Makoto Wada’s Movie Inspired Art 3: European Classics

Makoto Wada (和田誠, b. 1936) is best known as an illustrator whose work has adorned the pages of writers as diverse as Shinichi Hoshi, Haruki Murakami, and Agatha Christie.  In addition to illustration, he has also dabbled in film directing and animation – winning the Noburo Ofuji Award for 1964 for his comic animated short Murder (殺人).  In Murder, he spoofs a wide variety of famous film and literary icons including Poirot, Sam Spade, Dracula and James Bond.  He has also done a range of paintings inspired by film stars and classic movies.  This is my third in a series of posts looking at his art and his muses.  See also: Part 1: Early Hollywood and Part 2: Hollywood Classics

You can support this artist by ordering collections of his work such as:

Order: Makoto Wada Cinema Art

In November 2011, Makoto Wada held an exhibition entitled "World of European Films" 「ヨーロッパ映画の世界」at the  Dojima Avanza Entrance Hall in his native Osaka.  According to Kansai Art Beat, the exhibition featured paintings inspired by everything from the popular Harry Potter film adaptions to art cinema classics like Fellini's La Strada (1954).

One of the images used to promote the film was a striking image of Sean Connery as James Bond against a red background.

I believe this studio photo of Connery was used for the promotion of Goldfinger (1964).  

One of my favourites from Makoto's European film series is his rendering of the unforgettable moment from Godard's Breathless when Jean Seberg, in her Herald Tribute T-shirt kisses Jean-Paul Belmondo on the cheek:

The yellow background suits the mood of Breathless, I think, and Wada has captured the body language of the two protagonists perfectly.  Less successful, in my opinion, is Wada's rendering of Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes (1948):

Yes, this is one of the classic stills from the movie, but the adaptation lacks finesse.  Wada's body proportions for the ballet dancer Vicky Page are all wrong.  Actress Moira Shearer was much more delicately proportioned than that, and her nose was quite dainty in real life.  Wada makes her look more like one of Cinderella's evil stepsisters. 

In contrast, Wada's interpretation of Albert Lamorisse's fantasy featurette The Red Balloon (1956) is spot on in its use of colour and design.  

Next: Makoto Wada's Movie Inspired Art 4: Modern Classics

2015 Catherine Munroe Hotes

Japanese Package Design Exhibition

One of the more interesting cultural events organised by Nippon Connection this year was the Japanese Package Design Exhibition. The accompanying text suggested that the curators were interested in comparing and contrasting Asian and Western attitudes towards design and packaging. One of the key texts cited by the curators was Richard E. Nisbett’s The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently. . . And Why (2003).

The exhibition space was AustellungHalle (Schulstr. 1a) in Sachsenhausen. The gallery is tucked inconspicuously down an alley. I would have walked straight past the entrance if someone had not cleverly stuck some brightly coloured Tohato Caramel Corn packages on the iron gratings.

The event space was minimalistically conceived. An open, white space with cardboard boxes placed in rows. On the left hand side of the entryway was an example of a clear plastic convenience store umbrella with clear plastic disposable sheath. Upon entering, I was first drawn to the giant Pretz display in the corner on the right. These Pretz (a Japanese version of pretzel sticks) boxes were designed with pop-out arms so that they can be hooked onto handbags. They were also designed to look like cute little animals.

On the right hand wall, there was a long explanation of the theory behind Japanese package design. In short, they evaluated the packaging in terms of three principles: the principle of connection (Zusammenhang), the principle of opposition (Widerspruchs), and the principle of change (Wandels).

Each of the cardboard boxes was an individual display case for an item. The item itself was in a little nook and spectators were encouraged to handle and examine the item. In order to learn more about each item, one had to open the crate. Each flap contained photographs of the product which emphasized the key elements of that item. Once open, the spectator could read a detailed explanation about the theory behind the design of the packaging.

