音になる・Becoming Sounds
by Akira Sakata and Rie Nakajima
Akira Sakata and Rie Nakajima first met at Festival Météo, Mulhouse, summer 2015, immediately after their collaboration started.
まあ、中島吏英の作品は基本的に彫刻作品であるという事だ。
彫刻というと日本では古くからお地蔵さんを含めた仏像などが多いし、木造建築の欄間にみられるような彫り物をいうところが一般的な認識である。しかしながらどっこい、芸術という表現が起こる前、つまり文明発生以前の社会の中でも優れた表現行為はあった。洞窟画やら地上絵やら岩に描かれた絵やら、この国でいうなら縄文時代のものは非常に優れた遺跡遺物がある。その時代には職業が分化していなかったから、だれそれの作品とは言わなかっただけだ。縄文のビーナスなどは狩猟採集の生活の中でしか生まれえない。自然とともにくらし、衣食住のすべてを自然から受け取るわけであるから、当然、自然に対し畏怖の念をもって生活してきた人々の祈りを伴ったもの（作品）である。
西洋文化が濁流のように列島に流入したきた明治になってからは、人物の銅像や人間の裸体像など、人間中心主義の影響の強い作品が生まれてきた。概ね私が学校で習った彫刻というものは（適当で申し訳ないが）それに加えて、飛鳥美術とか、運慶快慶、左甚五郎、ミケランジェロだロダンだ高村光太郎といった名前が出るぐらい。ま、そんなものであろう。しかし、ここにきて美術の世界ではインスタレーションや映像によるアートが出現し、今なお革命が起こっていると言っても過言ではない。その筆頭の一人が中島吏英である。私は決して美術をよく知っているわけではないが、圧倒的なものには反応する人間である。
彼女の彫刻は、場所によって多少は違うが、基本は並べるというか、店を広げるというか、その場においての組み立て式である。そして、本人も含めてものが動くし、音が出る。「作品が音になる！！！」「これはいったい何だ！？」といわれるものが出てきても、すべからく人間の表現行為である。そこを楽しめる心の広さはとりもなおさず、心の豊かさのことである。「音の出る彫刻があってもいいじゃないか！」「動く彫刻があってもいいじゃないか！」という岡本太郎流だ。
私はといえば、一緒に演奏したいと思う作家、アーティスト、ミュージシャンとなら誰とでもできる。もちろん相手側が受け入れてくれればではあるが、という、まこと節操のなさである。そこで何が起こるのかといえば、良く分からない不思議な世界である。それを楽しむことによって私たちは表現の新たな地平を感じ取り次の世界への扉を開くことになる。ご来場の皆様に芸術だのアートだの、と考えることなしに、ただただ、起きているすべてのことを「列車の窓から見える風景」と同じく楽しんでいただければと思います。- 坂田明
(English translation)
Fundamentally Rie Nakajima's work is sculpture.
When people in Japan hear the word 'sculpture', they usually think of Buddhist statues, including the familiar Jizō figures found throughout the country, or the carved decorations seen in the transoms of traditional wooden buildings. But sculpture is much more than that. Long before the idea of 'art' even existed, before civilisation itself, people were already creating remarkable forms of expression. Cave paintings, geoglyphs and images carved or painted on rocks all testify to this. In Japan the Jōmon period also left behind extraordinary artifacts and archaeological remains. At that time, there were no specialised professions, so no one spoke of works as belonging to a particular artist. Objects such as the famous Jōmon Venus could only have emerged from a way of life based on hunting and gathering. People lived in close harmony with nature, receiving everything they needed, food, clothing and shelter, from the natural world. Naturally, they lived with a deep sense of awe towards nature, and the objects they created were inseparable from their prayers and spiritual beliefs.
It was not until the Meiji period, when Western culture poured into Japan like a raging torrent, that sculptures centred on human beings — bronze statues of historical figures and nude human forms began to appear under the strong influence of humanism. The sculpture I learned about in school (forgive the rough summary) consisted mainly of Asuka Buddhist art, famous sculptors such as Unkei, Kaikei and Hidari Jingorō, together with names like Michelangelo, Rodin, and Kōtarō Takamura. That was more or less the whole picture. Today however, the art world has been transformed by installation art and moving-image works. It is no exaggeration to say that an artistic revolution is still taking place, and Rie Nakajima stands at the forefront of it. I would not claim to be an expert on art, but I am someone who cannot help responding when confronted by something truly overwhelming..
Nakajima's sculptures differ somewhat depending on the venue, but they are essentially assembled on site — laid out, spread across the space and brought together in response to their surroundings. The objects move. They produce sound. Even the artist herself becomes part of the work. One might exclaim, 'The sculpture has become sound!' or 'What on earth is this?' Yet every bit of it is simply another form of human expression. To appreciate such work requires openness of heart, and that openness is itself a kind of richness. 'Why shouldn't sculpture make sound?' 'Why shouldn't sculpture move?' It is very much in the spirit of Tarō Okamoto.
As for me, I am willing to perform with any artist, creator, or musician with whom I feel inspired to collaborate — provided, of course, they are willing to have me. I admit I have very few reservations about such things. And what happens when we come together? We enter a mysterious world where no one really knows what will unfold. By embracing that uncertainty, we discover new horizons of expression and open the door to worlds we have never experienced before. To everyone who comes, I hope you won't worry about whether something is 'art' or not. Instead, simply enjoy everything that happens before you, just as you would enjoy the changing scenery outside the window of a moving train. — Akira Sakata
© Rie Nakajima