METHOD NO. 22 (MAY 1, 2003) Email-Bulletin "METHOD" is a free monthly on "Method Painting, Method Poem, Method Music (Methodicist Manifesto)." Publishers are three Japanese artists, Hideki Nakazawa, a (visual) artist, Shigeru Matsui, a poet, and Masahiro Miwa, a composer. You can read the manifestos of Methodicism at http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/ This issue, METHOD NO. 22, carries a text by Hideki Nakazawa and a web piece by Shigeru Matsui, and word and info by the three Methodicists. >>>METHODICIST'S TEXT OF THIS MONTH: Two Types of Method Paintings: Coordinates And a Set by Hideki Nakazawa, artist Method paintings can be broadly divided into two types; the type of coordinates and the type of a set. This classification will involve an argument about where the paintings to be reduced. As I wrote before, a painting is an accumulation of color dots, while a method painting is an accumulation of signs (*1). A reduction has taken place when I used signs instead of color dots, that is, the reduction (or the discard) of physiology, the actual sense of sight. The next matter is how to place signs. One way is to place them in their respective fixed places like in a grid, which means to give a certain coordinates value to each sign. That way is of the type of coordinates, whose examples made by Japanese letters and pieces for a board game, "go," are at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/work016.html The other way is to place signs into a certain region but not in any fixed places, which means that each sign is movable, or, merely an element of a certain set determined by "{," at the left end, and "}," at the right end. That way is of the type of a set. An example of a set of numbers is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/work012.html and coins in a plastic bag which means a certain region like "{}" is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/portfolio/jpg/op101moneyamount26.html From one reductionistic point of view, the type of a set is superior because it succeeded in discarding even a coordinates system, which means that a painting is no longer required to be a static plane. However, from another reductionistic point of view, only the reduction of physiology is sufficient for being method paintings; the discard of a coordinates system is unnecessary. Therefore, I just say there are two types in method paintings; the type of coordinates and the type of a set. Let me introduce a further example of the type of coordinates. All the signs are basically of the same size just like the small dots seen in Seurat's pointillistic paintings. However, if adjacent signs are synthesized into a big sign, larger signs will appear just like the larger dots seen in Matisse's early fauvistic paintings. An example using alphabets is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/work020.html Also allow me to introduce an in-between type of the two. The idea derives from the type of a set, while the actual pieces are of the type of cordinates because the each sign is actually fixed. They do not obey grids anymore but show certain patterns independently of the intention of the author. An example made by fixed coins is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/portfolio/jpg/op029moneyamount1.html and an example made by fixed coined words is at: aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/portfolio/pdf/op109sentence1.html (*1) See "Signs Instead of Color Dots" appeared in "Method No. 13." >>>METHODICIST'S WEB PIECE OF THIS MONTH: Pure Poem by Shigeru Matsui, poet http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/PurePoem.html "Pure poem" is a work in which Japanese ancient poems (divine poems) have been realized in our times. Ancient divine poems can be defined as a row of letters made by unusual meters which were brought about by the links between unusual symbols and unusual word orders. "Pure poem," which has realized them in the present godless day, can be also defined as a row of letters made by mere meters which were brought about by the links between mere symbols and mere word orders. I am self-confident that this work has highlighted the problems on regions, periods and fields, that is, "Japan / today / poetry." I will write more about "pure poem" in succeeding issues. >>>METHODICISTS' WORD & INFO OF THIS MONTH: Hideki Nakazawa, artist: nakazawa@aloalo.co.jp http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/ - ISCP Open Studio Exhibition: tomorrow and the day after tomorrow!! 12-9 pm, Fri., May 2 & 12-6 pm, Sat., May 3. (Reception: 6-9 pm, Fri.) Floors 4, 6, 7, 8, and 12 at 323 W 39th St. (btw 8th & 9th), NYC, USA. 31 artists from 18 nations welcome you to visit their studios. Hideki Nakazawa's Individual Performance, "Korean & Japanese Coined Words Reading," by Sooyeon Lee and Hideki Nakazawa: 5 pm, Fri. & 5 pm, Sat. at his studio #610 on the 6th floor. ... I am one of the current participants in ISCP, International Studio and Curatorial Program, being supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japanese Government. Today, I am installing around 30,000 US coins on the floor of my studio. I have just finished installing 16,208 letters (3,960 coined words) stuck directly on the walls and the windows. (ISCP: www.iscp-nyc.org) - METHOD NIGHT VOL. 5: "Coined Words Reading" by Hideki Nakazawa Performers: Sooyeon Lee, Viktoria Binschtok, and Hideki Nakazawa 7 pm, Fri., May 23 at ISCP #610, 323 W 39th St., (btw 8th & 9th), NYC. Open Discussion will follow. COME AND WITNESS TODAY'S TRUE RADICALISM. - My text, "Art-Fundamentalism And War," will appear in the June issue of Bijutsu Techo, Japanese art magazine, featuring "Art And War." Our "Methodicist Manifesto of Participation in War" will also be carried. ... The nuance of the word "fundamentalism" in Japanese is a little bit different from the original meaning in English. Japanese use this word in many situations like "economy-fundamentalism" and such, and my above- said "art-fundamentalism" is one of them. For me, "art-fundamentalism" is a synonym for "art for art's sake," although the former sounds more confrontational to society as dadaists were, while the latter sounds more retired from the world as romanticists were. Shigeru Matsui, poet: shigeru@td5.so-net.ne.jp http://www008.upp.so-net.ne.jp/methodpoem/ - I am preparing for the performance "marathon READING 2003" in June. I am planning to have my 'no' performance which will suit to my own work. The syle of performance is not decided yet. - Perfomance "marathon READING 2003" on June 28, 2003 (Tokyo). http://plaza24.mbn.or.jp/~naku/mr.html Masahiro Miwa, composer: mmiwa@iamas.ac.jp http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/ - Last month I spent a lot of time for composing a new piece for orchestra, "Bolero by Muramatsu Gear Engine," which will be first performed on 5th of June in Cairo. As you can imagine from the words "Muramatsu Gear" (* NOTE), I regard the piece as "Notated Reverse- Simulation Music." Because the "Muramatsu Gear" has its own history about an aborigines called GIYACK, I kept being a Giyack-ese composer of nationalism in music while composing. I tried to transfer every details of the style and the spirit of Giyack-ian music into European orchestral music. For example, except the beginning of the piece no pitches are indicated on the part score. Instead of absolute pitch indication there are symbols for glissandi of 1/3 of a tone up or down. (* NOTE) About the "Muramatsu Gear," carried as the web-piece of "METHOD NO. 19," please see: http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~mmiwa/MuramatsuGear.html Group "METHOD": http://aloalo.co.jp/nakazawa/method/ - Preparing for the publication of a series "Off-Line Separate Volumes of 'METHOD.'" - Volunteer assistants invited to help our activities. >>>POSTSCRIPT: The next issue, NO. 23, will be published on June 1, carrying a text by Shigeru Matsui and a web piece by Masahiro Miwa. There are two versions of this bulletin; one is only in English which you are reading right now, the other is accompanied by Japanese translation which we can send you at your request. To read the back numbers, visit the above URL of "METHOD." To subscribe or unsubscribe to this bulletin, email any of us at the above email addresses. You can send on this bulletin to others freely, but corruption and appropriation are prohibited. Monthly Email-Bulletin METHOD NO. 22 published on May 1, 2003 (C) Hideki Nakazawa, Shigeru Matsui, Masahiro Miwa, 2003