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hey everyone and welcome to your deep dive we're diving into the world of art today oh yeah and looking at the ideas of these two japanese artists
okay hideki a sculptor and mayumi a painter all right and you know this transcript you sent over of their
conversation is just amazing it is i was really struck by uh how much they were able to kind of
like go back and forth between really practical studio stuff and then like big picture like what
is arts role in the world kind of reflections yeah and even like how we spend our time exactly yeah
like right away hideki's talking about this exhibition he has coming up in kyoto um march 28th and 29th
oh wow so if you're in japan mark your calendars yeah but it's not just any show right he's going to
be lighting his sculptures at night oh in a temple that's incredible yeah so they really go deep into
how that environment is going to totally change how people view the art totally yeah it's like
you're saying it's not just the piece itself it's the whole move exactly the whole vibe of
the space yeah and it makes me think of um how mayumi was describing yes this exhibition of
hideki's work that she went to okay that also had a bunch of other sculptures oh cool and it was
at the terada warehouse in tennoji okay which side note is this really cool complex that's
actually known for being involved in the art scene interesting but also oddly enough for wine
storage what like they have a whole thing with wine there so they've got like art and wine like
all mixed up in this yeah apparently that's so cool yeah so it's kind of this interesting
unexpected combination of things i love that um but back to the exhibit yeah what mayumi was
saying was that she was really captivated by how yeah each artist had basically created their own
little world within their space i can imagine so like you felt transported when you went in
there yeah and so then she's on a bus ride home with hideki okay and she's having this like
light bulb moment yeah she starts to talk about how cool it would be okay to just encounter these
like artistic worlds like unexpectedly oh embedded in the city interesting and that's where the
kanako comes in oh yeah what's kanako so kanako for anyone listening who might not be familiar
is roasted soybean flour all right it's a pretty common ingredient in like japanese
sweets and snacks gotcha but she uses it as this image okay of something that's totally out of
context that's just suddenly popping up in the urban landscape so it'd be like walking down the
street and all of a sudden there's just like kanako everywhere yeah i love it it's a very
strange but like thought-provoking yeah image yeah um and i think it really speaks to this
desire that they both have yeah to break down these barriers between like what's art yeah and
what's everyday life yeah to make art something that you encounter in unexpected ways and i think
really makes you question like where does art belong yeah yeah does it belong in a gallery
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does it belong on the street where does it belong exactly um and this actually leads into mayumi's
own vision okay for how she wants to display her paintings all right because she's not really into
that like sterile white cube gallery yeah the white cube thing yeah she's much more drawn to
like a natural environment okay specifically she talks about wanting to exhibit in a forest
wow and to let the surroundings become part of the art that's amazing so it's like the light
filtering through the trees the sounds of nature yeah all of that becomes part of take a
home experience experience yeah yeah and she doesn't want people to just like see a flat canvas
on a wall right she wants them to experience the whole atmosphere totally reminds me of those
like immersive installations that are so popular now yeah but like taking it outdoors
yeah into a forest next level yeah next level i love it and she actually has some pretty
interesting ideas about how to actually make this happen yeah so they're brainstorming about
like maybe cafes with lots of plants how cool partnering with plant nurseries oh wow even using
spaces like the shibuya furai botanical center yeah so i can see it you know it's clear that she
really wants to like blur those lines that's all between art and nature yeah and create an
experience that's really multi-sensory and engaging yeah i think what's cool is that they're
not just talking about aesthetics here yeah like there's this deeper philosophical idea at play
like this sense that art can be more powerful totally when it's integrated into our everyday
lives yeah when it like surprises us and makes us see the world differently yeah i love that
yeah and and this actually like leads into a really interesting conversation about time
okay which is mayumi struggles with feeling like there's never enough of it i feel that
and she complains about time a lot i think we can all relate to that i think so too but then she
has this like epiphany okay that really shifts her perspective oh i want to hear about this
all right so tell me more about this epiphany like what happens okay so she's having this late
night conversation with a friend who's a radio producer and another friend right and they kind
of get into this philosophical discussion about time you know how time is this limited resource
right how we all wish we had more time yeah for sure and somebody makes this statement that is so
okay they just say time exists wow i'm like already feeling my mind bend a little it seems
so obvious but for mayumi it's like a lightning bolt oh wow she realizes that she's been making
time this external force that's like controlling her instead of seeing it as something that she
has agency over so it's not about like actually having more time yeah it's about how we choose to
use the time that we have exactly yeah and it's incredible how this realization yeah
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immediately unlocks this burst of energy in her okay the very next morning she starts a new
painting oh wow it's like this mental block has been removed that is so inspiring yeah i i know
i'm so guilty of that whole yeah i don't have time excuse and it just makes you think about like
what we could all achieve right if we stop seeing time as like the enemy totally and started
looking at it as an opportunity i think that's a great point yeah and it ties back so beautifully
to yeah my human the vision for her art okay remember how she was talking about wanting to
display her work in a forest to create this immersive experience yeah it was about more
than just like the visual aspect of the paintings yeah it was about feeling the whole space the
atmosphere yeah connection to nature yeah and when you think about it that kind of experience
takes time right you can't just like rush through a forest you gotta slow down you gotta
be present you gotta let yourself kind of be absorbed in the environment totally so in a way
miyumi's epiphany about time is also about creating space for those kinds of yeah deep
