Artist in Residency in Fukuoka, Japan

I attended a four-week residency program at Studio Kura in Fukuoka Japan nestled in the rural area of Ikisan. This residency provided uninterrupted time to focus on the practice-led component of the research I was conducting at that time for my PhD.

Exhibition, ‘Finding a Way Through Drawing’, Studio Kura

I explored the image making and storytelling themes common during the Ukiyo-e genre or ‘Floating World’ period of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. This period is known for its early woodblock printing developments and influences on reproduction techniques and the graphic design industry in the West. This genre also gave birth to the popular storytelling style, Manga.

For my exhibition, I chose to concentrate on the ‘Floating World’ theme; ‘Beauty Looking Back’, which was explored by Hishikawa in his iconic image of the same name. My body of work was titled ‘Finding a Way Through Drawing’ and exhibited at Studio Kura. I provided Japanese translations of my aims and descriptions of each work to fully engage with the local artists, teachers, community and some tourists.

Drawing explorations included;

• Observation drawing from life and traditional Japanese depictions using an iPad and Sketch app to record my ‘drawing trail’ and digital prints;
• Drawing from memory using continuous line and blind drawing techniques;
• Drawing from the imagination using Japanese brush techniques and exploring storytelling themes. This exploration formed the basis of the children’s workshop.
• Phenomenology drawing using response drawing to accidental marks and water ‘squiggles’. These drawings provided examples of pareidolia which formed part of the exhibition conversation.

This exhibition formed part of my thesis describing the development of drawing activities using response drawing to engage non-drawers. It also demonstrated the value of the ‘drawing trail’ to evaluate thinking processes. I also conducted a workshop with a group of children with special needs from the local Ikisan primary school. The other artists and myself were taken to a 300-year-old family paper making factory in the foothills of Fukuoka to observe a papermaking process. To conclude my residency, I visited the Contemporary Art Island of Naoshima to view the installation and images of Shinro Ohtaki and Yayoi Kusama who have influenced the aesthetic of my work.