PhotoGuide Japan > KIPS 2001 Index > About KIPS 2001 | Artists | Exhibition | Slide Show

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Slide Show

The slide show was held on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 4 pm to 6 pm and it was the main event. It was an informal gathering open to the public, and all the participating artists attended. We set up folding chairs inside the exhibition room. Admission was free.

The above photo is a panoramic shot showing IZIMA Kaoru giving a talk. About 60 people attended (some had to stand or sit on the floor). We had quite a bit of equipment in the room: a slide projector, screen, video deck and monitor, and overhead projector.

Philbert Ono served as the M.C. and interpreter for IZIMA Kaoru and Spencer Tunick. T. Furukimi served as the official photographer, and John Wells and Michael Takashita manned the video camera. Mariko Hinaga assisted with the slide projector operation.

Slide show artists (in the order of presentation): John Wells, Peter MacIntosh, IZIMA Kaoru, Spencer Tunick, Micah Gampel, & Goth Carter

John Wells
John introduced himself and explained how he started taking pictures of people at the beach along Lake Biwa at Omi-Maiko, Shiga Pref. He first took candids on the beach from afar. Later, a wise friend advised him to start asking the people to pose so that he could get better shots. The strategy worked, and he met and made new friends in the process. He also talked about his handmade magazine called Kisetsuga which means pictures of the season. Although John was not an eloquent public speaker, he did draw some laughs due to his informal style and good humor. (John's bio and exhibition photos...)

Peter MacIntosh
Peter wore a kimono and talked in both English and Japanese about how he started photographing geiko (geisha) and maiko. His geisha obsession began almost right after he arrived in Japan, when he was invited to a geisha party. He also considered himself as a visual artist rather than just a photographer. He dabbles in calligraphy, flower arranging, etc. It's a far cry from his days as a soccer player. He is also starting to work as a liasion between foreigners (especially press people) and the geisha in Kyoto, setting up interviews, serving as the interpreter, etc. (Peter's bio and exhibition photos...)

Kaoru IZIMA (Special guest)
Special guest Izima-san came all the way to Kyoto from Tokyo after getting back from an overseas trip the day before. He explained about his "Landscapes With a Corpse" series in Japanese, and interpreting was provided by Philbert. He recalled that no fashion magazine in Japan was willing to publish his corpse photos, so he started his own magazine called zyappu (Jap). Unfortunately, the magazine later folded because the publisher (Kyoto-based Korinsha) went bankrupt.

He also explained that one of his intentions was to bring the subject of death more out in the open. People in Japan tend to avoid or ignore the subject of death, corpses, etc. For example, most doctors in Japan won't tell you if you have cancer. In Japan, telling a patient that he/she has cancer is like giving a death sentence, even though there is a good chance of recovery. Many cancer patients in Japan die without ever knowing what the disease was. ( IZIMA-san's bio and exhibition photos...)

Spencer Tunick
Spencer's presentation started with an amusing 11-minute video titled Alone Together, shot in New York in 1999. It showed a large group of people on the sidewalk who quickly dropped all their clothing and started running totally naked toward the road where they lay down in the same direction. It was an early and cold morning. Right before Spencer could take a photo of the nude installation, the New York police grabbed him and took him away in a police car. Spencer later sued the city, and the case went all the way to the US Supreme Court where he won the case. (Thanks to Esther Harris at I-20 Gallery in New York for sending the video to us.)

After the video, Spencer stood up from his seat and talked about how he was looking for models to pose for him. (Through a connection unrelated to KIPS, he did find a few models who posed for him. See them at http://www.nerve.com/photography/tunick/nudeAdrift/total12_Japan.html.) (Spencer's bio...)

Micah Gampel
Micah showed slides of Pompeii taken during a recent trip to Europe. (Micah's bio...)

Goth Carter
Goth showed a good mix of his favorite photos taken in the studio and outdoors of people, either nude or in outlandish clothing. A lot of subculture stuff. (Goth's bio...)

After the slide show ended at around 6 pm, most people hung around and talked for about an hour.

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Last modified: March 5, 2003