Ambitious Tokyo plants raise their game

[imomus]

We began Saturday back at the No Man's Land show at the French Embassy, because Hisae hadn't seen it, and a whole new wing of student work had opened up since I saw the show on Thursday.

Then we walked in sunshine over the Hiroo hill to gm ten gallery at Azabu Juban, where Chiako Kudo and Mao Yamazaki were waiting to talk us through an event we're planning to hold there on December 22nd. This is a new gallery (it only opened in October) related to the operations of Osaka designers Graf, known for their furniture and playful constructions for Yoshitomo Nara shows worldwide. Mao runs the music side (his label, Akichi Records, releases Oorutaichi) and Chiako the art side.



I've been talking with friends about where to play a casual free live show while I'm in Tokyo, and the consensus has been that gm ten is the ideal spot. On December 20th their new art show -- featuring drawings by manga veteran Eico Hanamura -- will open, and on December 22nd at 20.30 I'll play a 45-minute Momus set in the gallery, hopefully joined by a special guest or two.



There's a map of gm ten's location -- right next to Azabu Juban subway station -- here and, as I said, the show is free.



After the meeting with Chiako and Mao, Hisae and I headed (past the impressive Christmas... well, digits at Roppongi Hills) down to Ura-Harajuku to catch a panel talk at Vacant (catered vege-stylee by Yoyo!) featuring photographers Masafumi Sanai (Mr A Girl Like You himself) and Ume Kayo (her again!).

I had a wee thrill on the way to Vacant when I popped into Tokyo Bopper. Seeing charisma shop assistant Yama-Sama in the flesh for the first time really felt like seeing a pop star, and I had to hold back a manly squeal of excitement as I made a quick circle of the store and left (we were late).



After the talk at Vacant I met TABbers Cameron and Darryl again, then German photographer Sebastian Mayer and Vicente Gutierrez, who writes for Lucas Badtke Berkow's magazines Paper Sky (recently restyled) and Plants Plus, a sort of web extension of the excellent-but-defunct Planted magazine. Here are Lucas and Ito Seiko talking about their plans for the plants site:

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I must say, I like the business goal of "widening the horizons of plants" by leveraging the green life forms' brand into previously-untried media, like a plants TV network and a plants music festival. Lucas thinks big; plants, it's time to raise your game!

Comments

come again

[milky-eyes.livejournal.com]

its becoming hard for me to read and actually pay attention enough to comprehend whatever it is your writing about....
perhaps its all part of your plan, not sure.;;

because your little outfit... is really odd. You know this I can tell because of the pervasive smirk you're also wearing. If you check out the photos... most of the people are not smirking... they either have a confused look on their face or kind of smile of sorts kind of like avoiding the issue.

I really do like the outfit. Its great. I know, it one part bowie, one part japan street fashion, one part ah, something else I'm sure...
so...

try a pair of good ol' jeans on (jeans/tshirt). Just once. Life is not all about doing whatever you want to do, whenever you want to... it's also about doing the right thing... even if it's less fun...

you had your honeymoon with Japan now for a few days... and everyone got to see good ol' crazy Momus in his karate suit... so now... do what you are supposed to do.

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

Feels to me that this is exactly what momus ought to be doing. I'm thoroughly enjoying this relaxed and happy series of posts. I don't want him in jeans - too many American streetware clones out there already - I want him thinking the kind of thoughts that someone in the outfit he's wearing might be thinking!

Joe Strummer once said "like trousers, like brain". Sadly, he wore terrible trousers (jeans, mostly) and his music suffered for it... I don't want momus going down the same route, or even feeling the need to wear trousers at all.

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

If you believe that flamoyance and lack of conservatism produces better art do we say that Momus would be even better if he walked around on his hands (why follow the samey routine of hyper-normality e.g. pedestrians?) or even had his legs removed and grafted onto his back?

Perhaps the less we concentrate on the artist and the more we concentrate on the art (which is the ABSOLUTE CONVENTION of our time - and Simon Cowell plays on it as much as Momus) the sooner we'll see better work. We don't have politically meaningful, crafted work exploring our lives and times because we don't want it - we want Heat and Gracia!

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

My Joe Strummer reference wasn't particularly serious, the man was a well meaning arse, but then a wry smile isn't easily identifiable online. Perhaps I should have added one of those ;-) things just to make it clear for the overly earnest?

I rather like momus being what he is. I don't think it is possible to make any wider point about the type of person who produces "politically meaningful, crafted work exploring our lives and times". Some might wear daft trousers, some might not. If you think that a total aversion to personal exposure in this media saturated world is a pre-requisite of producing things or ideas of value then I think you're going to have a frustrating time of it.

One of the huge problems with the comments on this blog is the hysterical reaction it gets to the most innocuous comment. So momus wears a ridiculous outfit ... the man is the antichrist (Simon Cowell). A report on a trip to Tokyo becomes momus attempting to emulate the worst of the celebrity culture rags (and, given the evidence that you believe this blog shares the values of "Hello!" magazine, I presume that your trips to the local newsagent to buy the latest on Britney's new love and Posh's new frock are frequent).

A sense of proportion anyone?

Personally I think momus would look ridiculous trying not to be momus. His character is an artful and entertaining construct. I'd like him to continue doing things for as long as he wants in the way that he wants to. You want him to be what you want. I say be that yourself and leave the poor sod alone.

Re: come again

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

"like trousers, like brain"

I like that ;)

look how drearily conservative everyone beside momus looks in their fashionjeans and newcolor tees. Is it Japan? Or West Virginia?

Today, I am wearing my dovetail grey jumpsuit with an undershirt tinted justpicked violet, softcollar in fairytale yellow, and sleeves ancien régime lilac. My eyepatch is crinkly linen burlap framed by sassafras twigs. Damn right it's gonna be a good day.

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

And well done you, the outfit sounds spectacular and your work will be all the better for your having given vent to the flamboyant you that is you. The sassafras twigs are a particularly nice touch, just be careful they don't put the other eye out.

As for the quote, it was the best soundbite Joe Strummer ever came up with, I'm surprised it isn't better known.

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

"look how drearily conservative everyone beside momus looks in their fashionjeans and newcolor tees. Is it Japan? Or West Virginia?"

what kind of fucked up, elitist, anti-working class comment is this???

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

No one who features in a photograph with momus is working class, they're all privileged members of the art mafia or trust-fund kids. Didn't you know? The class warriors who monitor his every move have determined this from the lack of calluses on their hands and noble sweat on their brows.

Re: come again

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Ask some African American in West Philly who dresses to the nines on Sunday if they're also being "elitist".

Re: come again

[(Anonymous)]

if in addition they have snide things to say about the less than sartorially adventuresome "bumpkins" in appalachia or somewhere, then they damn well are being elitist.

why can't people just live and let live, instead of having to denigrate the style (or perceived lack thereof) of others???

Re: come again

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

"one part ah, something else"

oompa loompa?