
Thomas S.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-24 10:31 pm (UTC)the eel is a different story altogether.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-25 08:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-05-26 08:07 am (UTC)gh
(no subject)
Date: 2009-09-22 11:42 am (UTC)Watford Glaziers (http://watford.able-glaze.co.uk)