TOMOKO TAKAHASHI INTROSPECTIVE RETROSPECTIVE

GALLERY INTERACTION SESSION SUNDAY 4th JULY 2010

KNOWING CHILD
I watched Tomoko during the opening party yesterday. Most of the time she was either dancing or talking to children. Means her heart is in the right place! Makes a change from other starchy gallery openings I have known. And hated! Seems just right that her forename means 'friendly child' or 'knowing child.' Feel sure she would approve of my plan to take a playful - irreverent? - approach to this 2nd Gallery Interaction session for Introspective Retrospective.

THINGS HAVE A LIFE
Brought along some of my favourite things. Mainly small musical toys and odd little souvenirs that remind me of happy times. Played that game where you try to memorise objects on a tray, close your eyes and then try and identify which object has been removed. Would Tomoko notice if something was removed - or added - from one of her works? How carefully, for example, has she placed the objects in Clockwork? Or is it all more or less random? The game prompted great discussion! And some very moving stories about ... things.

TIME SPENT LAUGHING IS TIME SPENT WITH THE GODS
Played a game with quotes about the theme of Time - including above Japanese proverb. Players pick a quote from pre-prepared Quotation Cards, then pick 2 points on a clock in its cycle of a minute. When the seconds hand reaches their chosen points, they 'perform' their chosen quotes. It's a game combining rigorous order and utterly random elements. Very Tomoko!

CUT & PASTE
Played a game using sentences that Tomoko and writers on Tomoko have said about her work. It's a cut and paste exercise. Splice and graft. Take words and phrases out of their original context. Re-arrange them. Give them new meanings. Give them a new life. Enlightening results - like nonsense verse or weird modern music!