WATER BRAIN is a collaborative project that combines music and visuals to explore the rebuilding of societal harmony with the natural world. The performances use active deep listening to incorporate the pulse and melody of both urban and natural environments, creating a multimedia narrative that builds upon despondent surroundings to create a harmonious experience. The project emphasizes the importance of the often unnoticed layers that form the foundation of our society and warns of the potential consequences of their erosion. My recent project is a new endeavor where I am creating works by combining poetry with sound and visuals, in an attempt to convey the author's intended expression with greater fidelity and higher resolution. I'm considering positioning it as 'Audio Visual Poetry,' and I feel this novel mode of expression holds promise. Audio Visual Poetry allows the synthesis of written poetry with auditory and visual elements, potentially enriching the conveyance of the poet's message through a multisensory experience. By integrating sound, music, imagery, and animation with the written word, this art form can evoke emotions, atmospheres, and narratives that transcend the constraints of text alone. The merging of these artistic mediums opens up new avenues for creative expression, enabling poets to paint with a broader palette of sensory stimuli. It invites the audience to engage with the work on multiple levels, fostering a deeper connection and understanding of the underlying themes and emotions.
Fumio Tashiro aka bombsun, He is a Japanese-born upright bassist and composer based in Brooklyn, New York. After immigrating to the United States in 1991, he quickly became a respected figure in New York's jazz scene. Renowned for his experimental improvisational skills, he has over 30 years of experience composing, touring, and performing music. He was recognized as the leading disciple of his mentor, the great Milt Hinton. In 1998, through hosting experimental music sessions in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and using various effects pedals with his acoustic upright bass, he developed his own unique style. In 2011, he founded the musical ensemble Water Brain, specializing in acoustic/electronic layered experiments utilizing visual worlds by artist Miho Morita.
Title: Ambivalent: drawing / pushing out
[Project Description]
This video art project explores the ambivalent relationship between gentrification and displacement in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The first chapter, "Ambivalent: drawing in" presents a montage of images and sounds capturing the vibrancy and dynamism of the neighborhood. It expresses the pulsing energy through lively rhythms depicting joggers, people walking dogs, and bustling activity.
The second chapter, "Ambivalent: Pushing Out" takes on a more somber tone, depicting the encroaching presence of gentrification through imagery of gray high-rise buildings and construction sites. While the underlying BPM continues, the latter half employs more abstract expressions and incorporates sampled sounds from actual construction sites, appealing to the subconscious.
Viewers are left to deeply ponder whether gentrification is headed in a positive or negative direction for the community.
[Project Statement]
The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the complex and often contradictory effects of gentrification. The artist hopes to encourage viewers to think critically about the issue and to consider the perspectives of those who are most affected by it.
**Artist's Perspective**
The artist's perspective on the issue of gentrification is complex and nuanced. Artists recognize the potential benefits of gentrification, such as economic development and infrastructure improvements. However, as someone who runs a small café within the affected area, the artist also has real concerns about the negative impacts of gentrification, such as noise and vibrations driving away customers, affecting business operations, and the risks of displacement and rising rents.
Artist Statement
As a Brooklyn-based artist deeply embedded in the Gowanus community, I have witnessed firsthand the profound impacts of gentrification - the displacement of long-term residents, shuttering of small businesses, and erosion of affordable housing. Through this multidisciplinary project spanning music, video, and installations, I aim to amplify the marginalized voices too often silenced amid rapid urban transformation. Drawing inspiration from the stark juxtaposition of Gowanus' industrial heritage and natural environs like the infamously polluted canal, my work challenges oversimplified narratives surrounding gentrification.
My art unit "WATER BRAIN" confronts society's disconnection from the natural world in the face of unchecked development. By fostering dialogue around these complex issues through compelling creative expression, I hope to raise awareness and envision more equitable, sustainable paths forward for our evolving city and its diverse communities. Art can be a powerful catalyst for social change, and this project harnesses that potential to advocate for the too often overlooked perspectives shaping Brooklyn's future.