Projection x Nihonga

an ancient+future visual language

Re-sonance

On December 12, 2021, Mako invited me to collaborate with him on a performance art show at the High Line Nine in NYC. The show took place in front of a small audience, who witnessed Mako live painting a triptych on the floor while I projected visuals onto an already-finished triptych (“Sea Beyond”) installed on the wall. Many of the visuals I projected were filmed with my drone. The fusion of Nihonga (an ancient Japanese tradition) & projection mapping with nature-based imagery is a visual language that Mako & I are still early on in exploring & developing. Words often fail me when trying to unpack the meaning of what takes place in these rare collaborative moments.

In addition to the visuals, the performance was underscored by composer & percussionist Susie Ibarra. Susie interacted with each moment, following Mako’s lead as he painted. She layered percussive textures with the sounds of brushstrokes & dripping paint, which were mic’d & amplified as Mako painted. Together, the sonic & visual languages harmonized, creating a meditative experience.

The entire show was captured on film & will be released at a later date. Until then, please enjoy some of these behind-the-scene glimpses, including a video (above) that shares momentary examples of the visuals I projected during the performance.

For more on “Re-sonance”, including all of Mako’s paintings that were on display, click here.

More Examples of Projection on Nihonga

Mapping Tea Ceremonies

If you told me that one day I’d start spending time projection mapping Japanese tea ceremonies, I… well, I honestly, don’t know what I’d say. But life is weird & whimsical, so here we are.

One of the many friends I’ve made through Mako is a Japanese tea master-apprentice named Keiko Yanaka. She has participated in many of the events Mako & I have collaborated on. And while I would love to spend an hour or two unpacking the beautiful & timely meaning found in tea ceremonies, now is not the time. (Unless you do have an hour+, then you can listen to this podcast I recorded with Mako & Keiko in Israel.)

For now, please enjoy a few images from the times I’ve projection mapped Keiko’s tea ceremonies. Some of these took places in Mako’s studio, & one of them took place on the newly excavated 1st century synongue floor in Magdala, Israel, by the Sea of Galilee.

Illuminating Fumi-e

In 17th century Japan, icons of Christ & Mary were created by the government & used to expose Christians during a time when Christianity was outlawed. These images were placed on the ground where suspected followers of Christ were commanded to step on them as a form of denouncing Jesus or "proving" they were never Christians in the first place. It was a brutal practice that marked the oppression & persecution of the Japanese people.

This persecution was detailed in Shūsaku Endō's novel "Silence," which was later adapted to film by Martin Scorsese. This fumi-e is an exact replica of an original & was used as a prop in Scorsese's film "Silence."

After the film, it was gifted to artist Makoto Fujimura, who served as a consultant on the film. Mako has used this fumi-e replica in many of his art installations & shows. At one event, Mako lended me the fumi-e for me to experiment with some micro- projection mapping, which was used during a Japanese tea ceremony at the gathering.

Visuals projected include lightning above the Jerusalem sky, stars adorning the crucified Body of Christ, & tears streaming down the face of Mary as she holds the body of her son.

Capturing Refractions

The ancient Japanese tradition of Nihonga is a style of painting that uses pulverized minerals, such as azurite, malachite, oyster shell, gold leaf. Instead of a flat painting, the artwork is a layered & textured tapestry that contains dimension, almost like a miniature landscape. And under the right lighting, the mineral-rich paint gives off a prismatic effect, refracting the light around it. When the viewer gets close, the painting literally begins to sparkle!

These refractions can be seen in these photos that I captured in Mako’s studio using a macro lens. If you ever get an opportunity to see Mako’s work in person, I highly recommend taking the time to do so. Be sure to get up close & personal, viewing each painting from multiple angles. You’ll be rewarded with a spectacular yet very intimate light show.

About Makoto Fujimura

Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose process driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time”. Robert Kushner, in the mid 90’s, written on Fujimura’s art in Art in America this way: “The idea of forging a new kind of art, about hope, healing, redemption, refuge, while maintaining visual sophistication and intellectual integrity is a growing movement, one which finds Makoto Fujimura’s work at the vanguard.”

Fujimura graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bucknell University, then studied in a traditional Japanese painting doctorate program for several years at Tokyo University of the Arts with several notable artists such as Takashi Murakami and Hiroshi Senju. His bicultural arts education led his style towards a fusion between fine art and abstract expressionism, together with the traditional Japanese art of Nihonga and Kacho-ga (bird-and-flower painting tradition). Fujimura’s art has been featured widely in galleries and museums around the world, and is collected by notable collections including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, The Huntington Library as well as Tikotin Museum in Israel.

As well as being a leading contemporary painter, Fujimura is also an arts advocate, writer, and speaker who is recognized worldwide as a cultural influencer. A Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts from 2003-2009, Fujimura served as an international advocate for the arts, speaking with decision makers and advising governmental policies on the arts. His book “Refractions” (NavPress) and “Culture Care” (IVPress) reflects many of his thesis on arts advocacy written during that time. Fujimura's highly anticipated book "Art+Faith: A Theology of Making" (Yale Press, with foreword by N.T. Wright, 2021) has been described by poet Christian Wiman as "a real tonic for our atomized time".

Fujimura founded the International Arts Movement in 1992, now IAMCultureCare, which over sees Fujimura Institute. Fujimura also co-founded Academy Kintsugi with Kunio Nakamura, a Kintsugi master, and his wife, Haejin Shim Fujimura, an international attorney and CEO of Embers International, serves as the President of Academy Kintsugi.

makotofujimura.com