Japan Society Presents Rarely Seen Performance-art Videos, Featuring a Discussion with Artists Takahiko Iimura and Mary Lucier

For Immediate Release

Frank L. Ellsworth Performing Arts Lecture Series -
Vital Signals: Japanese & American Video Art from the 1960s & '70s

** Co-presented with Electronic Arts Intermix as part of Performa 09 **

Saturday, November 14, 2009, 2-10:30 pm at Japan Society

New York, NY -- Japan Society proudly announces the upcoming Vital Signals: Japanese & American Video Art from the 1960s & ‘70s, co-presented with Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI). Vital Signals: Japanese & American Video Arts from the 1960s & ‘70s takes place at Japan Society on Saturday, November 14, from 2 pm-10:30 pm as part of Performa 09, the third edition of the acclaimed biennial, running citywide in November.

Japan, the birthplace of video, played a critical role in the development and creative exploration of early video art forms and influenced artists in Japan and the U.S. in their thinking about the engagement of television and the use of video as a tool for independent social critique. Co-presented with EAI, the leading international resource for video and media art, Vital Signals pulls together rarely screened and seminal video art works organized in three sections: Open Television, The Language of Technology, and Body Acts. As part of Japan Society's Frank L. Ellsworth Lectures Series, the presentation features a special discussion with video artists Takahiko Iimura and Mary Lucier, moderated by MoMA's Barbara London.

SCHEDULE:

2:00-4:00 PM
Open Television
Featuring classic pieces of video art that engage with culture in a dynamic way, this program includes work by Nam June Paik, Jud Yalkut, Toshio Matsumoto, Fujiko Nakaya, Chris Burden, TVTV, Saburo Muraoka, Tatsuo Kawaguchi, Keiji Uematsu, Ko Nakajima, Shirley Clark, Video Earth and Video Information Center.

6:00-7:30 pm
The Language of Technology
This section highlights early examples of playful video art that exploited technical developments such as electronic image manipulation and instantaneous playback. Artists include Nam June Paik, CTG, Gary Hill, Toshio Matsumoto, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, Keigo Yamamoto, James Byrne, Takahiko Iimura, Kohei Ando and Morihiro Wada.

7:45-8:15 pm
Artist Discussion with Takahiko Iimura and Mary Lucier, moderated by Barbara London
Takahiko Iimura is an award-winning Japanese avant-garde filmmaker and artist. Born in 1937, Iimura was deeply involved with the avant-garde movement of the 1960s in Japan. In 1964, Iimura formed the experimental film group Film Independente with Nobuhiko Obayashi, Yoichi Takabayashi, Donald Richie and Koichiro Ishizaki. In 1966, he moved to the U.S and began to produce work internationally.  Since then he has produced many conceptual and experimental films and video art works.  His major works include Love (1962), Observer/Observed (1975), and Ma: Space/Time in the Garden of Ryoanji (1989), with texts by Arata Isozaki and music by Takehisa Kosugi. Mary Lucier is a New York-based artist whose work spans several mediums, including sculpture, photography and performance. Since 1973, she has concentrated primarily on video and installation, producing numerous major mixed-media pieces. Her most recent project is inspired by Buddhist convents of Kyoto and Nara, Japan. Barbara London (moderator) is a curator of media who founded the video exhibition and collection programs at The Museum of Modern Art. Since the 1970s, she has been a pioneer in tracking the development of media art from its raw beginnings, and has guided the field to its current position as a seriously collected, sophisticated form of expression.

8:30–10:30 pm
Body Acts
In line with Marshall McLuhan’s philosophies, the artists featured in Body Acts exemplify the shift in the function of video technology from merely recording and archiving performances to its use as an extension of physical and emotional gesture. Artists include Joan Jonas, Takahiko Iimura, James Byrne, Norio Imai, William Wegman, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, Ante Bozanich, Mako Idemitsu, Paul McCarthy, John Baldessari, Hakudo Kobayashi, Mobuhiro Kawanaka and Vito Acconci.

