Attend Artist in Residency in Fukuoka, Japan

During July 2017, I attended a four-week residency program in Fukuoka Japan in the rural area of Ikisan. This residency provided uninterrupted time to focus on the practice-led component of my research exploring improvisational drawing techniques while immersing myself in the Japanese culture. I kept a visual and written diary reflecting on my drawing practices and engaged in discussions with the other four artists in residence about their creative thinking practices and the role of drawing.

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

To continue the practice-based component of my research, I explored several Japanese themes that could be incorporated into my drawing explorations. I researched the Ukiyo-e genre or ‘Floating World’ period of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries 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, which resonates with many of our students interested in illustration.

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

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 forms 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.

During this residency, I attended a one-day calligraphy workshop with the design and calligraphy artist, Chifumi Niimi, in Kyoto. I also conducted a children’s 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 contemporary graphic design. 

A detailed summary of the Studio Kura AiR, exhibition, children’s workshop and other activities related to the development of my practice-based research component is available if more information is required.