The idea and process towards New Arabesque

FINDING OUT MATERIAL and Representation:

My practice explores the possibilities of combining multi-directional processes, using traditional printmaking expressions such as etching and woodcuts and digital presentations such as photography and video. By layering different materials and techniques, I strive to add depth and three-dimensionality to these mediums while maintaining their flatness. Initially, I was trying out the layer with hard ground etching and Chine Colle. In this experiment series, each image looked for a different approach to the place based on an experience I visited.

Referring to the article "The Attraction of Print: Notes on the Surface of the (Art) Print" by Ruth Pelzer-Montada, I thought about prints' tactility and surface on digital images. The article generally says that digital surface and ink-jet print have a different concept of flatness from traditional printmaking. The sense of materiality achieved by conventional printmaking techniques is something superficial digital representations cannot reach. However, the differences are partly eliminated by the technological advances accompanying the changing times, and the digital expression could be more like an analogue. When I wondered how these differences could be felt nowadays, these experimental works gave me a hint to find my answer to the question of 'tactility'. Chine Colle digital prints are both mechanical and hand-made textures because of digital print on traditional Japanese paper. Furthermore, the line drawings retain more of a hand-drawn feel. To search for those unique contrasts is crucial for my expression. Seeing digital prints and printmaking as one work was one of the keys to expressing my conceptual story based on 'the past' and ‘existing time‘(the present).

I defined the essential theme of my research in terms of materials. In my work, photographs represent the facts of the "here and now." (the now of that moment, or series of ‘nows’.) A single photograph is filled with the scenery of that moment. Katsutoshi Yuasa, who makes photographs using woodblocks, says that carving wood is his own way of resisting time. And in an age when everything is passing at breakneck speed, he says that he is finally able to breathe by driving a small stake into the ground and holding on to it. Like his work, photography is always in the past, but by continuing to capture the moment, he is sealing all the information that existed in that moment and space through the medium. I believe that photography is a kind of singular medium. This is because the captured light source of the past appears as "now" in the present. On the other hand, the illustrations in my work are fictional and attempt to express a story of the past. How do you go about expressing the individuality of these two media? This is my material theme.

And later on, I made layers with photograph and illustration images in a few ways. I made the collage work by combining relief print and digital print. I made different patterns of results and presented one of those in the miniature exhibition. Also, I used various papers such as Unryu paper, patterned paper, and Inshu paper (all types of Japanese paper).

▷Yamakaze (Wind in the Mountain)

Embracing the Land is an inkjet print of a laser-cut woodcut. The work let me discover a new approach to laser cutting precise lines in the image of Islamic patterns. The window forms in this image are from the Alhambra Palace in Granada, where the Reconquista took place. It was used as a symbolic motif of a place where different cultures intersected since it is an important place where the histories of two religions, Christianity and Islam, intermingle.

▷Embracing the land

Finally, I had an idea using the projection present with prints after examining multi combinations of media. Experiments with laser processing on woodblocks show the contrast between the wood's organic texture and the printed line's precision. When looking at the surface expression of the print, traces of the woodblock and the machine were discovered simultaneously, which I found interesting. Through woodblock printing, I had a fundamental exchange with the wood material. Experimenting with different printmaking techniques, I felt that wood's unique suppleness and unwieldiness became more pronounced. By printing woodblocks by hand, I experienced first-hand the relationship between myself and the natural material (a kind of primordial material)

New Arabesque is a photographic projection of that woodblock print. The contrast between the print's tactile feel and the digital photograph's dotted feel becomes more vivid when viewed up close. The difference between certain opposing materials may create something new between them and cause friction between material concepts. And the subtle movement of the projected film may reveal "something" in the still image. In Japanese Zen thinking, there is a term called Wabi-Sabi. Wabi-Sabi refers to finding beauty in imperfection and humility, such as a simple scene or the withering of a plant. I aim for quiet images because I can feel the spirit of Wabi-Sabi in the humble image.

Symbols of cultural sharing:

I have noticed that many works of art deeply connect with their respective religions. This is because the history of art has developed along with religion. Naturally, it brings an everyday spirituality to people. People's thoughts and wishes are reflected in their artwork. Interestingly, each community has different symbolic images, and we can see that ideas are somehow shared.

