Artists’ web talk session with General director KITAGAWA Fram vol.8 ‘Changing artwork’

In this session we have invited Kohei Takekoshi, who will have an artwork at Yoro-Keikoku Station.
Mr. Takekoshi made an artwork from the root of a big Ginkgo tree, which had fallen due to the typhoon last year, at the former site of an elementary school in Yoro-Keikoku, Ichihara city.
He had stayed in Yoro-Keikoku for almost 2 months since the beginning of January, and has created the artwork related to the big Ginkgo tree, a symbol of the region, together with local people, which is really impressive. We asked him how he had been affected by COVID-19 as an artist who stays and works at the site to make artworks.

Participants:
Kohei Takekoshi, General Director KITAGAWA Fram

　

Director Fram Kitagawa (hereafter Director):
During the quarantine time, where have you been? How did you spend time and what did you feel?

　

Kohei Takekoshi (hereafter Takekoshi):
Now I am staying at my home in Hyogo. It is getting hot here. I have been staying at the countryside in Hyogo during these 3 months, so I am not affected seriously.

Although in some cases I hesitated to enter the local stores, I sometimes felt that Tokyo on TV was like a distant world.

It was impossible to travel beyond the prefectures, so I couldn’t go back to my parents’ house in Gifu. My families were planning to gather in this spring, but we couldn’t make it. We had talked on the Internet, but I was still worried about them because we couldn’t meet each other in real.

　

Director:
How have you been working?

　

Takekoshi:
I couldn’t do any production work. Everything has stopped.

　

Director:
How did you spend time in your spare time? I just lay in bed watching TV, reading books, having such a lazy life.

　

Takekoshi:
I was watching movies on the internet, and taking a walk as usual.

　

　

Director:
Have you done anything or felt anything related to art?

　

Takekoshi:
The situation seems to settle down, but I really don’t know what it will be like.

I used to visit and stay in different places to make artworks and have audience coming to see my works, but I think it might be difficult to continue working in this style if this situation keeps going on.

As the video that I provided for the Instagram project “Artists’ breaths”, I filmed a lot about my working process. I have been doing some experiments with these videos to create something that we can be immersed in even being separated.

　

Director:
Would tell me more about your work in Yoro-Keikoku?

　

Takekoshi:
I looked back at the photos of the work, for today’s talk session with you.

The pictures were taken in March. I think now, the grass is growing again, the color of soil is changing again, the tree is deteriorating, and the atmosphere has changed there. To be honest, I would like to see what it looks like after these changes.

I also communicated with Art×Mix supporters who have been involved in my artworks. They told me they could, to some extent, look forward to seeing how my work would change while waiting for the art festival next year, which would not have happened if it had not been postponed. Of course, initially, I aimed to show the completed work, but now I find it interesting to see how it will change after a year.

　　

　

Director:
Is it meaningful to make a fixed-point observation and make it public, say, once a month? Maybe we can’t see the roots themselves because of the cover for protection?

　

Takekoshi:
I think it is very meaningful. The soil is being cured so that the soil won’t collapse, but we can see the roots themselves.

　

Director:
It will be nice if there’s someone helping at the site. Is there anyone?

　

Executive Committee:
Let’s ask those in Yoro-Keikoku who had been involved every day in your artwork if they can help.

　

Director:
I’m looking forward to it.

　

　

Director:
Is there anything you would like to do for March 20^th next year?

　

Takekoshi:
As an attempt I originally considered, I filmed some videos of my working process and the stories told by local people about the big Ginkgo tree. And then I wanted to make a platform with these videos, to put a QR code near the work, by which you can watch these videos together with the work. I hope to spend time on this before coming March.

　

Director:
Do you have any other plans in this year?

　

Takekoshi:
I’m considering holding an event of de-installing my work in Setouchi Triennale. I’m going to visit the site next week. I hope to be able to de-install it in one or two months, and bury it with local people together.

　

Director:
Is there anything else you would like to mention?

　

Takekoshi:
I can rarely go outside, and I am getting depressed. I want to work outside soon!

　

Director:
You are getting a little healthier.

　

Takekoshi:
That’s true. I really want to go outside soon. I am really looking forward to next week that I can go to Setouchi.

　

Executive Committee:
We will check the artwork with local people once a week, so please don’t worry! And everyone in Yoro-Keikoku is waiting for your next visit.

　

　

Artists’ web talk session with General director KITAGAWA Fram
vol.1 ‘Hope artists have in the midst of the coronavirus disease outbreak’
vol.2 ‘Communication between two distant places’
vol.3 ‘Beyond borders’
vol.4 ‘Small changes in the daily life of the artist’
vol.5 ‘Time difference of 12 hours’
vol.6 ’Online Photo Session?'
vol.7 ‘Possibilities of public spaces’