 Yuzuru Maeda |
Artist’s Biographyborn in Japan in 1978.
She had received a Music BA from the LaSalle Collage of Arts, Singapore in 2009 and currently lives in Singapore. In her daily musical practice, she produces soundtracks, jingles and music compositions for independent films, commercials and her own video works. She performs mainly with the Sanshin (Japanese), Sarod (Indian) and Violin (Classical) with electronic sound compositions. Her musical lineage is La Monte Young and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan. She explores music and sound in cross cultural contexts and her musical works are described as ‘Beyond time and space’ which experess about divine energy and spirituality. Yuzuru has been making video-based music works with ‘Zentai Art Project’(yuzuru.weebly.com). These are visual explorations extended from her practice as a contemporary musician. In her art projects Yuzuru uses Zentai, she uses the Japanese sub-culture to investigate the human conditions of identity, spiritual connections with cosmic energy in the universe and as a means to come to terms with one’s living environment. She currently organizes Zentai Art Festival (zentaiart.com) in Singapore and around Asia. Artist statement
I am a musician playing Indian classical instrument Sarod. I play my own improvisation using Indian scale on the Sarod. For me, I take the instrument as a medium to connect to a higher sphere and play with inspiration of the melody that I hear within myself. So I practice the instrument to keep myself technically fit to follow the inspiration. In my Zentai Art Project video works, I am trying visualise my inspirations and expressing it in the video frames. My generic theme for the project is about ‘Who am I’ and ‘What is the truth and reality’ in life. I think these answers are beyond what words can explain and I hope to come closer to it through the series of Zentai Art videos. My artistic statement about zentai (Yuzuru Maeda)
Zentai is a short form for ‘Zenshin taitu’, which was developed in Japan. Zentai is a full body tights covering whole body with one-piece lycra fabric. I make over 100 zentai videos to explore different possibilities of art making using zentai. I make video based on the idea. I also improvise with the environment I am situated. I document all the process in the video because it is good to go back to the old process when I feel lost. By uploading the documentation on youtube, I also receive feedback from the audience. I am an organiser of zentai art festival. It oranges exhibitions, performance and zentai walk in Israel, Myanmar, Vietnam and Singapore. My idea on Zentai: The world is getting more and more materialistic. People say the world will not last long if we continue to consume the way we do now. But I think we don’t need to look for a new invention that can save the world. I believe the key is to have fewer desires or identities. If we could live simply, and require less materially, the world could sustain its cycle.When I see a group of people wearing zentai, I can identify female or male but nothing more. And maybe this is enough. We could live just as male or female but now we are playing too many roles in society, like nationality, age, job, education, family and so on. I think zentai can remind us that it is good to be ourselves, the self that exists beyond identities. A group of zentai people look like they are merging into one another as if they are one whole energy. Zentai not only takes away the identity but also the individuality. It is no longer 20 people standing together but one big energy standing. And I think this is what we really are. We are not separate from each other. We are actually just one energy. What makes us think we are different from other person is the 'identity'. Identifying 'my' hair, 'my' skin, and 'my' thought, which makes everything complicated.So zentai reminds me to be a simple being. And this simplicity touches the heart and the core of Human beings. My website: yuzuru.weebly.com Zentai art festival: zentaiart.com Zentai Art Festival I am an organizer of the contemporary art festival “Zentai Art Festival” in the public art venues of Singapore from 2nd April 2015 to 10th May 2015. I wanted to see the different perspective on zentai art. So I organize the festival to share this art form with artists and audience in Singapore. I believe the festival reaches to the people who normally don’t attend art activities. I would like to engage more people like this and create a bigger sharing platform. Though this festival, I want to question ourselves “Who we are?”