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Art/Photography

Misplaced Parts Interview|I want to interact more freely with society

はみだし部品 インタビュー|もっと自由に社会と関わっていきたい

Have you heard of Hamidashi Parts, a group of artists currently based in Kamakura that is attracting attention?
All of the members are elementary school students who have already completed three independent projects in Kamakura and continue to pursue free expression from painting to video. "Mildashi Parts" is about to reach a turning point as the members are about to become middle school students. Magcal invited members Shinya and Mondo, as well as artist Tatsufumi Takizawa, who serves as their supporter and mentor as an artist, to attend the meeting and share their thoughts on ``the misfits of the past, the misfits of the future,'' and their eyes. We asked him about the ``expression'' that is reflected.

*=Interviewed in February 2015

2015.4.1 interview&text: Masamasa Nishino photo: Eri Nishiyama(Portrait)

When the bulge sticks out

Shinya=S Mondo=M Takizawa=T

—Thank you for your cooperation today. So, first of all, how did "Mildashi Parts" get started?

S : It all started with Mondo, who lives next door, and Keitaro, another member who isn't participating today, but they used to have doubts about the obvious rule of marching at sports days, and in general. I think it's normal for people to just do what they're told without questioning things like that, but the two of them seemed to think that was strange. I started making works with the idea of ``I want to be more freely involved in society,'' and gradually more and more people came along who sympathized with my idea, and the number of people grew to 12 in total.

—Why did you think that creating works would be a way to interact with society?

M: At first, I didn't think of my work as just a hobby or as a "work" from the beginning. However, as I exhibited the things I made and experienced interacting with various people, I realized that I could interact with society through my works, and from then on, I began to consciously create works. Now you can.

Shinya Mondo

-Nowadays, you hold exhibitions, and I think Misfit Parts fits into the category of an "artist group," but was there no such awareness at all when you first formed?

S: I think that for me and everyone else, Mr. Takamatsu (Note 1), who was our art teacher at the time, had a big influence on us. In my case, when I took a class called ``Drawing the Sun'' taught by that teacher, the act of ``The sun is round, draw a circle, and paint it red'' was similar to what I did at school. I think it's similar to just doing something together. I always had doubts about it while drawing pictures in the art room, but Mondo and Keitaro eventually started drawing together, and I was able to think with doubts, express them with my body, and draw them. I started thinking that creating works of art could be a way to interact with society... Hmm, it's okay to be a group of artists!

All: lol

(Note 1) Tomoyuki Takamatsu
Born in Kyoto in 1976. Graduated from the Department of Fine Arts, Faculty of Education, Yokohama National University. In addition to working as an elementary school teacher, she is also active as a planner for children's documentary films set at the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Art and Mugenkan, a memorial museum for fallen students, as well as the art project ``Kamakura Dokaku Nare'' set at an active elementary school. In 2014, he launched the "Kamakura Art Studio" to support expression activities using protruding parts.

Group photo of protruding parts/photo by Junichiro Suga

Photo: Group photo of protruding parts/photo by Junichiro Suga

-It seems that Shinya was inspired by that class, but did your teacher teach you to be suspicious of things like that?

S: Mr. Takamatsu didn't directly give instructions in words, but he said, ``It's okay to doubt,'' or ``The sun may be round and red, but is that the real sun?'' Or rather, the way he said it wasn't conclusive, but it felt like he was asking, ``Is that really the case?'' The current members of Misfit Parts reacted to that, and of course there were other members who also reacted to that, but they started working with a strong desire to engage with society through expression. "That's it."

— By the way, how did you come up with the impressive group name “Mishidashi Parts”?

S: I made it a ``misplaced part'' because I wanted to not just do what the teacher told me to do like a part on a rail, but to break out of it and break free.

My first trip/facing myself

—I would like to ask Mr. Takizawa, who was with us once, that he has always supported their independent activities by participating in projects with them and teaching them technical things such as video. I'm sure. This interview was possible thanks to Mr. Takizawa, but could you tell us how you met them?

