Category: drawing
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Tokyo Mosaic #10: Pacific Timeout.
A weekend excursion to the Pacific coast brought about some deep reflections on cultural expectations and values. Of course, some sake had helped to get and to keep our conversational flow going. Yet I had to wonder: What was the reason for this profoundly different conception of a worthwhile personal sacrifice, shining through the widow’s…
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Tokyo Mosaic #9: Awareness.
Having lived in Berlin for years, my friend knows both her native Japanese and German culture. She translated a lot to me, making sense far beyond mere word meanings. An urban mosaic gradually takes form, and what drives you to gather further pieces is not its debatable beauty: It’s the curiosity to know more. *Every…
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Tokyo Mosaic #8: Like it or not.
I was still sitting at Shibuya’s pedestrian crossing, when suddenly a film crew popped up right next to me. Interviewing one shy and one stylish girl, these TV people gave me a first glimpse of how youth culture is captured on Japanese streets. To me, this kind of professional filmic record seemed actually far less…
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Tokyo Mosaic #7: Uniforms.
Observation is never neutral. You become part of the setting you observe, and that’s how you change it, already. *Or is it the setting that changes you?* (tbc)
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Tokyo Mosaic #6: Urban Pause.
Once again, I’m casting side glances. Once again, I m’ taking the freedom to pause where it might not be appropriate. How long would it take until I’d get into the local mode of permanent rush? Then again, what if only the outsider’s ability to cast side glances unveils what makes a city beautiful? (tbc)…
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Tokyo Mosaic #5: Idols and Doramas.
Never trust media images, especially where idols, singers and actors pave every route through the city. Popular actors often make me wonder about the identity behind the facade. Who are those people we appreciate because they best manage to hide their own being in roles that represent everything but themselves? Maybe me not liking Hiroshi…
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Tokyo Mosaic #4: Stacked Crossings.
How to find your way in a complex, stacked up urban labyrinth? What guided me was the unshakable resolve to move on, and a hunch of what I didn’t want to miss: atmospheres other people had depicted, written and talked about before. However scary or uncomfortable a place might be, better spots might await close-by.…
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Tokyo Mosaic #3: The Urban Way.
Of course, my Tokyo journey was a bit beyond “normal”. No stressful schedule to follow, no utterly packed trains. The freedom to pause, to look around. This is not how I’d be able to move through my own city. It’s the privilege of a traveler who decides to take a calm look at a distant…
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Tokyo Mosaic #2: No Rush.
Hot August noon welcomes you with a deafening cicada concert… … and a homeless man chilling in the grass. While I finally return to my friend’s home, where does he go? (tbc) *For this Tokyo comic series I’m going to post new episodes every week. I hope you enjoy, and I’m always curious to read…
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Tokyo Mosaic #1: Distant Horizon.
Like it or not, the beauty of a city is a matter of perspective. Are you ready to change your point of view? (tbc) *For this Tokyo comic series I’m going to post new episodes every week. I hope you enjoy, and I’m always curious to read from you.*
Urban Visualizer 