. Our framework for this festival will be an extension of creative projects by local and international artists presenting creative developments in the arts & cultural practices. These festival presentations are of established contemporary artists in various art exhibitions, performance art events; artists leaded workshops, film screenings as well as talks, cultural highlights and discussion that aim to engage the public audiences. We hope to share and promote “Zentai” culture with the Singapore public, as well as to the international contemporary art world. The objective of the festival is to be staged around various established art venues to focus and cast a wider audience on artistic productions that promote and enhance the experience of the cultural framework and social integration of Singapore. Zentai Walk ‘Zentai Walk’ is a program that participants wear zentai suits and walk on the Orchard road. From the overwhelming positive responses of our previous zentai walk, we conducted a second zentai walk starting from the JCC (Japan Creative Center) going into the orchard road and return back to the gallery on the exhibition opening day with 48 people. The concept of the zentai walk is simply to have fun. It can be an escape from daily life for the participants and it can be a fun transformation with friends. When one wears zentai, it erases the identity of the face and creates new way of communication. The zentai walk can offer a very unique experience, which questions the identities that we are carrying in everyday life. It will also question what simplified life can offer as the experience erases distinctive differences from each other. The objective on this walk is to bring the art closer to the Singapore public. Anyone can join this zentai walk by just wearing the zentai suits and it presents full scale experience to both wearer and the public who witnesses the walk. This fun approach will bring art and art performance closer to Singapore audience. Singapore Media http://www.todayonline.com/blogs/forartssake/zentai-art-festival-if-it-suits-you http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/arts/suit-zentai-gets-its-own-art-festival-spore http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/are-you-crazy-zentai-walk-participants-attract-curious-onlookers http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore-news/tight-squeeze-down-orchard-road Video documentation of the walk on 7 November 2014 http://youtu.be/KItih5J3_l0 Zentai Walk Documentation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIv3VChoEL4 Zentai town on 11 April 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI6nLiAplc8 Zentai walk is going around Asian countries in 2015 and 2016. The objective is to have collaboration with local artists and learn about the country. And hopefully I can come to the conclusion that the asia is one. No matter the race, age or religion, we live in asia and the important thing is the purity of the soul. Plan of Zentai performance is Hanoi (May), Yangon (July), Tel Aviv (August), Bangkok (November), Bandung (March), Manila (February), Taipei (May), Hong Kong (April), Jakarta, KL, Beijing, Other China city, Pnong Peng, Kathmandu (2016) CV ２００９年LaSalle Collage of the Arts, Singapore の音楽／作曲を卒業、２０１０年よりゼンタイアートプロジェクトとしてビデオ作品を１００作品以上制作、同時にパフォーマンスアートをアジア各国で行ってきました。また２０１１年よりゼンタイアートフェスティバルを企画しシンガポールで３つの展示会とパフォーマンスを行いました。これからはこの展示会／パフォーマンスをシンガポールとアジア各国で展開し、アジアの問題を浮き彫りにすると同時にアジアをひとつにしていきたいと思います。 ゼンタイ（全身タイツ）は日本で１９８０年代に生まれたもので、フェテッ ィシュとしてインターネットを通して世界へ広まっていきました。 ２０１０年よりわたしはこのゼンタイを新しい形で表現の道具に使いビデオ作品を作り続けています。顔が見えない、というゼンタイは性別、職業、年齢、性格を超えたところで人を見る、私たちはほんとうは誰なんだという質問を提示します。また私たちの存在はほんとうに体の内側で終わっているのか、個性は体の皮膚の上で終わっているのだろうか、エナジーとして自然の一部に存在しているということはないだろうかと作品の制作過程で思考を繰り返しています。 またゼンタイアートプロジェクトとして様々なコラボレーション、パフォーマンスアートを行ってきました。 わたしは音楽課を卒業したので一つの楽器に人生を捧げ、その中であらゆる可能性を模索するということを日常で行ってきたので、ゼンタイも全てをかけて可能性を探る人生のパートナーだと思っています。 ゼンタイアートフェスティバル ２０１１年より企画を始めたゼンタイアートフェスティバルは２５人の展示アーティストと１００人以上のパフォーマンスアーティストを巻き込みシンガポールでゼンタイを広めるきっかけになりました。特に今までアートシーンと関わりのなかった人たちとパフォーマンスをしていく中でお互いの人生の幅を広げることができました。 フェスティバルは‘私たちは誰か？’ということを念頭にローカルアートシーンの可能性を広げていくことを目指しています。 ゼンタイウォーク ゼンタイウォークはゼンタイアートフェスティバルのイベントで誰でも簡単に参加できるアートイベントです。ゼンタイを着るだけでだれでも注目を浴び、また気軽に周りの人たちの仲良くできるという不思議でクレイジーでそしてパーティーのような楽しさのあるイベントです。また街の風景を一瞬で変えてしまい、立ち会った人たちにも思い出を残すことになったと思います。 . 日本のメディア http://getnews.jp/archives/1038360 http://bitecho.me/2015/05/19_19.html |
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