T: A long time ago, their elementary school held an event called `` Kamakura Dokaku Nare ,'' which opened the school for three days with the theme ``Anyone can express themselves at school.'' I was an invited artist. I was attending the event and that's when I met them for the first time. In ``Kamakura Tokkoku Nare,'' the teachers were expressing themselves, and the students were also creating their own works and creating installations, so I was surprised that the word ``installation'' was even popular in the first place (lol). In the end, I started contacting them through the exhibition, and as I went to see their exhibitions and interacted with them, I thought, ``I'd like to do something together.'' Around that time, a member of Misedashi asked me if he wanted to travel, so I said, ``Let's do it together,'' and we've been friends ever since.

Tatsufumi Takizawa

—I'm also curious about how interesting the elementary schools you attend are, such as inviting artists and opening up the schools. By the way, what was it like traveling together?

T: At that time, I had been invited to an art project that was being held in Aizu, Fukushima, so I went to Fukushima with only those who wanted. At that time, there was the issue of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, so some children were able to go and others were not.

— Did Shinya and Mondo participate?

M: We didn't participate.

T: Only three of us were able to participate in Aizu, and some of us were unable to participate even if we wanted to. At the training camp, it was decided that everyone would think about the complex issue of nuclear power plants, so instead of going to Fukushima, they (Shinya and Mondo) held their activities at the Kanagawa Museum of Modern Art, Hayama.

-So Aizu and Kamakura were in different locations, but they discussed the same issue. How was the content discussed at that time presented?

T: The exhibition they held in Kamakura last year, `` Mountains and Seas, '' was an exhibition of the results of that effort. The purpose of the training camp was not only to talk about nuclear power plants, but also to explore what each person wanted to do with their own expressions, so the children who went to Fukushima ended up including content about nuclear power plants in their works, and the children who participated in Kamakura did so. The content was purely about my own drawings and deepening my own expression.

Photo left: Keitaro + 4th grade 1st class "Garbage Graduation Ceremony" / Kamakura Dokkanare 2012 | Photo right: Protruding parts "Mountain and Plum" exhibition view / 2014

Photo left: Keitaro + 4th grade 1st class "Garbage Graduation Ceremony" / Kamakura Dokkanare 2012 | Photo right: Protruding parts "Mountain and Plum" exhibition view / 2014

-I see. The title of the exhibition, ``Mountains and the Sea,'' means that the mountains are Fukushima and the sea is Kamakura. You just talked about that exhibition, and I heard that it was created entirely by members of Miscellaneous Parts. Could you also tell us about the path that led to the exhibition?

S: First of all, when it was decided that `` Henkan without Tradition, '' which was the first exhibition of Misfits, was decided, I was on a train with a half-finished painting that I wanted to make at home, and at that time I went to a local toy store. The store manager came to talk to me, so I gave him a flyer saying, ``This is what we're doing,'' and he came to see the exhibition.Afterwards, when I asked him about the location where we would hold ``Mountains and the Sea,'' When we consulted with them, they introduced us to this location, so we negotiated it ourselves from there.

—That's a great encounter that came about through our activities! They also raised the funds for flyers and exhibitions themselves.

M: At a different time than the training camp, there was a talk to announce the activities of the mountains and the sea in Kitakata, Fukushima, and we attended, and at that time, Keitaro and I made `` umeboshi bread '' to the drunken men. I sold a CD of a strange song sung by the unit I'm in, and it sold quite well. That's where we were able to secure funding to print flyers (lol).

Link video: Umeboshi Pan's live performance in Kitakata

-It's really independent and wonderful to earn money for an exhibition by selling things you've made yourself. By the way, what kind of works did the two of you exhibit in ``Mountains and Seas''?

Photo left: The sun (part) drawn by Shinya in Professor Takamatsu's class | Photo right: Shinya's "Mountains and Sea" exhibition work / 2014

Photo left: The sun (part) drawn by Shinya in Professor Takamatsu's class | Photo right: Shinya's "Mountains and Sea" exhibition work / 2014

S: I participated in a training camp held at the Hayama Museum of Art as the ``sea'' in ``Mountains and Seas,'' but I've always not liked mixed colors, or rather, why do I like those kinds of colors? I wondered what it was during the training camp and came up with an answer. I hate the amount of time it takes to decide who will be in charge of cleaning or who is not very popular at school, so in the end I volunteer to do it, but I don't really feel good about it, or rather, I express my mood by color. When I describe it, it feels like a muddy color, and I think that's why I like colors that don't mix. At school, I feel like I only use my rationality, or rather, I don't really do what I want to do. So I just tried to draw the picture the way I wanted without thinking about it, and I wanted to use a strong touch...it was a bit difficult, but that's how I ended up with the picture.

