Robert Fornell Ceramics

[Tead Off]

Motofuji died in 2003. Their famous studio, Asbestos, was sold. We lost touch with the daughter.

Through my wife, I know many dancers and also get to see performers, especially from Japan. It doesn't surprise me that many talented dancers need to work at other jobs to support themselves. Public funding and general interest in cutting edge dance is limited. Koichi Tamano and his wife run a restaurant in S.F. These 2 are genius performers and the heirs of Hijikata.

[Robert Fornell]

Thanks for the link.
Very interesting comment about moving the genre forward.
When I came to Japan way back I was doing performance art. One of my initial projects, not completed, was to do performances on a new way to do the tea ceremony. I came here to study Ankoku no Butoh and my aesthetic was, and probably still is, influenced by Hijikata and Ohno of Butoh fame. I started researching spaces for the project. If you have ever been to the Osaka Sky Building, coming from J.R. Osaka via the underground tunnel you will have passed through one of my main performance space interests. I had very interesting reactions to my idea to move the tea ceremony from a tea room out into the 'real' world, none of it positive. I don't say that as a judgement about Japanese people but more as a comment on what the ceremony represents here in Japan and how 'moving it forward' is in itself an interesting concept.
Dave

Thanks Dave and Tead Off.

I understand what you're saying Dave as I sometimes feel that many people, not just in Japan but worldwide, interperate tradition with the repetition of what's come before rather than a wonderful foundation to build into the future on. I saw this in Mungyeon as I urged younger potters to really look at what was before them and then digest and move it forward.

As one working on the edge of the "tea world", read Sadou, who makes tea dogu which hopefully function as such but also strive to function on more conceptual levels ( ie. chawan hewn from blocks of ice reflecting the temporal/fleeting nature of life, 儚い, after the on going Tohoku disaster) I feel much of Sadou outside of Japan has somewhat ossified. Again I am somewhat distant from it here. Returning to Japan however, I find a huge sense of liberation/relief and creative freedom as I see/know of many younger chajin/architects as well as potters who are working to keep the "tradition" alive by moving it forward..... giving oneself permission. It is Rikyu's shu-ha-ri in practice.

Another view of Matsumura-san's Shuhally in Yokohama.

http://www.cera.co.jp/column/casestudy/041/

Motofuji died in 2003. Their famous studio, Asbestos, was sold. We lost touch with the daughter.

Through my wife, I know many dancers and also get to see performers, especially from Japan. It doesn't surprise me that many talented dancers need to work at other jobs to support themselves. Public funding and general interest in cutting edge dance is limited. Koichi Tamano and his wife run a restaurant in S.F. These 2 are genius performers and the heirs of Hijikata.

My first Japanese language teacher when I lived in Kyoto in the late 80's was reknown butoh dancer Katsura Kan. None of us in our small class of 3 or 4 knew who he was until one day he showed up in class only wearing a loin cloth. He then proceeded to "draw" kanji with his body..... something I'll never forget.

Best to you both,
R

[Tead Off]

Love that image of Katsura Kan!

[Robert Fornell]

From a month or two ago....

[Tead Off]

Hi Rob, beautiful chawan.

I saw Katsura Kan here 2 weeks ago. Chatted with him after his show. He lived here in BKK for 4 years teaching at Chulalongkorn Uni. He is 63 and in remarkable shape.

I hope to be in Japan this spring.

[bonjiri]

robert

fantastic chawan !

love the surface !

i'm getting thirsty !

cheers ! happy holidays from our family to yours ! !

cory

[JBaymore]

Beautiful as usual Robert.

Happy Holidays.

best,

..................john

[Robert Fornell]

Hi Rob, beautiful chawan.

I saw Katsura Kan here 2 weeks ago. Chatted with him after his show. He lived here in BKK for 4 years teaching at Chulalongkorn Uni. He is 63 and in remarkable shape.

I hope to be in Japan this spring.

Thanks Jeff and good hearing from you as well as about Katsura Kan.

Your trip to Japan sounds great! I'm pretty tied up with a number of NCECA shows and workshop as Seattle is hosting it this spring so I won't be heading to Japan until that is over.

Best holiday wishes to you and your wife!
Rob

[Robert Fornell]

robert

fantastic chawan !

love the surface !

i'm getting thirsty !

cheers ! happy holidays from our family to yours ! !

cory

Thanks Cory!

Best to you and yours in Japan as well..... how I miss Oshougatsu!
Rob

[Robert Fornell]

Beautiful as usual Robert.

Happy Holidays.

best,

..................john

Thanks John and I hope to see you at NCECA.

Best wishes to you and yours!
Rob

[Robert Fornell]

John Baymore may have already shared this with folks but if not I thought that all here might enjoy it.

http://issuu.com/cavinmorris/docs/chawan_catalogue2_a

Also a member here recently inquired regarding newer work so I will post this as well:

http://issuu.com/cavinmorris/docs/r.fornell

Happy holidays to all!

[Seeker]

Re: catalogue 2...

OMG!!!!!!!!



...pardon me while I attend now to some personal hygiene.


Thank you for sharing Rob!

[JBaymore]

Robert,

Shared the Cavin-Morris catalog from the Chawan Invitational here a good while back. But thanks for posting it again.
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... &start=225

Your solo exhibition looks fantasic too. Wish I could have gotten down there to see it.

best,

...................john

[Robert Fornell]

Thank you John and Seeker.

The chawan show, which while a lot of hard work and filled with challenging logistics, was fun to curate as it was interesting to see such a variety of very high quality chawan with a very broad range of expression coming together all at the same venue. Along with that, it provided an opportunity for folks involved with tea to challenge themselves a bit on a deeper level as to how they view/define a chawan and it's context which hopefully will lead to new ways of looking at and utilizing the dogu. This might tie into the shu - ha - ri concept about which I posted last year.........

R

[bonjiri]

robert

aloha

hey, please update us with your travels and shows !

mahalo
cory