2005-06-01
FIONA TAN
We saw St Sebastian at Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal | This was comprised of two simultaneously played video clips, cleanly edited, of young women taking part in an annual Toshiya ceremony in Kyoto, Japan |
For the uninitiated [which, until Sunday included myself] this is a traditional archery competition and coming-of-age ritual for young adults of twenty from all over Japan | The ceremony has been taking place for over four hundred years | Ms. Tan focuses on the women's competition | The images, for both Bruce and I, were crisp, captivating and intense | I was particulalry intrigued with the muted expressions | They made a mockery of the hackneyed media phrase "...he showed no emotion..." as if one ought to automatically engage in exaggerated expression every time some intense event affects one personally | The display of one's feelings, albeit sometimes subtle, ought always be evident to keen observer | And while it is disappointing that many media flaks are not so discerning, it is heartening that we have with us more astute watchers of humanity such as Ms. Tan |
We saw St Sebastian at Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal | This was comprised of two simultaneously played video clips, cleanly edited, of young women taking part in an annual Toshiya ceremony in Kyoto, Japan | For the uninitiated [which, until Sunday included myself] this is a traditional archery competition and coming-of-age ritual for young adults of twenty from all over Japan | The ceremony has been taking place for over four hundred years | Ms. Tan focuses on the women's competition | The images, for both Bruce and I, were crisp, captivating and intense | I was particulalry intrigued with the muted expressions | They made a mockery of the hackneyed media phrase "...he showed no emotion..." as if one ought to automatically engage in exaggerated expression every time some intense event affects one personally | The display of one's feelings, albeit sometimes subtle, ought always be evident to keen observer | And while it is disappointing that many media flaks are not so discerning, it is heartening that we have with us more astute watchers of humanity such as Ms. Tan |
FOR MORE INFO: Toshiya Ceremony |
¶ 21:17
