CCTV Treasure Hunt comes to Sunderland

The end of the month will see the live art event The CCTV Treasure Hunt coming to Sunderland. Read more

Sunderland ‘perfectly fierce’ in money making

“They are perfectly fierce in their money making,” is a quote attributed to the business dealings of Sunderland’s industrial growth during the 19th century, and is examined in an exhibition at the Winter Gardens, ‘Boom Town’. Read more

Cultural understandings…do we understand?

‘A Gift to Those who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Travelling’ is a collaboration between artists Erika Tan and Mio Shirai that aims to show the supposed eccentricities of foreign cultures, as well as examine cultural icons and the apparent living machines that are used within urban areas.

The first section, ‘The Syntactical Impossibility of Approaching with a Pure Heart’ concentrates on Mount Fuji, an internationally known symbol of Japan. A projector displays a slideshow of drawings of the mountain, along with an opportunity for visitors to add their own drawings, with the eventual aim to display chosen drawings when the exhibition reaches Yokohama in 2009.

This goes alongside works such as a video collection of public domain images of the mountain, and ‘On a Clear Day’ a video taken from a cable car going up the mountain, moving through cloud, while every so often an announcer comes over the P.A. system.

This then moves on to the next section, ‘Ghost in the Machine’. A collection of photographs, as well as three videos, concentrates on the movements of several mechanised car parking machines. Though unused, these automated machines, a collection of turntables, doors and vehicle lifting equipment, will continue to work throughout the night, almost of their own accord. Watching the continuous work of these machines, without human control or interference, does seem to imply that they have some sort of intelligence, maybe even a soul.

The next part of the exhibition created by Mio Shirai uses ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ to illustrate the shock of travelling and interacting in foreign cultures, such as that felt by Japanese ambassadors when travelling outside of Japan.

Drawings, such as ‘Ambassador walking to Hylton Castle’ incorporate quotes from the book, but put a personalised spin on the pictures, ‘Alice’ is drawn usinga ‘Mino-washi’, the traditional Japanese umbrella.

Shirai also created two short films. The first, ‘Forever Autumn’ recreates the tea-party scene and sees Alice, played by Shirai, as she learns the rules of engagement to live in a strange land, in this instance it is filmed in locations around the North East.

The second, ‘Restaurant Wild Cat House’ is an adaption of ‘Restaurant of Many Orders’ written by Kenji Miyazawa in 1921. The story follows two Japanese men who emulate western fashions, who stumble upon a strange restaurant, and while blindly following instructions posted on doors, end up being killed and eaten by a large Wild Cat. The film asks whether the cat, a symbol of the Japanese culture, was defending Japan’s cultural history or blindly attacking outside elements.

The exhibition is a wonderful examination of perceptions of differing cultures, and its beauty and strangeness.

Closes: 15th November

Location: Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, City Library and Arts Centre, 28-30 Fawcett Street, Sunderland