Items featured included the collectable faces of Tohato caramel corn, Fit’s Lotte gum with a wrapper designed so that you never have to touch the gum, ILOHAS crushable drink bottles, UFO instant noodles with a built in strainer, the convenient bottles of Suntory tea , Meiji Curls with Norio Hikone’s characters on the packaging, the versatile and elegant Tirol chocolate packaging, Pos-ca gum that comes with a tissue for throwing the gum away once chewed, Kirin drinks designed to resemble exotic postcards from far-away lands, ingenious convenience store onigiri plastic wrap, Glico pudding with its air seal, Hyotan mineral water in a fancy bottle “too lovely to throw away”, and Meiji Xylish gum with its colourful exterior and silver under-wrapping.

It was a trip down memory lane for me. I only wish that some of the products had been available for purchase at the gallery. It made me quite homesick for Japanese bottled ice teas and salty snacks.

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2011

Nippon Connection 2011

Getting Dressed (服を着るまで, 2010)

Some days, the hardest thing to do is to get dressed.

Aico Kitamura’s graduation film Getting Dressed (Fuku wo kirumade, 2010) charts the course of a woman’s self imposed solitary confinement in her apartment over several days. Her room is bare but for the basic necessities, a growing collection of empty milk bottles, and a caged bird. The chubby, naked woman’s days fall into a rhythm of monotony. She sleeps, eats cornflakes, feeds her caged yellow bird, stares out the window at the busy street below, and sleeps again.

The naked woman’s days are punctuated only by the sound of traffic, the bird tweeting and her own sighs. Her mood is effectively captured by the plaintive sound of the contrabass (performed by Seiya Yoshida), part of an emotive soundtrack scored for the film by Miyako Matsuko. Fellow animator Saori Shiroki narrates the film, providing us with the woman’s interior monologue. The poetic narration reinforces the woman’s sense of entrapment in her one-room apartment.

I am used to repeating the course of life

Nothing is new now

I am an observer

And the outside world is neither illusion nor reality

The importance of sound is emphasized in a beautiful sequence in which the woman stands at the window listening and observing the traffic of humans and cars down below. The framing then moves to a close up on her ear sticking out of her hair. Her ear then metamorphosizes into the shape of the woman, still naked,   standing in the traffic of people and cars. This dream sequence elaborates upon the woman’s social anxiety as some of the people turn to stare at her.

Visually, Aico Kitamura’s film is densely textured like the films of her mentor Koji Yamamura. Her use of depth of screen and scribbles to add texture are reminiscent of his films Mt. Head (Atama Yama, 2002) and Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor (Kafuka Inaka Isha, 2007). Thematically, Kitamura’s film reminded me of other animated films about the hardships of ordinary daily life like Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis’s When the Day Breaks (Canada, 2000) and Bruno Buzotto’s Life in a Tin Can (Una Vita in Scatola, Italy, 1967).

Getting Dressed is particularly fascinating for its use of the female body to express internal pain. This is emphasized in two sequences in which the sleeping figure of the woman begins to expand so that her body first collapses the bed, then envelops the entire room (see image at top). In the second sequence, her body continues expanding until it consumes the entire apartment building and even begins to take over neighbouring buildings.

Women’s bodies have been idealized and demonized as the subject of art since time immemorial. It is only in the past couple of centuries, however, that we have begun to get a sense of the multiplicity of ways in which women see their own bodies – and how that vision of the body and the self is impacted by the sufferings that the woman has experienced in her life. From Frida Kahlo’s startling self portraits to Akino Kondoh’s depiction of her alter ego Eiko, the way in which women use the female body to express psychological states can be very provoking. 

In Getting Dressed, a pant leg or shirt sleeve hangs out of the closet throughout – silently beckoning the woman to dress her corpulent, naked body and re-enter society. However, even when she runs out of cornflakes, the woman’s body still refuses to allow itself to be confined by clothing. She struggles through it only to be reborn, still naked on the other side.  The turn only comes when her nightmares cross paths with reality and her bird escapes its cage resulting in tragedy. The empty bottles and the bird seeds transform into multiple versions of the naked woman in a fetal position – multiple versions of herself which she needs to somehow stuff into her clothing so that she can face the world again.

I kept thinking of Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings while watching Getting Dressed. As in Angelou's memoir, the caged bird acts as a metaphor for the woman’s own situation in life. This motif is emphasized by the shots taken from the POV of the bird, which make it look as if the chubby naked woman herself is the one who is encaged. It is rare for a short film to capture so eloquently the daily struggles of a person suffering from acute depression and social anxiety.

