[Koganecho Bazaar 2014] Cindy's fortune telling experience report!

Text & photo by Akiko Inoue Interview cooperation: Chise Fukaumi

Recently, I heard that Cindy Mochizuki, who is visiting Japan from Canada for the Koganecho Bazaar 2014, was opening a fortune-telling hall for a limited period, so I went to check out her studio.

The venue is next to Studio 1-1.

At first, I was a little surprised and intrigued to find out that an artist was telling my fortune?! But within a few minutes, my surprise grew many times over, and I never expected to end up spending 15 minutes feeling an exhilaration I'd never experienced before and a turbulent mix of all sorts of emotions...

Although I have never had much interest in fortune telling to begin with, I cannot hide my surprise at how much a fortune telling can stir my emotions this time around (!).

First of all, the purpose of Cindy Mochizuki's fortune-telling house is to "collect interviews about monsters". This will be reflected in some way in her work to be exhibited at Koganecho Bazaar 2014. Rather than just collecting interviews as material, she wanted those who spoke to take home a gift, so she came up with the idea of giving back to participants by telling their fortunes, something she has been doing for about 20 years.

I'm not sure whether there is a professional or amateur style of fortune telling, but Cindy's well-honed sense and attitude were, to use my clumsy words, completely professional.

Now, let me report on the fortune telling.

First, when you sit down, you will be asked, "Would you like palm reading or tarot?"
The session is 15 minutes long, so you can choose both if you have the time.

Let's start with the palmistry...

Palm reading

Cindy uttered the names and initials of people close to me. She even correctly identified those people and my current situation. I was stunned by the proper nouns that came out one after another, as if she knew my daily life...

And the tarot cards will also tell you what the near future holds.

First, think about what you want to have your fortune told and then cut the tarot cards.

I wish you the best.

And the result was…

Tarot fortune telling

Since it's a personal matter, I can't reveal the results of my fortune telling here, but I can tell you one thing. According to my palm, I will live until I'm 78 years old. I feel like I have a long life ahead of me, so I can do many things, and Cindy's fortune telling gave me the push I needed. I think Cindy's power to make people feel positive like that is amazing.

Thank you, Cindy.

After the fortune-telling, we move to a back room where Cindy answers an interview question.

The interview consisted of just one question: "What does a monster mean to you?"

Scene from the interview

The fortune-telling hall will be open for only two more days, July 8th (Tuesday) and July 10th (Thursday). (Reservations are now closed.)

Furthermore, the "monster-related stories" collected in this way will be turned into a performance piece by Cindy Mochizuki at nitehi works, which we will be able to witness during the Koganecho Bazaar 2014.

I'm curious to see what kind of work it will be... but please wait a little while until it is released!

■ Overview of event information at nitehi
Cindy Mochizuki "loch"
A sound and video performance related to "Monster"
Date and time: August 8th (Fri) and 9th (Sat) 20:00-21:00
Venue: nitehi works
Admission fee: Paid (price TBA)