Structures

Again, my interest started searching into “rhetoric.” I am sure what I am looking at is a sort of structure of linguistic events in the same way as how I try to find structures in my own experiences.  The question is what sort of structure I am looking at.

I am not sure if this is related to my tendency to search “structure” but I find myself obsessed with some sorts of remains of life, mainly bones and seashells. When I was walking in Año Nuevo national (state?) park, I found a big skull of probably a sea-lion. I wanted to bring it back home, but my “ethics” prohibited that and I hid the skull in the shade under bush. Stupidly grumbling in my head, I still think about the skull. Why is it? Why should I own it? Owning is such a fundamental desire for very tedious practicality. There is no pragmatic purpose at all… for most possessive desire… with which I feel like I should start somehow reconcile.

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Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello

Their performance is really amazing…
I always thought this trio music would somehow represent “french” music, but they say its hugely colored with Basque which Ravel’s mother’s side is from. All these four movements are so unique and beautiful. Probably technically so challenging too. Well, I play only piano within these three instruments, but piano part is at least really virtuosic.

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Rautavaara on GrooveShark … ?!

I got some CDs of Rautavaara. This song became pretty famous, I believe, and I found it on GrooveShark. My friend told me about GrooveShark… I always put music here from YouTube, and often they have unnecessary video images on top. I hope GrooveShark works well. They at least had Rautavaara’s music. Good start.

Wow… GrooveShark can create a song list… this is useful. These are some by John Zorn…

Some Steve Reich that I don’t have in my iTunes.

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Águas de Março – Waters of March

Yes, such a famous song, and sorry to say that it is one of my favorite songs. Hmmm… why should I think “sorry” but I sometimes think I am not unique at all… well, let’s not make a narcissistic self-negation. Here they are, different versions of the song from YouTube. Amazing…. I eliminated what I did not like.

This should not be the first recording, but this is one of the most famous recordings of the song.

Here is a slower version by Elis Regina probably in the later period of her career which ended so early sadly. One of my favorite versions.

Antonio Carlos Jobim in his rather later years, playing piano and singing in English. Amazing performance of very rhythmic vocalization with beautiful chorus singers with out-dated outfits.

I don’t know much about his music but another famous Brazilian, Oscar Castro Neves. I actually have one CD by Mario Castro Neves which I really love, but I am not sure if they are related.

Mario Castro Neves

Of course, João Gilberto. Masterpiece.

I think Holly Cole is the one who seems to be unfairly underrated in the US. She is an amazing singer who twists lyrics by her unique implicit and seductive vocalization.

Oh, I actually did not know Casandra Wilson sang this song also. Her deep voice… I think her voice is very sexy.

Hahah! this was very well crafted joke. Beautifully done. And sounded good. Made me happy, even though I am not that happy about Trader Joe’s as much as I used to be.

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ある柄谷行人から

告白という形式あるいは告白という制度が、告白さるべき内面、あるいは「真の自己」なるものを産出するのだ。問題は何をいかにして告白するかではなく、この告白という制度そのものによる。隠すべきことがあって告白するのではない。告白するという義務が、隠すべき事を、あるいは「内面」を作り出すのである。『日本近代文学の起源』

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Tools shape us…

I have been interested in how a tool shapes human activities, the way we behave and the way we think. A tool here means any physical or conceptual forms of instrumentation to actuate or help performing of any human activities.

I am teaching website design classes in this summer, so in that case, HTML, php, or those computer languages to make online information activated are the tools I am talking about. I am so interested in students who do not understand “my language” very well, but are so creative. You would say that simply everybody has her/his forte and weakness, but what I am interested in is that how those tools(computer languages) shape the way I think, and the way I convey what’s in my mind, even when teaching. I must be really careful about that point. When I understand a certain tool, it may be difficult to talk about any idea which is “dictated” by the tool with people who do not understand the tool.

Another aspect of this issue is creativity. A tool may give the road of creation, but somehow I believe human creativity emerge before tools. Yes, what’s important always is balance, the integration of one side and the other. Creativity and actual embodiment of it by working with instruments. But tools are dangerous. The idea, the structure of tools penetrates into our mind so deeply and start shaping our creativity before it emerge with its life.

– A note for logic –

When they say “an intuitive computer program,” the interface of it is merely a simulation of human organic behaviors/interactions strictly controlled by gigantic pile of logic formulas. Our intuition on computer may be created by particular logic which someone else or corporates produced. Is it similar to how our understanding of everyday life are influenced by movies? (I don’t watch TV at all, but yes, and TV.)

A note for Blog –

Yes. This blog will shape my thoughts…

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Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

Yes, I changed my blog totally. I am not sure how people find this new version since I unchecked the search engine visibility option. I just wanted to separate these “everyday” life things from my art related news. Everyday life things are so important and definitely related to my art very closely, though.

I watched Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence probably closed to 20 years after I had watched last time. Very impressive film. I am not sure why but it seems even NetFlix does not have the DVD in regular stock. It’s so shameful not to make this film visible, because it is one of the most graceful films I have seen. Violent and sweet, ugly and beautiful. This time, I was a little bit shocked by the scene where David Bowie’s brother sang around their house, since I had forgotten about the scene was actually from this film. The scene of this small hunchbacked boy singing with his purely beautiful boy-soprano. I did not remember David Bowie next to him walking along… Acting of David Bowie was surprisingly good. Ryuichi Sakamoto was beautiful, but his acting was not that great. Other actors were amazing mostly, Takeshi, Tom Conti, Jack Thompson were so great. And there were many tricky social issues embedded in the film, discrimination toward Korean-Japanese, people with disability, etc., but the issues around beauty of violence were most strikingly captivating. Friction between bodies in the critically extreme situation such as a POW camp smudged the fine lines that define violence, love, symbolic systems, mass-insanity and friendships.

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Festool has come

Oh, I had never thought that I would become a owner of Festool products. Wow!!! I got a jigsaw and a vacuum now! It is a perfect combination. Well… now I should make greater artworks with these cute, and accurate and luxury tools…

Festool

Festool Jigsaw

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Artillery Magazine

On Artillery Magazine, my name was listed as one of “a few artists whose range of practices reflects the incredible talent and diversity of the San Francisco region.”

Artillery Magazine

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Aerial Boundaries

I remember it was in my junior high school years when I found Michael Hedges record. I did not care about other artists from Windham Hill Records, but I instantly understood his play was something different. It is quite amazing that I can see him playing live like this, and also makes me sad that he actually passed away from a car accident. I don’t play the guitar, but I can see how unique his technique is, or at least “was” pioneer of new methods.

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