Aico Kitamura's Getting Dressed demonstrates a level of maturity that is rare in a graduate film.  Her use of the female body to express inner turmoil is very sensitively done.  It is a thoughtful, moving and poetic film that leaves use with the promise of more exciting work to come in this young artist's future career as an animator.

About the artist:

A native of Kyoto, Aico Kitamura (北村愛子, b. 1985) discovered alternative animation as a graphic arts student at Kyoto Seika University. She went on to study animation at Tokyo University of Arts under Koji Yamamura and Ilan Nguyen. According to her website, she has been influenced by a wide range of film directors (Wenders, Tarkovsky, Ozu, Kitano, Kubrick, Chaplin, Buñuel), animators (Pärn, Patel, Leaf, Yamamura, Toccafondo) and artists (Cezanne, Magritte, Klimt, Bosch, Ogata, Arimoto). In addition to animation, Kitamura works as an illustrator and a graphic designer. She helped out fledgling indie label CALF by designing their website for them. She is currently storyboarding her next animated film which she hopes to complete by November.

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2010

Related Posts:

Mami Kosemura’s Comb (Kushi, 2006)
Art of the Absurd: An Interview with Atsushi Wada
Koji Yamamura’s adaptation of Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor (Kafuka Inaka Isha, 2007)
Taku Furukawa’s Phenakistiscope (Odorokiban, 1975)
Yokohama Art Navi

Nagi Noda (野田 凪, 1973-2008)

Today marks the second anniversary of the death of Nagi Noda (野田 凪, 1973-2008), the brilliant pop artist and fashion icon. Not only did she make weird and wonderful videos (short films, music videos, and commercials), but she also had her own line of stuffed animals called HanPanda, designed unusual hair art called Hair Hats, and designed her own fashion line called Broken Label in collaboration with Mark Ryden. She won many awards for her work including the prestigious Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2006 for her Coca-Cola commercial “What Goes Around Comes Around”. Although her life was tragically cut short by injuries she sustained after a traffic accident, her vibrant creative vision lives on to inspire younger artists.

In her memory, I have assembled as complete a videography as I could find. For more information, videos, and slideshows, visit her official homepage. For an extra special treat, check out the making of Nagi Noda's video for Scissor Sisters:

Videography

2000 Short Film  “46 Wrinkles”

2002 Short Film  “Small Square Stories”

2002 Commercial  Laforet “Butterfly Ribbons”

2002 Commercial  Laforet “Autumn of appetite” / “Preparation is troublesome”

2002 Commercial  Laforet “It is Christmas Soon” / “Make-up is troublesome”

2003 Short Film  “Wedding Dress, Mourning Dress, Party Dress”

2003 Short Film  “Small Love Stories”

2003 Music Video  Yuki “Sentimental Journey”

2003 Short Film  "A Small Love Story About Alex and Juliet"

2003 Commercial  Laforet “I get married smooooothly”

2003 Commercial  Laforet “Imaginary pregnancy”

2003 Commercial  Laforet “They become large in a hurry for Christmas (grow up)”

2003 Commercial  Laforet “They become large in a hurry for Christmas (kiss)”

2003 Commercial  GEKKEIKAN “GEKKEIKAN”

2003 Commercial  Suntory “Latte Latte”

2003 Commercial  Suntory “Hot Latte Latte”

2003 Commercial  Suntory “Oolong Cha”

2004 Short Film  “Mariko Takahashi’s Fitness Video for Being Appraised as an ‘Ex-Fat Girl’”

• A surreal parody of Susan Powter’s first work out video.

2004 Commericial  Laforet “Cat Walk with Shadows”

2004 Commercial  Laforet “Animal Girl”

2005 Animation – Opening Credits  "Honey and Clover"

2005 Music Video  OGIYAHAGI “Must Be”

2005 Music Video  OGIYAHAGI “I love your face”

2006 Commercial  Coca Cola “What Goes Around Comes Around”

• Music by Jack White

2006 Commercial  MONOPRIX “Vegetables”

Monoprix Vegetables (Nagi Noda) from Cosmo Sapiens on Vimeo.

