In the Labyrinth

When Dogs Fly

 

This is the coolest dog ever, a member of the Austrian Special Forces taking part in NATO exercises in Norway. Check out the full article in the Times UK. And before you get anxious about the dog, here's what his handler said of the jump:

“Dogs don’t perceive height difference, so that doesn’t worry them. They’re more likely to be bothered by the roar of the engines, but once we’re on the way down, that doesn’t matter and they just enjoy the view,” said the dog handler. “It’s something he does a lot. He has a much cooler head than most recruits."

Bunkai: The National Japanese Women's Team Show Us How It's Done

I did Shotokan Karate for about twenty years and loved it -- and then life got busy, I changed directions and stopped practicing -- though in my head, I still recall the moves of katas (the choreographed movements that mimic a fight) and think wistfully of returning to the art. I feel even more tempted watching this remarkable video of the National Japanese women's team performing Bunkai -- a demonstration of the application of the powerful moves in the kata. It's a pretty awesome demonstration -- and I am astonished at how far women karateka have come since the early 70's when I began and women were not even permitted to spar. This is one of the most precise and physically challenging demonstrations of Bunkai I have ever seen. All the techniques are executed flawlessly at fullspeed with power and control. Very inspiring. It might just be enough to get me to dig out my gi from the bottom drawer.

Constantine in Tokyo: Samurai, Zombies, and Picking Out the Right Suit

For those of you interested in things Japanese -- and in particular both its classic Samurai films and its outrageous Horror genre -- I must highly recommend a visit to Constantine in Tokyo. This young graduate with a degree in International Relations and East Asian Studies now living in Japan is hugely smart, observant, and hilarious as she reviews movies (in text and fabulous videos), Japanese history and literature, and the quirks of Japanese contemporary pop culture. I am astounded at the breadth of her interests and knowledge...and quite delighted to find we share a mutual admiration for certain films (notably Hara Kiri and Ghost Dog, The Way of the Samurai.). And while I can hardly watch Japanese zombie movies -- I must say I love reading Constantine's reviews of them.

Wonder where to start? For films, do read (or watch) her review of Kobayashi's brilliant film Hara Kiri. The review offers a fascinating explanation of the historical context of the film's narrative -- delving into the concept of Bushido (the Way of the Samurai) and contrasting Kobayashi's critical interpretation of the historical practice of bushido with the romantic ideals of the samurai espoused by contemporary authors.

"In the West, we like to believe that every samurai lived according to the philosophy of bushido, the Way of the Samurai. According to Japanese works, such as Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s Hagakure and Yukio Mishima’s Patriotism, this belief is quite accurate. However, what many fail to realize is that these works are a misrepresentation of the samurai beliefs common during the Edo period (roughly 1600-1868) and exaggerate the historical and social significance of bushido. In reality, bushido is an artificial philosophy, written and followed by a fanatic minority who wished to cling to a bloody, militant past and was never accepted or followed by the majority of the samurai class."

 

But if horror is your thing -- and Japanese horror really, really is a genre all by itself -- her reviews are hilarious and biting (I suppose that's a pun as so many of these films involve ingesting of some kind). Here's a bit of advice if you plan on renting the recent zombie-horror flick JUNK Shiryo-Gari (which gets slammed for many funny reasons):

"Ultimately, Shiryo-gari is too campy to be scary and not campy enough to be funny. My recommendation: only watch this movie when you are highly intoxicated and surrounded by equally inebriated friends. Every time a zombie gnaws on some intestines, take a shot."

And check out Constantine's observations on the pop culture magazine Host Knuckle, the magazine that "features lots of fashion spreads of really skinny Japanese dudes modeling intensely coordinated outfits in front of Shinjuku Kabukicho’s nightlife" and some rocking ads (such as VICE FAIRY....which is somehow related to penile enlargement?).

All in all...a fun place to stop awhile and read...when you should be working.

Art: top photo is a self portrait by Meiji era photographer T. Enami, next is poster art for Hara Kiri, followed by Kuniyoshi Utagawa's "Ghost Skeleton" -- because I am squeamish when it comes to film stills of people getting eaten -- and finally a job recruitment ad in Host Knuckle for future dandys.

