MY HAPPY MARRIAGE - WATASHI NO SHIAWASE NA KEKKON - A STUNNING JAPANESE FILM

The popularity of Japanese box office hit Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon (My Happy Marriage) is spreading like wildfire thanks to shorts on YouTube and Tik Tok. And deservedly so! The anime version on Netflix is good but nowhere near as brilliant as the live action which I watched on Daily Motion. The exquisite cinematography, the quirky complexities of the fantasy plot and depiction, and most of all the captivating Cinderella love story is a heart winner. All the actors from children to elders carry their roles beautifully but it's the subtle micro-expressions of the two leads that take your breath away, showing their character arcs from ice to warmth (Ren Meguro, J-pop idol with acting chops) and broken to whole (Mio Imada, former model and recent star). Can't wait for the sequel!

WHAT WILL WE CALL OUR CREATIONS IN XR/CREATIVE/IMMERSIVE TECH?

Designing a new business card to include my upskill to the new XR art medium/creative tech art genre/multimedia art form. What is the taxonomic term for creations in theatre, film, visual art, performance art, music & storytelling which are enhanced by or fully created in VR/AR/MR? "Digital" is dated & smacks of office work. I'm also using laser projection & holograms so "creative tech art form/genre/medium" appeals to me. Suggestions? (Images generated by Adobe Photoshop.)

LEARNING JAPANESE FOR 2024

Working away on Nihongo thanks to DuoLingo. Thought I wouldn't get caught up in the competitive game aspect but you can't escape your own character! I've passed the tipping point and no longer have to make notes as I undertand everything that is being said and most of my lessons are perfect. That said, while I can understand foreigners speaking Japanese, I have difficulty with the speed and accents of native Japanese speakers whom I listen to on Netflix and Youtube videos. My Happy Marriage is my favourite anime and Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories is my favourite drama series. I understand some of what they are saying but not all. Next step: a personal tutor.

Tyrone Guthre Centre for the Arts at Annaghmakerrig

The magic of Annaghmakerrig! Up to Chapter 15 already. The book is in better shape than I feared. Meanwhile the setting is ideal for focussing on your work while allowing plenty of time for walks in the beautiful countryside, occasional visits with friends, and long chats with other artists. I will return before the year ends.

Back to Writing SOON

Heading for the Tyrone Guthrie Centre for the Arts this month where I'll return at last to my travel diary The Deep Road to Santiago written in the haibun style of Matsuo Basho, 17th century master of haiku. He wrote about his pilgrimages around Japan in short passages of lyrical prose accompanied by haiku. His masterpiece Oku no Hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) is known to every school child in Japan even as Dante's Commedia is known to every Italian. Like Basho, my haibun will feature landscape, shrines and churches, experiences with fellow pilgrims in hostels,convents and monasteries, and moments of magic and spiritual epiphany. The book also includes black ink drawings. Halfway through a second draft, I haven't looked at it for over a year. Last year I went a-wandering around Canada and India. This year I've been a taker of courses, attender of webinars and filler of forms (grants, residencies) as I upskill into creative tech, XR, digital and immersive art. Must admit, I'm looking forward to a dive back into old world writing. 
 

Immersive Storytelling: Scaling the Interface of Art and Technology

I'm immersed in a fantastic course at IADT (Institute of Art, Design and Technology) in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Learning about VR, AR, motion-capture (MoCap) and all sorts of futuristic amazing things. Despite the fact I'm a VRgin when it comes to creative tech, I'm eager to engage and ready to play. 

 

Indiahhhhhh!

Not long back from a glorious month in India. First three weeks in Tamil Nadu, south India. Began in Pondicherry, formerly a French possession, famous for the Sri Aurobindo Ashram (also beginning scenes in Life of Pi). Took a day visit to the temple town of Tiruvannamalai where I got monsooned on after morning pooja with over 10,000 worshippers; myself and my pal the only Westerners in sight. After this we walked barefoot 2 k up the sacred mountain of Arunachala, the manifestation of Lord Shiva himself.