meaningful experiences utterly both in art and in life that is such a good point yeah it's like
she's saying we need to make time yes the things that truly matter for the experiences that
like nourish our souls absolutely and art can be a really powerful reminder of that oh for sure
speaking of powerful reminder yes let's go back to that image that miyumi was describing when she
was on the bus with hideki the kanako in the city yeah it was such a striking visual it was what do
you think she was trying to get out with that beyond just like breaking down the barriers
between art and everyday life yeah like what was the deeper meaning there well i think for me
it speaks to the element of surprise okay you're walking down a familiar street you're caught up
in your routine yeah and all of a sudden there's this unexpected burst of color texture something
that makes you stop and look at your surroundings differently it's like she wants to shake us out
of our complacency a little bit yeah remind us that beauty and wonder can exist anywhere yeah
even in the most mundane places if we're open to seeing it and i think that's where the
real power of art lies it's not just about creating beautiful objects yeah it's about
shifting our perspective totally opening our minds to new possibilities yeah and making us
more aware of the world around us it makes me think of something else they were talking about
too okay which was this idea of collaboration yes and how it fuels creativity i mean just
listening to them brainstorm about mayumi's exhibition yeah was so inspiring you could just
feel the energy building as they were bouncing ideas off of each other yeah totally i think it
highlights something really important about the creative process it often thrives in community
yeah when we share our ideas with others when we get feedback and encouragement right it pushes
us to think bigger and bolder it reminds me of that saying what's that if you want to go fast
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go alone okay if you want to go far go together i love that it's like their conversation became
this microcosm of that idea yeah like their individual thoughts were sparking all these
new possibilities when they combine them i love that analogy yeah and it makes me think about
you the listener oh yeah what are some of your passions yeah or creative pursuits or their
projects you've been putting off because you don't have time yeah or maybe you're feeling
stuck and you could use some inspiration from a creative community we'd love to hear your
thoughts yeah you can connect with us on our website on social media wherever you get your
podcasts and as we wrap up this part of the deep dive yeah let's take a moment to appreciate the
wisdom that mayumi shared about time it really is a matter of perspective yeah time exists it does
but how we choose to use it is up to us so true now before we jump back into the conversation
okay i want to touch on something that i think is incredibly fascinating yeah remember how
mayumi was drawn to that cafe near yargasaki intersection because it had so many plants
oh yeah she even envisioned her paintings being displayed like amongst all the greenery right it's
almost as if like the cafe itself was like a living art installation totally and she also
mentions the fury eye botanical center in shibuya yeah i've actually been to oh cool it is a
beautiful space that really does blend yeah nature and art seamlessly and what's so interesting
to me is that they're not just talking about pretty spaces yeah they're talking about a
fundamental shift in how we experience art okay so instead of art being confined to yeah a gallery
or a museum it becomes part of like the fabric of our daily lives exactly but how does that
actually change our relationship with art i think it invites us to become more active
participants yeah in the art experience okay we're not just passively observing an object
in a museum right we're encountering art in unexpected places yeah in context that might
make us question it reinterpret it reimagine it kind of like how mayumi's kinako image
made us rethink the urban landscape totally it's like we're suddenly seeing the familiar
yeah and a whole new light and that shift in perspective can be incredibly powerful totally
you know it can shake us out of our routines make us question our assumptions yeah and open
us up to new ways of seeing and experiencing the world it's about like cultivating a sense of
wonder and curiosity i love that in the everyday it's like art becomes a catalyst for a more
mindful totally more engaged way of living yeah instead of just walking down the street you're
noticing the play of light and shadow the textures of buildings yeah the unexpected beauty
in the mundane i love that and it reminds me something else that struck me about their
conversation the way they talked about the impact of the environment on the art itself right mayumi
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in particular seemed to believe that displaying her work in a forest yeah would allow nature to
interact with it and enhance it in this really unique way yeah she even described her work as
being happy when it was displayed outdoors i love that it's like the art becomes part of the
ecosystem yeah almost like a living breathing thing totally that evolves and changes with its
surroundings and that raises some really fascinating questions doesn't it yeah like
does the exposure to the natural world actually change the artwork over time right does it weather
does it even like evolve in response to the elements exactly it definitely challenges that
traditional idea of art totally as a static unchanging object yeah what if we embraced this
idea of art as like a dynamic process yeah shaped by the forces of nature and the passage of time
it's a beautiful and humbling thought it is it reminds us that even the most carefully crafted
artwork is ultimately subject to forces beyond our control right and there's a certain poetry
yes in that surrender that acceptance of impermanence and as we come to the end of this
deep dive yeah i think it's worth reflecting on how these ideas might apply to our own lives
what if we approached our lives with the same sense of openness and curiosity and
willingness to experiment that we see in hideki and mayumi what if we embraced the idea of making
art a part of our everyday lives yeah not just as passive consumers right but as active creators
and participants and what if we allowed ourselves to be transformed by the art we
encounter to see the world through new eyes to live more creatively and intentionally those are
powerful questions to consider they are and i think they really speak to the heart yeah what
hideki and mayumi were exploring in their conversation this transformative power of art
yeah not just to create beauty right but to enrich our lives yeah and deepen our connection
to the world around us absolutely thank you so much for joining us on this deep dive
it's been a pleasure we hope you found it as insightful and inspiring as we did