Tension vs. Meditation: Contemporary Japanese Animation
Varfix by Kotaro Tanaka
As part of his summer 2011 residency at LIFT Tomonari Nishikawa will present a program of contemporary Japanese animation curated for this residency.
The screening showcases a body of contemporary short videos by Japanese artists, ranging from a timelapse video to a drawing animation, and a personal documentary to an abstract video.
The program begins with Shiho Kano’s Dahlia, a time-lapse video that displays manipulated time and space by light traveling through a personal space. Grained Time vol. 2 (Aliquot Light) shows Kazuhiro Goshima’s interests in alternating frames of images of shadows and still objects to create a sense of visual tension on the screen. Aki Nakazawa’s Negai wo hiku (Drawing Wishes) expresses her relaxation while talking to her old friend on the phone when she is away from Japan. A Devotion is Yuta Takehiro’s study in movements of natural phenomenon, which is rendered through camera apparatus. Hirotoshi Iwasaki’s Between Showers reveals artist’s careful observation of people’s behaviors and his skills in drawing animation, while Yusuke Nakajima’s Unconscious is a journey through textures found in everyday ordinary objects. How Can I Attack My Evil Heart? is Chikara Matsumoto’s drawing animation that portraits struggles of a person as multiple characters by irregular but figurative drawings and repetitive sound. The program ends with Kotaro Tanaka’s Varfix, which is made of endless battle scenes, which are often found in Japanese cartoon and comics.
—Tomonari Nishikawa
Program:
Dahlia (Shiho KANO, 13.5 min., 2009, Japan)
Grained Time vol. 2 (Aliquot Light) (Kazuhiro GOSHIMA, 7 min., 2009, Japan)
Negai wo hiku (Drawing Wishes) (Aki NAKAZAWA, 5 min., 2006, Germany/Japan)
A Devotion (Yuta TAKEHIRO, 4.5 min., 2011, Japan)
Between Showers (Hirotoshi IWASAKI, 3 min., 2009, Japan)
Unconscious (Yusuke NAKAJIMA, 4 min., 2007, Japan)
How Can I Attack My Evil Heart? (Chikara MATSUMOTO, 6 min., 2010, Japan)
Varfix (Kotaro TANAKA, 8.5 min., 2010, Japan)
TRT 51.5 minutes
Tomonari Nishikawa’s residency at LIFT is supported by the Visiting Foreign Artists Program of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Tomonari Nishikawa is an award-winning filmmaker who has screened his work in film festivals worldwide, including Market Street which was commissioned by Exploratorium and received a Film Award at EXiS: Experimental Film and Video Festival in Seoul, South Korea. Nishikawa also works on installation projects, including Building 945 which received the 2008 Grant from the Museum of Contemporary Cinema in Spain. Nishikawa is one of the co-founders of KLEX: Kuala Lumpur Experimental Film and Video Festival in Malaysia for which he works as a festival adviser. He currently teaches as a visiting artist at Cinema Department, Binghamton University.
The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is Canada’s foremost artist-run production and education organization dedicated to celebrating excellence in the moving image. LIFT exists to provide support and encouragement for independent filmmakers and artists through affordable access to production, post-production and exhibition equipment; professional and creative development; workshops and courses; commissioning and exhibitions; artist-residencies; and a variety of other services.
LIFT is supported by its membership, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Ontario Arts Foundation, the Government of Ontario and the Toronto Arts Council.
Date:
5 Aug 2011 - 20:00 - 22:00
Location:
CineCyle
129 Spadina Avenue (down the lane)
Toronto, ON
Canada
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