(im)possible dialogue | qenji-yoshida

Subbing The Subbing

2016 Made in Bangkok, Thailand

Work format: Video installation (Dimension variable)

Materials: 2 TVs

Introduction:

In Spain, there is a town inhabited by people with the surname Japón, which means Japan in Spanish.

400 years ago a group of Samurai traveled to Europe for some missions.

During their journey, Christianity was prohibited in Japan and some of the Samurais decided to remain to live in Spain to live as Christian. Those named Japón in the Spanish town today are regarded as possible descendants of the Samurai from history.

The work EL JAPONÉS aligns the artist himself as a “Japanese person who just came from Japan” and Mrs. Japón as a “descendant of historically the first migrant from Japan”.　

The dialog itself looks like a simple praise of communication but the two juxtaposed "Japanese" people imply and ask different notions such as "nationality", "race" and "immigrant integration".

Special thanks: Mr. and Ms. Japóns whom I met in Coria del Rio

(im)possible dialogue

2016-

A dialogue between two persons who don't share a language in common

Work format: Video installation (Dimension variable)

Materials: Projector, DVD player, translucent screen

Introduction:

This is a dialogue between two persons who do not share any languages in common.

The dialogue is full of misinterpretations, where finding an understanding is seemingly impossible.

But as it goes, their conversation still gets tangled and some ideas are actually shared.

Different layers of communications are revealed by this simple performance.

"Having no common languages" rather contributes to revealing "common features" between two persons or two cultures.

Dialogue 1 : Japanese speaker x Thai speaker

Dialogue 2: German speaker x Arabic speaker

Dialogue between Japanese speaker x Thai speaker

Dialogue between German speaker x Arabic speaker

A scene from the video