Word and image

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

I've been away for a while, discovered an intriguing martial arts shop on my travels, had a laptop with me and came up with this idea for combining my interests in Gackt, martial arts and poetry.

The image is from a photobook related to the NHK TV drama series Fuurin Kazan which features Gackt in his role as Uesugi Kenshin.  The photographer is Seiichi Nomura.  The imagery and content of the poem comes from a Japanese martial arts notion (e.g. in the bow art kyudo) that the weapon-holder becomes united with the target through the weapon itself, which is converted to a channel for the focus of the warrior's spirit.  The "bridal" nature of Kenshin's costume is, I guess, entirely incidental!
 

Comments

[karadin.livejournal.com]

But coming from the POV of the original swordmaker (long dead probably when these swords were cut down) you can only cringe, because of the very backbreaking work it took to make the longer sword, its sort of like, when I see beautiful old kimono cut up to make handbags. (shudder)

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

I can understand your recycled kimono horror from my imagination but I don't share it in my heart - unless the conversion is wanton or disrespectful.

If the "new" artefact is something which a modern person will like and admire and enjoy, I would credit the original artist with an acceptance of that, in terms of an afterlife for the creation. Surely, very few artists create for an eternal posterity?

My willingness to dump the old is probably inflamed by the fact that I live in a country which is near-paralyzed (creatively) by an obsession with preserving the past. This ingrains ridiculous positions, which were mere historical accidents (and which can keep bad feeling alive in perpetuity), and starves new architects and artists of the space to do anything except fill in the gaps. And I assure you that, on a very small island, the gaps are becoming pretty tiny!

Do you not think that one of the reasons why creative minds use and revel in the internet (in capabilities like LJ indeed) is because the web is not (yet) saddled with all the cumulative and archival baggage of history? The internet has been the only fresh, blank space available to many creative people. Everything else is rather like a palimpsest - you have to make your mark on top of everyone else's.

I've come rather a long way from Kenshin's sword, I'm afraid, but thank you for raising these opportunities for debate.

Your entry on the sword in Japanese culture deserves careful thinking on by the fandom of our katana-loving leader! In the UK, the manner of thinking and living is so entirely materialistic that I am always delighted to see reminders that physical things will never give us more than an understanding of physics (certainly no wisdom) unless we also bring to them something of the spirit. The Japanese sword is pretty well the epitome of that idea so I'm very pleased to see it explained so well here.

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Ah, but I'm always coming from the pov of the artist and their original intent, of course things are going to be re-made and put in a new dynamic, but it's still painful when an art director takes your carefully rendered art and literally slices it up to fit a page!

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Ouch. That just sounds like crass ignorance at work. Why would you want to be an art director when you're that low down the artistic evolutionary scale? Weird. And sad.

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Art Directors are important! They give the look and feel of a publication, they choose the artists and the art, (and help start new artists) some art directors are well known and feted. If they move from one publication to another they take the artists they like with them.

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

What I meant was that THAT one seems to be in the wrong business: they are not going to generate a following by alienating their artists, are they? I wasn't saying anything about art directors in general; just making a remark about the sad example you gave.

There's nothing wrong with the aim of the role. After all, we all know that some excellent artists are the very worst people to learn about or manage the art business!

[karadin.livejournal.com]

At least now I can submit my art digitally, I know that the original will remain intact. (sigh) but still, if a director wants to change something, I'd rather do it myself, my name will go on it, after all.

[karadin.livejournal.com]

Heh, sort of like Gackt's virulent response when they created 'Remix of Gackt' without his permission.

[wongkk.livejournal.com]

Yes. Think we step out of the realm of art there into pure money grubbing! Always a strong motive for some people.