My drawings in New Arabesque used symbolic designs from historical paintings, particularly those reflecting the relationships between cultures and cultural influences from different countries. Spirit animals, gnarled trees and lively moving leaves in Iranian Safavid paintings are striking examples of motifs influenced by Central Asian countries. Safavid art has a historical background, having been created in the 16th century under the patronage of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed. Its distinctive lines allow for a unique expression that transcends religious boundaries.

In addition, while studying the gradual spread of art from the continent to Japan, I became particularly interested in the patterns. Arabesque is one of the most commonly used patterns in countries with a long history. Arabesque came to Japan with Buddhism, gradually incorporating design elements from different countries. The fact that the arabesque pattern came to Japan means that the people must have come to Japan simultaneously. I am fascinated by the relationship between the history of such human journeys and design.

◯Arabesque (Karakusa) Pattern

I also visited two mosques in London to photograph the arabesque pattern. In examining the interiors of the mosques, I found that each one has a unique design. Comparing the Aziziye Mosque in North London with the London Central Mosque, both appear to be composed of repetitions of Arabic calligraphy and geometric patterns.

When designing my own arabesque pattern, I referred to the decorative designs of mosques. I repeated the process many times, drawing in layers on the iPad and viewing the design image through transparency. Although the illustration depicts not the religious term of design, this process became necessary when I had the projection in mind.

The concept of landscape:

My process of creating photographic images is rooted in personal experiences, and I am dedicated to capturing the essence of nature and the history of the land. I approach my work with deep reverence and prayerful thought, recognising that the land holds a wealth of information. I aim to express a sensory experience, capturing not only the visual of the landscape but also memories and beliefs deeply ingrained within individuals. Walking and photographing a place is connected to 'experiencing' it, as it brings an understanding of what defines it as a place.

◯Land art of Hamish Fulton

About Hamish Fulton's artwork, his 'walking' dialogue inspires me to feel and think in the land. By walking, one discovers a place's history and unique nature, which has something in common with my photographic process. My photographic approach is dedicated to capturing specific landscapes that I encounter. Although I focus on landscapes from everyday life, I can sense the history of the land within that everyday life. And, as Fulton's dialogue suggests, by documenting, I can involve a part of the history of the place and turn it into a unique and personal encounter.

It is also known from Shinto lore that the presence of land has important implications for Japanese beliefs. But what kind of landscape identifies my own identity with a Japanese background? I think we need to rethink what kind of landscapes people find ‘Japaneseness’ and individuality in. I think we can connect the meaning of the place to folklore. This is because many folk tales are said to have their own birthplace, and they have spread throughout Japan over a long period of time in order to hand down "something" unique to that place. In my future research will go deeper into folklore in Japan and its concept depending on the specific landscape.

Installation with mixed media:

Reflecting on the exhibition at Barge House, I realised the importance of the sound aspect of my installation. Sounds would help me to make my complex images more tangible. The sound of the wind chimes used in this work is meditative and, at the same time, conducive to the Japanese sense of season, as wind chimes are a summer tradition. Christian Boltanski worked with themes of death and ghostly beings. In his work Animitas, he used hundreds of wind chimes in an installation. The wind chimes naturally make a sound as the viewer passes them, which makes the viewer physically aware of the theme of the work, mourning. In my work, too, I want to create sounds that maintain a close relationship with the actions of the viewer or myself. For example, it could be considered recording the process of my meditation with chimes and bells.

Paul Bush’s stop-motion animation is also inspiring in terms of sound. The random antiques match with sound effects, and those sounds invite the imagination to the specific memory. There may not be the reality of that certain historical period, but we can feel the truth of that period in our current interpretation. It is fascinating that the representation of a past scene appears in front of the image as a kind of "now". Thus, which sound is layered over the image is based on my viewpoint when considering the subject image. It is fiction and could be a part of the facts I believe in.

URL: THE FIVE MINUTE MUSEUM by Paul Bush

Connecting to further project:

I have approached this installation from every possible media concept direction. For my forthcoming work, I would like to focus more on the principle of my approach. In expressing the identity of different countries, I would like to use pattern design and landscape to document cultural transformation. My experiments are working on making layers of different dimensions of materials. While considering landscape photography as the core of my work, I would like to express a multidimensional world that involves other media while exploring its history.