November 22–26: Rainbows hide
虹蔵不見/にじかくれてみえず/Niji kakurete miezu
虹蔵不見/にじかくれてみえず/Niji kakurete miezu
Perceiving hidden colors amidst the beginning conditions of winter, Marina Fukushima's multi-media intergenerational dance performance "Relative Audience" connects to the unique season of Rainbows hide (虹蔵不見).
Photo credit: Isak Immanuel
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RELATIVE AUDIENCE
by MARINA FUKUSHIMA Presented on November 18 and 19, 2023 at NOHSpace, San Francisco “Relative Audience” explores the act of witnessing the shifting distances (geographic and immaterial) that exist in family. As children, siblings, and parents perceive each other in many ways, the work looks at the impact of witnessing and also being witnessed over long durations of time. Observing family connections, the work reflects on the difficulties of caring for each other through varied proximity. Featuring Marina Fukushima and her parents, Hiroki Fukushima (metal sculptor) and Michiko Fukushima (ceramist and visual artist), as two contrasting generations of immigrants to the United States from Japan. |
Visual arts meeting performance
In addition to performing together on stage, Hiroki and Michiko created visual art works for the performance. Michiko developed a series of hand and portrait drawings. Her hand drawings had proportionally small thumbs. In Japanese, the fingers represent aspects of family. The thumb is called “Oya-yubi” meaning parent finger in Japanese. She drew the hand with a small thumb to share her perspective that parents often become smaller in appearance than children but are always there to care for children. Hiroki’s primary work is blacksmith which is difficult to do live on stage. For the performance, Hiroki explored with a soft metal wire just with his hands as a tool. It was contrasting to blacksmith that requires many tools and machineries. During the rehearsal, he gently swirled and swung the wire as if it was his way of listening and understanding the material to get inspiration, interact, and create. After the performance, he continued developing the wire sculpture which he entitled “To the Sky”. |
Left: Drawing “Kazoku no Te” by Michiko Fukushima (Photo credit: Isak Immanuel)
Right: Metal wire sculpture “To the Sky” by Hiroki Fukushima (Photo credit: Hiroki Fukushima) |
Photo credit: Isak Immanuel
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Video documentation of the performance “Relative Audience”
At NOHSpace, San Francisco (55min)
November 18-19, 2023
At NOHSpace, San Francisco (55min)
November 18-19, 2023
Direction, choreography: MARINA FUKUSHIMA
Dance, performance: MARINA FUKUSHIMA, HIROKI FUKUSHIMA, MICHIKO FUKUSHIMA Scenography, light, set: ISAK IMMANUEL Video appearance (hands): BRENDA CHINN, MICHIKO TASHIRO Voice: RIYO KUNISAWA Sculpture: HIROKI FUKUSHIMA Drawing: MICHIKO FUKUSHIMA House technician: BETH COCKRELL Videography: ISAK IMMANUEL, MARINA FUKUSHIMA Video editing: MARINA FUKUSHIMA Music: RAFLUM - A Night Far Away (遙夜), Lofty Sky Pt. I, II (長空), Mountain, Traveler, Listener (山與客聽); TOMOYOSHI DATE - Unforling of young leaves |
Marina Fukushima is a dancer and choreographer based in San Francisco. Born in Tokyo, Japan, she immigrated to the US in 1992. From a cross-cultural perspective, her creative focus is on the themes of silence, family, and intergenerational relationships. Amongst her projects, she created “Family Seasons” and “Zoom Dinner” in collaboration with her parents (both visual artists). Also, in collaboration with Isak Immanuel, a series of intergenerational dance works including “Things Evaporate” and “Festival of Shadows” were developed. Additionally, she has performed with numerous dance companies including KUNST-STOFF, ODC, Lenora Lee Dance, and Tableau Stations and toured across the US and internationally. Her past works have been supported by San Francisco Art Commission, Little Tokyo Service Centerʼs +LAB AIR, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Aggregate Space Gallery, Treasure Hill Artist Village, Theatre Bay Area CA$H, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Southern Exposure, and others. www.tableaustations.org/Marina_Fukushima.html
Hiroki Fukushima (born in Yamaguchi, Japan) is a Japanese metal artist who works primarily with iron, copper, and aluminum to create free-standing and hanging sculptures and functional objects since 1972. Using traditional Japanese hammering, rusting, painting, and cutting techniques, he brings out unique textures, colors, and shapes to his metal works. In 2012, Hiroki immigrated to the U.S. to continue his artistic explorations in the new environment. He works and teaches blacksmithing at the Crucible in Oakland. His sculptures are currently exhibited at Gallery Japonesque (San Francisco, USA), Narukawa Gallery (Kanagawa, Japan), Okumura Gallery (Tokyo, Japan), and Suzuki Gallery (Tokyo, Japan). His craft pieces are exhibited at Asian Art Museum Store (San Francisco, USA). He received B.F.A in Crafts and M.F.A in Metal Hammering from Tokyo University of the Arts. www.hirokifukushima.com
Michiko Fukushima (born in Tokyo, Japan) has been drawing, making ceramics and mastering porcelain doll making in Japan for over 30 years. Her recent works incorporate different mediums and explore China Painting on porcelain objects and sculptures. She is a Doll Artisan Master of Dollmaking Educator and founded a doll making studio “Michiko Dolls” in Tokyo, Japan in 1989. She has received internationally recognized top awards for doll making at Melbourne Doll Competition (Australia) and Doll Artisan Guild International Competition (Oneonta, NY). In 2012, Michiko immigrated to the U.S. to expand her artistic exploration in ceramics and porcelain works. She currently lives in San Francisco and works and teaches China Painting at the Crucible in Oakland.
