Ted’s Seminar yesterday clarified the structure and aims of ArtsCross and reminded me of something. I would like to present an answer for his last question, “are there any risk to do these experimental art/discipline/habitus crossing for institution or individual?”.
I will use an ironic metaphor “Galapagosnization” to link recent Japanese industry (and especially electronic devices) to the “closed evolution” of the Galapagos islands. Japanese electronics companies have been very keen to achieve “evolution” of their products such as TV, DVD, PC, mobile phone and have made great successes worldwide. But in this decade their profits have declined because they couldn’t compete with their enemies such as Apple Mac or Samsung mobile phone. So now Japanese people ironically call our old fashioned mobile phones (however highly technologized and beautifully designed but only useful for inside Japan) “Gala-Kei”. “Kei tai=携帯電話” means mobile phone in Japanese. Now we understand that however greatly we may develop our creative technology within our own ideas of “aesthetics, evaluation and discipline” these might be too weak to “confront” others from outside of our small community in this globalized age. Maybe, unconsciously our orientation has been too much stick to our own view.
So, let’s avoid “Galapagosnization” of our creativeness through “ArtsCross-ing”, dance and our body.
evolution or…..?