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Founded in 1971, Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI) is one of the world's leading nonprofit resources for video art. A pioneering advocate for media art and artists, EAI's core program is the distribution and preservation of a major collection of over 3,500 new and historical media works by artists. EAI fosters the creation, exhibition, distribution and preservation of video art and digital art. EAI's activities include a preservation program, viewing access, educational services, extensive online resources, and public programs such as artists' talks, exhibitions and panels. The Online Catalogue is a comprehensive resource on the artists and works in the EAI collection, and also features extensive materials on exhibiting, collecting and preserving media art: www.eai.org.
 
Performa 09, the third edition of the internationally acclaimed biennial of new visual art performance presented by Performa, takes place3 in New York City from November 1-22. The three-week festival will showcase new work by more than 80 of the most exciting artists working today, in an innovative program breaking down the boundaries between visual art, music, dance, poetry, fashion, architecture, graphic design, and the culinary arts. Presented in collaboration with a consortium of more than 60 arts institutions and 25 curators, as well as a network of public spaces and private venues across the city, Performa 09 will ignite New York City with energy and ideas, acting as a vital “think tank” linking minds across the five boroughs and bringing audiences together for brilliant new performances in all disciplines. Performa is a non-profit multidisciplinary arts organization established by RoseLee Goldberg in 2004, dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the twenty-first century. Performa launched New York’s first performance biennial, Performa 05, in 2005, followed by Performa 07 in 2007. www.performa-arts.org

Since the inception of the Performing Arts Program in 1953, Japan Society has introduced more than 600 of Japan’s finest performing arts to an extensive American audience. Programs range from the traditional arts of noh, kyogen, bunraku and kabuki to cutting-edge theater, dance and music. The Program also commissions new works, produces national tours, organizes residency programs for American and Japanese artists and develops and distributes educational programs. "At once diverse and daring, the program stands toe to toe with some of the most comprehensive cultural exchange endeavors today" (Back Stage).

Established in 1907, Japan Society has evolved into North America's major producer of high-quality content on Japan for an English-speaking audience. Presenting over 100 events annually through well established Corporate, Education, Film, Gallery, Language, Lectures, Performing Arts and Innovators Network programs, the Society is an internationally recognized nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that provides access to information on Japan, offers opportunities to experience Japanese culture, and fosters sustained and open dialogue on issues important to the U.S., Japan, and East Asia. On the occasion of Japan Society's 2007 centennial, American Theatre noted: "For a hundred years now, the Japan Society of New York has been a think tank for policy works, entrepreneurs, diplomats and Japanophiles. But the jewel in its crown has always been the performing arts program."

Vital Signals runs Saturday, November 14 from 2-10:30 pm. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, between First and Second Avenues (accessible by the 4/5/6 at 42nd Street-Grand Central Station or the E and V at Lexington Avenue and 53rd Street). Tickets for one screening (includes discussion) $10/$8 Japan Society members; All-Day Pass (reentry permitted) $20/$15 Japan Society member. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 212-715-1258 or in person at Japan Society (M-F, 11 am-6 pm; and Sat-Sun, 11 am-5 pm). For more info call 212-832 -1155 or visit www.japansociety.org.

Major support for Japan Society 2009-2010 Performing Arts Programs is provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and the Endowment for the Performing Arts, established with leadership gifts from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Kyocera Corporation, The Starr Foundation and Toyota Motor Corporation. Additional support is provided by The Globus Family, Dr. John K. Gillespie, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency. Transportation assistance is provided by All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

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Shannon Jowett
Japan Society
T: (212) 715-1205
F: (212) 715-1262
E: sjowett@japansociety.org

Kuniko Shiobara
Japan Society
T: (212) 715-1249
F: (212) 715-1262
E: kshiobara@japansociety.org