M: I'm making a piece about "poop". The reason I say "poop" is because I have been playfully calling out "Unko, poop" over and over again at school. But then everyone evacuated. That's when I started thinking about why people have to complain about poop, saying, "It's disgusting and dirty," and this time I tried expressing poop in various ways.

—That's very interesting (lol). What method did you use to express "poop" in your work?

M: First of all, I made a golden poop with a diameter of 34cm for my second exhibition of protruding parts, ` `I Stopped Symmetrical, '' which was held at Asaba Art Square, but it ended up being just a joke. A lot of people told me it was interesting, but I felt like I wasn't able to explore poop at all.

Photo left: Work exhibited in Mondo's ``Mountains and Seas'' ``Oketsu Field'' (part) / 2014 | Photo right: Works exhibited in Mondo's ``Mountains and Sea'' / 2014

Photo left: Work exhibited in Mondo's ``Mountains and Seas'' ``Oketsu Field'' (part) / 2014 | Photo right: Works exhibited in Mondo's ``Mountains and Sea'' / 2014

—At that time, I was so taken with how interesting it was that I was unable to pursue the essence of the work at all.

M: Yes. So for this edition of ``Mountains and the Sea,'' I thought about what I could do, and tried to express it through photographs and poems of poop, but for me personally, it wasn't quite as good this time either. Personally, I feel like it's not complete yet.

Future works/future projects

—By the way, I saw some photos of the exhibition scenery earlier, and I got the impression that they were very particular about the technical aspects. Do you both have completely unique methods in that regard? If there are any writers who have influenced you, please let me know.

S: This is the case with the picture I drew this time, but I don't use mixed colors that much, so I like Taro Okamoto's work. Mr. Okamoto also uses mixed colors, but the colors are not too muddy, or rather, there is a movement in his use of colors.I think Taro Okamoto's influence is why I don't mix colors much these days. , I feel like I can feel the ``talking'' that I learned from my teachers at school, so I may have been influenced by that as well.

Shinya

M: Until now, I haven't had anyone who influenced me when it comes to creating my works, but recently I've been paying attention to Masana Izawa , who researches things like fungi. Mr. Izawa realized that with the advent of flush toilets, poop was being removed from the traditional cycle of returning to nature, so he intentionally started defecating in the open. Apparently, he only used the toilet once in 2012, but he was always obsessed with using wild feces (lol). (* Mr. Izawa has performed field feces over 13,000 times so far, and his basic rule is to wipe his butt with a leaf.) Mr. Izawa is acquainted with the owner of the cafe where he previously exhibited, and he will be teaching next time. will be on display, so I'm planning to meet them in person and ask them about various things. If you think about it, the works up until now may have been in the preparatory stage.

—So, you are showing materials from the works you have created so far and pursuing your own expression once again.

M: Well, I don't know if I can talk directly yet, but I plan to bring the materials with me!

T: In his work, he interviews various people about poop, and the people who answer the questions are not just half-joyed, but also people who are seriously thinking about it, and they say to him, ``There are people like this, too.'' It gives you a variety of information. By the way, Mr. Izawa was participating as a guest in an exhibition called `` Sumo Alone '' organized by Hideaki Shibata of Yodogawa Techniques, and I wanted him to meet Mondo, so I told him about it.

—I think it will be an absolutely meaningful encounter for Mondo. By the way, is the interview method your own idea?

M: I came up with my own idea for the interview. The interviews I recorded were shown in other films, but there is an event called ``Unko Film Festival'' that collects films about poop, so I'm thinking of applying to that as well.

— The world is big. So the next step is to make a movie.

M: For me, it's a movie, but in the first place it's about the activities of a team called ``Misplaced Parts.''