Isak Immanuel is a visual and movement artist making work within quotidian spaces, theaters, galleries, and for camera. He is the artistic director for Tableau Stations, an interdisciplinary arts platform that serves to engage local and global questions of place. Numerous projects have been presented in the San Francisco Bay Area and internationally. www.tableaustations.org
Co-produced by: Theatre of Yugen
Co-presented by: Theatre of Yugen, Asian Improv aRts, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, and the U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network (CTN), with support from San Francisco Arts Commission and Chicago Bridge Dance Festival
Thank you to all who have contributed and supported the journey to create the work: Kyoko Yoshida, Miwa Kaneko, Kimochi Home, Hiroki Fukushima, Michiko Fukushima, Isak Immanuel, Riyo Kunisawa, Michiko Tashiro, Brenda Chinn, Vinay Patel, Lenora Lee, Ray Fong, Genny Lim, Philip Broadus
Hiroki Fukushima (born in Yamaguchi, Japan) is a Japanese metal artist who works primarily with iron, copper, and aluminum to create free-standing and hanging sculptures and functional objects since 1972. Using traditional Japanese hammering, rusting, painting, and cutting techniques, he brings out unique textures, colors, and shapes to his metal works. In 2012, Hiroki immigrated to the U.S. to continue his artistic explorations in the new environment. He works and teaches blacksmithing at the Crucible in Oakland. His sculptures are currently exhibited at Gallery Japonesque (San Francisco, USA), Narukawa Gallery (Kanagawa, Japan), Okumura Gallery (Tokyo, Japan), and Suzuki Gallery (Tokyo, Japan). His craft pieces are exhibited at Asian Art Museum Store (San Francisco, USA). He received B.F.A in Crafts and M.F.A in Metal Hammering from Tokyo University of the Arts. www.hirokifukushima.com
Michiko Fukushima (born in Tokyo, Japan) has been drawing, making ceramics and mastering porcelain doll making in Japan for over 30 years. Her recent works incorporate different mediums and explore China Painting on porcelain objects and sculptures. She is a Doll Artisan Master of Dollmaking Educator and founded a doll making studio “Michiko Dolls” in Tokyo, Japan in 1989. She has received internationally recognized top awards for doll making at Melbourne Doll Competition (Australia) and Doll Artisan Guild International Competition (Oneonta, NY). In 2012, Michiko immigrated to the U.S. to expand her artistic exploration in ceramics and porcelain works. She currently lives in San Francisco and works and teaches China Painting at the Crucible in Oakland.
Isak Immanuel is a visual and movement artist making work within quotidian spaces, theaters, galleries, and for camera. He is the artistic director for Tableau Stations, an interdisciplinary arts platform that serves to engage local and global questions of place. Numerous projects have been presented in the San Francisco Bay Area and internationally. www.tableaustations.org
Co-produced by: Theatre of Yugen
Co-presented by: Theatre of Yugen, Asian Improv aRts, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, and the U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network (CTN), with support from San Francisco Arts Commission and Chicago Bridge Dance Festival
Thank you to all who have contributed and supported the journey to create the work: Kyoko Yoshida, Miwa Kaneko, Kimochi Home, Hiroki Fukushima, Michiko Fukushima, Isak Immanuel, Riyo Kunisawa, Michiko Tashiro, Brenda Chinn, Vinay Patel, Lenora Lee, Ray Fong, Genny Lim, Philip Broadus
Co-presented by the U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network, Inc. (CTN), co-produced by Marina Fukushima & Theatre of Yugen, and supported in part by California Arts Council, the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF), the National Endowment for the Arts, and generous individual donors.
U.S./Japan Cultural Trade Network, Inc. (CTN)
1471 Guerrero Street, Suite 3, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
1471 Guerrero Street, Suite 3, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States