Grabados de Oaxaca: Graphic Arts from Oaxaca, Mexico

 

Indigo Arts Gallery  -- a spectacular Philadelphia art gallery (and online presence for those of you with an itch to purchase beautiful prints, etchings, sculptures, and paintings from Asia, Africa, and the Americas) -- has a new exhibit of graphic arts of Oaxaca, Mexico, home to many of Mexico's most sumptuous contemporary painters and print-makers. The show runs Thursday March 11 through Saturday, May 8 (Check the website for the times of various receptions throughout the period as well as the location of the gallery).

Here is a brief description of the current show: "Long renowned as a center for folk art production, the mountainous southern Mexico state of Oaxaca has a growing reputation for the fine arts as well. Birthplace of the late masters Rufino Tamayo, Rodolfo Nieto and Rodolfo Morales, Oaxaca has also produced such leading Mexican artists as Francisco Toledo. But it is the vitality of the younger generation of Oaxaca artists that has led critics to identify a distinct Oaxaca School of Mexican art. Oaxacan art draws its strength from native Indian culture, myths and legends. It is suffused with "magic realism" a folk surrealism in which people fly and mysterious juxtapositions are the norm. As poet Alberto Blanco has written, the artists of Oaxaca "all tend to depict one theme: the appearance in our history of another time and place. A space within another space. A time within another time."

 

So even if you can't make the show -- stop by the website and have a look at the gallery pages of the artists featured in the show. The work is fabulous, vivid and powerful. Also interesting is the importance of the Japanese artist Shinzaburo Takeda (born in 1935 in Seto, Japan). Takeda trained at the University of Fine Arts in Mexico City in 1957 and basically never left Mexico, instead becoming involved in a wide range of art movements. As a professor of Escuela de Bellas Artes de la Universidad Autonoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca, he has helped educate many of the promising and leading artists of the Oaxaca art movement. He is often referred to as the "most Mexican" of the Oaxaca movement.

Artists work pictured: Top woodblock is "Perro Jugueton" by Enrigues Flores, second is an aquatint "Untitled" by Fernando Olivera, and third is an aquatint "Faces" by Fernando Andriacci, and last is a lithograph "Fiesta de Tigre II" by Shinzaburo Takeda.

Eric Orchard: Harry and Silvio and The Adventures of the Flying Boat

  
Just before we moved (and when things were already migrating into boxes) I received copies of award-winning Canadian illustrator and artist Eric Orchard's delightful new series which contained the adventures of two cloud dwellers, Harry (a bear) and Silvio (a raccoon) and their unexpected guests, the intrepid Maddy Kettle who arrives in a flying boat and the dangerous Goblin Gang who have been pursuing Maddy.  And there are other flying boat adventurers in the series such as Memphis Lemon Finch, his sidekick Stink Bat and the mysterious Thimble Witch who wears a fantastic beak mask. The whimsical tales are charming (for adult and younger readers) and the pen and ink drawings are so expressive and captivating that Eric won a Silver Award for this year's Spectrum 17, a yearly juried publication featuring the best in contemporary fantastic art.

 

I follow Eric on facebook and I enjoy reading his frequent updates that chronicle note only his work, but his life as a father and an artist. It has reminded me, especially after my recent post on the film Who Does She Think  She Is?, that these days there are many artist-fathers working just as hard to juggle parenting, nurturing, and creative work. In Eric's many updates along with quick posts about his process and his sketches, one can also read of the usual exhaustion, the acts of negotiating distractions just to have a few more moments of work, and the needs of a sick child that obliterates all other schedules and deadlines. But there is also the fun of slowing everything down and just enjoying the long afternoon, sitting on the floor and playing before starting work again.  It reminds us that making art and having children are not mutually exclusive enterprises.

 

Do stop by Eric's website and have a look at his beautiful color illustrations as well as his comics and his blog to follow up on his many new projects (including art for Jeff and Ann Vandermeer's new Steampunk Reloaded anthology and a tarot card for Super Punch's new exhibit of tarot cards produced by a wide variety of artists -- an amazing project by the way). You can become a fan of The Adventures of the Flying Boat on facebook and keep up on all the new sketches, stories, characters, and finished pieces. And...you can purchase the mini-comics here.