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Users in the United States are invited to preview and add information to an online project and exhibition in the United States and Tokyo. The topic regards cultural identity, and how the influence of global culture is viewed comparatively by the Japanese (Tokyo) and United States audiences. It is presented in English and in Japanese.
Please contribute by going to:
http://www.imaginarycountry.org/tokyo
The files are large, therefore a fast internet connection is essential. Please allow the files to download completely. Flash player 8 is required, which can be downloaded from the site.
Project/Exhibition announcement
MAP STORIES
The exhibition “Map stories” of Youkobo Artist-in-Residence Scott Townsend (USA) Associate Professor, Department of Graphic Design, North Carolina State University, will open Thursday 28 June at Youkobo Art Space, Tokyo Japan.
Since the end of the Cold War, political boundaries have changed and many people perceive themselves at risk- or find that they are questioning what constitutes their identity in the broadest sense. At the same time, increased travel and a global economy have brought people with diverse backgrounds together, where they must struggle to comprehend other languages and cultures. Identity is in question- on a continuum spanning the personal, regional, national and international.
Map Stories are online interactive works, which present text, images and animation that explores this fear, while allowing viewers to visualize their collective responses within the piece, and over time. Many of the pieces use images of the body where the individual’s boundaries are compromised, (for example being in an enclosed space with a stranger and breathing the same air, having to carry on a conversation, etc.). These are starting points for short writings presented to the viewer. Responses are culled, comparing answers from U.S. and Japanese audiences.
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