2006 Commercial  MONOPRIX “Mascara”

Monoprix Mascara (by Nagi Noda) from Cosmo Sapiens on Vimeo.

2006 Commercial  MONOPRIX “Jungle”

Monoprix Jungle (Nagi Noda) from Cosmo Sapiens on Vimeo.

2006 TV Ecocolo

2006 Music Video  TIGA “Far From Home”

2007 Commercial  “b+ab spring summer 2008”

2007 Music Video  Scissor Sisters “She’s My Man”

2008  Commercial LG Stream Power

Koichiro Tsujikawa

Koichiro Tsujikawa (辻川幸一郎) started out in graphic design and moved into directing short films in 1999. Like most animation artists, Tsujikawa funds his work mainly by producing commercial work and music videos. He was featured in Boards as one of 20 directors to watch in October of last year for his extensive creative output for everything from commercials for big brand names to mesmerizing videos for experimental music artists. The artist he most works in collaboration with is exploratory and experimental musical artist Cornelius (aka Keigo Oyamada /小山田圭吾).

Tsujikawa’s most recent project is Kimagure Robot (きぐれロボット). It is an adaptation of a story by acclaimed science fiction writer (and friend of Osamu Tezuka) Shinichi Hoshi (星新一). The film is only available by download onto keitais in Japan in eight 5-minute installments. This short film format suits the work of Hoshi, who is famous for his short-short story style. During his lifetime (1926-1997), he wrote over a thousand short stories. Kimagure Robot has been adapted into animation before (by Studio 4C in 2004), but this adaptation seems to mix animation and live actors, a technique Tsujikawa uses often in his work.

I don't have a full review of Tsujikawa's style for you yet, as I have only recently discovered his oeuvre and he has certainly been prolific. His style ranges from stop motion to CGI. His subject matter can range from playful animation of every day objects to the surreal. This filmography is a work in progress from information I found on Tsujikawa’s official website. If you click on some of the titles below you can watch his films on YouTube. I learned about Koichiro Tsujikawa’s work via PingMag’s postings of Tsujikawa’s recent foray into audiovisual performance. You can catch the first short clip here.

Filmography: Commercials

2007

Source Smirnoff (Smirnoff)

2006

Hop Field Documentary (Sapporo Namashibori)

Haku (Shiseido)

Foma Stick (Sony Ericsson)

Twenty-Four Hour Clock (24)

Majolica Majorca (Shiseido; with music by Cornelius)

2005

Search to Discover (Goo – the One Spot Project, NTT Resonant)

Meiji Milk Chocolate (Meiji)

Group Promotion (Hitachi)

Yebisu Beer (Sapporo)

Untitled (Parco)

Untitled (Kagome)

Morinaga Choco Ball (Morinaga)

2004

Daito Giken

Ripple of a Smile (NTT East Japan)

2003

Bed Merry (Tower Records)

Filmography: Music Videos (for Cornelius, unless otherwise noted)

2008

Blonde Friendly Collie Bear (Quantine Rabbit)

2007

Like a Rolling Stone

2006

Sleep Warm

Sensuous

Fit Song

Beep It

Gum

Breezin’

Music

2005

我は行く (Mikio Hirama)

2004

Wonderword (Supercar)

Galaxy (Rip Slyme)

2003

Mars (Sketch Show)

Ekot (Sketch Show)

Trapéziste (Kahimi Karie)

I hate hate

2002

閃光 (Flash of Light by UA)

2001

Tone Twilight Zone

Drop (Do It Again)

Short Films

2004

Eyes (Getty Images, music by Cornelius)

Untitled (commissioned by Panasonic for the 2004 Olympics)

Filmography: Other work for TV

2004

カチカチ アサラト パンチ (Space Shower TV Station)

琴篇 (Space Shower TV Station)

ギター篇 (Space Shower TV Station)

控室篇 (Nippon Television)

Red (Nippon Television)

Kimagure Robot [DVD+CD]

© Catherine Munroe Hotes 2008