I was just about to ask you about the future of the team.

M: I had a meeting with all the members the other day, and we talked about how we've had two or three exhibitions so far, and it's starting to feel like we have to do it. became. Keitaro and I did a live show called ``Umeboshi Pan'' at an exhibition, but to be honest, I didn't really want to do it. We started talking about how our activities as a group were becoming increasingly difficult, so we settled on the idea that from now on, we should each do what we want to do, rather than just be part of the group.

Mondo

—Does that mean that you are taking a break and doing your best in your own activities, rather than disbanding?

S: Yes. It's not like we're disbanding, but we'll do it if each of us naturally wants to do it. I'm about to become a middle school student, and I might not even have time to create art.

M: But even if we don't have an exhibition, we are planning to ask photographers to give photography classes and invite members to go to exhibitions so that everyone can find what they want to do.

-Even though the theme of the project was to break out of the established rules, you felt a crisis in the situation where you ended up creating the rules yourself.

M: Yes. However, I feel that such inconvenience is inevitable when it comes to interacting with society, but I also feel like I want to do more of what I want to do.

Does this society need art?

—We just heard about the direction of your future activities, but what do you think is the best thing about the work you've been creating so far or working with a group?

S: At school, I was thinking about trying to fit in with the people around me, but as I continued to create my work, I started to hate that kind of thing... In that respect, I think it was a good idea to use the protruding parts because you can concentrate on the production without thinking about such things.

M: I guess you could say I was saved, but no one would understand when I talked about poop at school, so I've always been lonely when it comes to that topic. But when I went out and talked to various people through the exhibition, some people agreed with me and said, ``I think the same way,'' and I think it helped me in that way. I was able to confirm that there were people who understood me, so in that respect it was very good.

-thank you. Also, I personally wanted to ask both of you this question: Do you think art is necessary for society?

S: It's different for each person, but it's nice and easy to just do what you're told, like in school, but I don't think you'll be able to create much original work if you do that. I don't know if it's art or not, but I really like the act of thinking about techniques and colors when I'm in a situation where I'm going to draw a picture, and art is also necessary for discovering each person's individuality. I think.

M: Even if I shout "poop" in public, most people don't understand what it means. But there's also art...for example, let's say there's a picture of poop. Then you can start a conversation with people saying, ``Huh? What does this mean? Why is this poop?'' I think what's interesting about art is that it allows you to interact with people in a way that doesn't happen through regular conversation.

—However, in recent years, the amount of time devoted to art (arts and crafts) education has tended to be shorter than in the past. Do you both have any hopes for art education in this respect?

S: Personally, I would like to be allowed to use tools more freely in arts and crafts (art) classes. At the kindergarten I went to, children were allowed to freely use tools such as hammers and saws at their own risk, but when they entered elementary school they were told to make things with only the tape and scissors they had. I think it's a learning experience to create things under limited conditions, but I'd like to be able to use more tools and do more things.

M: I rather think that I should do other things, not just art. I thought it would be great if other subjects like Japanese and math had an element like arts and crafts, and for example, in third grade, there was a class called ``Writer's Time'' where you simply wrote your own story. But it was very interesting, and in the fourth year of science class, we talked about what we wanted to investigate, thought about experimental methods, and if things didn't go well, we thought about why we failed, and the questions that arose through the experiments. The act of researching it was very interesting. In that sense, I think there would be no need for art (art) if there were more classes where students could create their own creations.

— Lastly, please tell us about your future aspirations.

S: As I discussed with everyone at Misedashi, I myself would like to submit my work if there is a project I would like to participate in in the future. However, when I think about junior high school, I feel like I need to study hard in order to live freely in the future, and I'm also worried that if I study all the time, I won't be able to do the activities I used to. .

M: For me, it's going to be shit for a while.

All: lol

M: For a while, I would like to keep working on the theme of "poop" until I'm satisfied with it (lol).

—I see (laughs). Both of them have different ways of expressing themselves and ways of thinking, but I hope they continue their activities in the future. Today, I was able to hear from a perspective that I myself was not aware of, and it was very helpful.

Interview about poop

*The author was also interviewed about poop.

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