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Washi +
2023
In residency as an artist duo with Sinta Wibowo
Invited by Ayumi Hamada, co-produced by Hisako Yamaura
Kashiki House, Ino-Town, Shikoku island, Japan
Washi+ is a theatrical company to appeal the charms of Tosa Washi more widely through performing arts
As artists-in-residency, Sinta & I would stay at a house surrounded by the mountains and the Niyodo River. It's a no-output residency, where we are involved in learning and experiencing the process of making washi. In Ino-town and wider environment, we interacted with the local people, kids, grandfathers and grandmothers of farmers, and papermakers. It's where we think together about local industries, traditions, and sustainable living.
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As the older generation of farmers are pensioning and passing away, the Hamadas started to take care of their farms too. So we drove to different farms around the mountainous region of Kochi, zigzagging with the river to do weeding and inspecting the kozo plants for evil vines . One farm even equipped with a wagon track to transport farmers & harvest around the steep mountainsides. When Kitaoka-san drove us up and down his farm as an experienced train conductor, the origins of rollercoasters dawned on us!
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In a peaceful environment, we lived with Mama-san and also Oba-chan, Ayumi's grandmother who's only stopped working at the paper mill 2 years ago when she turned 91 . We exchanged our food with theirs, laughed how GoogleTranslate interpreted our conversations, learned how to deal with trash recycling in Japan, enjoyed drinking evenings and barbecues uphill, helped selling sushi & somen at the local school's matsuri/festival, cooled down in rivers & waterfalls afterhours, heated up in steamy onsens & bathouses, cycled out for handmade udons curving with the mountains, searched for all types of ice creams while our thirst harassed many vending machines, picked blueberries fat and sweet, played with a firework kit and stayed up for stargazing on our rooftop (I counted her record of 53 falling stars in 2 nights ) and following the preparations of the phenomenal Yosakoi, a post-war dance festival where troupes of people dance with strong stamina, 1 group dance, choreographed on original music, for days in a row in the soaring Summer heat, quite a unique endurance!
Our village life was kept quite busy with a variety of jobs, activities and free time!
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After our residency times on Shikoku island, we traveled north towards Nagano to join friends-artists at the Shinano Primitive Art Festival (信濃の国 原始感覚美術祭). Sharing a few photos from that experience.