Gutai Goes to Fashion Week Pollinating the Bisexual Flower

Gutai Educational ModuleVince Rozario

ARTH 4705Ming Tiampo

January 15, 2012

Purpose

The theme of this activity is “Gutai goes to Fashion Week.” Young artists will be given a chance to create and be photographed in a look complementing Yoshida Minoru’s Bisexual Flower. Using t-shirts decorated with black light paint, participants will paint with their bodies in a performance meant to complement the original work.

While the focus of this activity is oriented towards one particular work in the exhibition, the brainstorming process will ask the young artists to reflect on a range of key themes from the Gutai: Splendid Playground exhibition. Participants will be asked to rethink their conception of painting, and how it can be translated into performance in works like Tanaka Atsuko’s Electric Dress and Shiraga Kazuo’s Ultramodern Sanbaso. They will also be asked to consider the role of chance operations in the creative process, as exhibited by the works and process of Shiraga Kazuo and Shimamoto Shōzō. Participants will be encouraged to stretch the boundaries of their process with inspiration from Shiraga and Shimamoto’s methods, such as painting with feet, smashing bottles of paint onto the canvas or pouring paint.

The ultimate aim of this module is to inspire an exploration of notions of painting in relation to medium, authorship and temporality. As well, participants are invited to explore the limits of their creativity, free of any concerns or expectations being imposed on the final product. In an ideal scenario, the activity would encourage students to participate viscerally in the process of picture-making, and hopefully develop a more organic understanding and appreciation of Gutai works, which are so heavily process-oriented. Most importantly, the activity will allow them to play uninhibitedly with the dynamic process of creating art.

Method and Framework

TaskThe principal objective of this module is for the participants to create and photograph a unique “look” based on Gutai principles, which will be introduced to them via an introductory discussion. The materials available to them will be t-shirts on which they can paint using black light paints. Given the luminosity of their medium, comparisons can be drawn to Tanaka Atsuko’s Electric Dress. The discussion will also incorporate ideas about “killing the paintbrush” from Shimamoto Shōzō, and ask the participants to consider their activity as a performance piece challenging the limits of painting. Like many early Gutai works, which were temporary in nature, photographs will play a key role in creating the work of art. Hence, the participants will be photographed at the end by an activity coordinator. Consequently, the exercise will not only be an individual endeavour in art-making, but also a collective one.The resulting unpredictability of the outcome in these works will force the budding artists to think and create spontaneously.

I) Introduction (≈ 15 minutes)This first component will begin with the facilitators briefly introducing the activity (i.e. the participants will get to design t-shirts with black light paint and that this is meant to compliment Yoshida Minoru’s Bisexual Flower). Students should be introduced to the concept that the activity is an act of performance, and that they are trying to create a painting with their bodies in

time and space. To elaborate on this concept, they are asked about what they think of as painting, and to name a few paintings which they like. These ideas are then compared to the Gutai’s approach to painting, and the students are shown photographs of Atsuko’s Electric Dress and Shiraga Kazuo’s Ultramodern Sanbaso. The children are asked to give their feedback on whether they would consider these performances to be paintings. The Japanese words for painting (Kaiga) and picture (e) are compared using flashcards. If there is time, the facilitator might want to make a chart and list how the two concepts are different, and why the Gutai artists described their works as ‘pictures’ rather than ‘paintings’. The idea of chance operations and how they can help or hinder artists in their process is also discussed. A relevant talking point in this discussion is Shimamoto Shōzō’s statement that, “It is only once the paintbrush has been discarded that the paint can be revived.” Students can be asked what Shimamoto might have meant and whether they agree or disagree. Photographs of the works discussed are provided in an “inspiration” folder for participants to access throughout the rest of the module. Facilitators should encourage the young artists to have some of them at hand to view and compare as they are creating their work.

II) Creating the “Look” (35 Minutes)The focus of this component is to allow the participants to liberate their process from a concern with the end product. Furthermore, they are creating an object which, besides being an artwork in its own right, will also be photographed and reproduced as an image, where it can be manipulated by the movement of the model. Even though the materials and the guidelines provide a singular focus, the creative possibilities are endless.

Dividing the participants into groups of four or five and getting them to work collectively at stations is advisable. Facilitators can then conduct an ongoing discussion about process at each station while the children are designing their t-shirts. It is important to keep Yoshida Minoru’s Bisexual Flower in mind while creating the designs, so students are asked about what they think of the work and how they would play with a giant robotic flower with moving parts. Participants can also be encouraged to think that they are metaphorical ‘bees’ pollinating the flower, if that makes interaction with the work more accessible. While creating their designs, the young artists are also encouraged to think about how they would move or display the outfits for a group photo, and how the play of light would interact with the environment of the room.

The challenge of working with black light paint is that the artists cannot see the designs which they are creating on their garments. Facilitators should ask the young artists how this kind of painting is different from something created using paintbrushes on canvas, and how they think their creation will turn out given that they cannot see the work in progress. Above all, students should be encouraged to be as spontaneous as possible with their application of paint. They can blow the paint on through straws, splatter it on with paintbrushes or palette knives, smear it on with their fingers, tie-dye sections with rubber bands and so on.

III) Photographing the “Look” (10 Minutes)Once the looks have been created, the students are taken into the room with the Bisexual Flower is displayed. Depending on the capacity of the room, the children can all be photographed at once, or in smaller groups according to the facilitator’s discretion. Coordinators should encourage those modeling their creations to be animated and playful, creating forms with their

bodies as well as their created objects. Incorporating music into this segment might also encourage movement and spontaneity. Photographs can either be emailed to the participants or printed and made available at the end of the week as a souvenir of their time at the Guggenheim.

Educational Benefits

The nature of this activity makes complex concepts about the process and interpretation of art accessible to a youthful demographic which might not be readily interested in exploring them on their own. A timely theme (Fashion Week runs from the 7th-14th of February) and a playful approach to creating art empowers the children to think and create spontaneously and without inhibition. While the introductory component is quite information-intensive, a casual approach and the incorporation of lots of images and discussion will ideally spark a thought process that matures as the children create their own artworks. Working collaboratively, as well as working through several stages of manipulating the material and creating the image, allows participants to explore the notion of artistic authorship and develops communication skills. The ongoing discussion allows for a reflection about issues concerning painting and the image-making, and gives a context that adds value to the participants’ creative endeavours.

Appendix A: List of Artworks

SHIMAMOTO Shōzō making a painting by hurling glass bottles of paint against a canvasat the 2nd Gutai Art Exhibition, Ohara Kaikan, Tokyo( ca. October 11–17, 1956)SHIMAMOTO Shōzō, Work (1962)SHIRAGA Kazuo demonstrating his signature painting style during the 2nd Gutai Art Exhibition, Ohara Kaikan, Tokyo (ca. October 11–17, 1956)SHIRAGA Kazuo, Ultramodern Sanbaso (1957)TANAKA Atsuko, Electric Dress (1956)YOSHIDA Minoru, Bisexual Flower (1970)

Appendix B: List of Materials

Item Availability

T-Shirts (Preferably black) Any wholesale clothing supplier

Black Light Paint/Markers Craft stores, Wal-Mart, as well as several online suppliers (The invisible variety which doesn’t show in daylight is preferable)

Digital cameras Borrowed and shared under supervision by participants

Safety scissors

At department’s discretion

Straws

Rubber Bands

Paintbrushes

Plastic Spoons

Plastic Palette Knives

Disposable Smocks and Gloves