When you start living in the countryside, roadside stations literally become a part of your life, just like train stations in the city. They are places where you do your daily shopping, just like greengrocers and supermarkets, but the selection is quite different every time you visit. Fruit is particularly extreme, and when you think there are only strawberries on the shelves, you might see green plums, then plums and peaches, and the selection changes every week during this season. However, that doesn't make it inconvenient; it's actually easier, since you just have to follow what's available.
On the other hand, for producers, it is also a place to sell the things they make. If it is a part of life, it makes sense to be involved from both sides. One day, after paying at the cash register, I asked if I could put my produce at the roadside station. I also wanted to get to know the producers.
It was surprisingly easy. I was given the application form. After filling it out and submitting it, they came to inspect the site and, if they deemed it okay, I bought a producer's hat for 600 yen. This hat would be the key to entering and exiting the back entrance.
So, what should I sell? The people at the roadside station seem to be hoping that I'll sell distilled alcohol, but unfortunately it's not the right time yet, and I'd rather sell something different. I'd like to sell things that people aren't sure are necessary or not, but are happy to have.
I had some free time between meetings, so I went to see the Gordon Matta-Clark exhibition that had just opened at the National Museum of Modern Art. I knew about Matta-Clark's activities, such as Building Cut, which cuts a house in half, and FOOD, a restaurant run by artists, but I knew very little about his other projects.
Known for his style of intervening art in towns and society, he exhibited his works in galleries and other spaces when he first began his career as an artist in the late 1960s. The turning point came when he was at an independently managed art space at 112 Greene Street in Soho, New York. While various artists were presenting site-specific works and performing there, he moved to the basement of the building and started digging a hole for some reason. He had intended to release the weight of the building by digging a hole, but the hard ground prevented him from digging as far as he had hoped. However, when he planted a cherry tree in the hole and exhibited it, the contrast between the closed space of the basement and the budding and flowering plants left a strong impression and gained a reputation. From then on, he began to think of the place itself as a material for his works.
While looking through the catalog, I came across a passage that says the idea for "FOOD" came from him bringing edible flowers, not a bouquet, to a birthday party for an artist friend. Edible flowers are familiar now, but they may have been rare at the time. They can be eaten as well as decorated, and can be displayed as well as eaten. A single flower has several roles, and by replacing it with their own environment, a restaurant where they can eat while working was born. Imagine that conversation and get excited at the leap in ideas.
FOOD is often discussed in terms of its social stance, but for Gordon Matta-Clark, it also has a side to it of recycling animal bones after eating into necklaces and serving live shrimp, creating an art show using food.
The communal nature of eating is of course important, but simply eating together with everyone is no different from school lunches.
The people who make it, the ingredients used and the menu served, the people who gather, the setting of the venue, and the relationship with the local community - ideally there would be ingenuity in each of these areas, but there is also the big barrier of economic activity.
Having written this much, my thoughts return to what I should deliver to the roadside station.
In June, we spent a lot of time preparing for the crowdfunding reward "Distillery Tour". At the end of the month, a total of 300 people will visit mitosaya for the first time over four days. When you consider the people involved and what you need to do in a limited amount of time, you inevitably see what each person values.
Some people want to put up a sign at the entrance, so they are running around trying to find a neon contractor and get it installed by this date. Others want to make business cards. Some want to arrange for a chartered bus from Tokyo to make it easier for visitors to get to and from the venue. Some are thinking about what kind of drinks and food they will serve. And I want to set up the facilities so that they can at least get a sense of what it will be like to operate as a distillery.
All that was left was to prepare tables and chairs for 80 people so that the guests could eat and drink. As I was struggling, I noticed a container that had just arrived from Germany. With the help of a delivery man who was trying to take it home, I disassembled the crate container and used it as a table top, and the wooden frame that had contained the glass flasks as table legs.
Furthermore, since I have the opportunity, I would like to create something to hand out. I asked people other than me who are involved with mitosaya to write an introduction. When I read it again, the contents were completely different, and I could understand what each of them was thinking (I don't know yet what will happen in the end).
I think the people who came to this tour were very pleased.
Gradually, people began to gather in the place where we had been the only ones before. I hope that we can become a place that can provide positive, unexpected opportunities, like Matta-Clark's edible flowers.
When you start living in the countryside, "Michi-no-Eki" literally becomes a part of your life, like a train station in the city. It is a place where you do your daily shopping, just like a grocery store or a supermarket, but the selection varies considerably every time you visit. The most extreme is the fruit selection, which changes weekly during this season, from strawberries, to green plums, to plums and peaches. However, this does not mean that it is inconvenient, but rather that it is easier to just follow what is available.
On the other hand, it is also a place for producers to sell their products. If it is a part of our lives, it makes sense to be involved from both perspectives. One day, after paying the bill asked at the cash register, I about placing my products at the roadside station. I also wanted to get to know the producers.
It was surprisingly easy. I was handed an application form. After I out the application form and submitted it, they came to check the site and decided that there was no problem, so I bought a hat for the producer for 600 yen. This hat is the key to get in and out of the back loading bay.
Now, what should I sell? The people at the roadside station seem to be expecting me to sell spirits, but unfortunately it's not the right time yet, and I'd rather try something different. I'd like to sell things that I don't really know if I need or don't need in my life, but that would be nice to have.
I had some time in between meetings, so I went to see the Gordon Matta-Clark exhibition that opened at the National Museum of Modern Art. I knew about the activities of Building Cuts, where a house is cut in half, and FOOD, a cafeteria run by the artists, but I knew very little about the rest.
He was known for his style of intervening art in towns and society, and when he started his career as an artist in the late 1960s, he exhibited his works in ordinary spaces such as galleries. The turning point for him came at a self-managed art space at 112 Greene Street in Soho, New York. While various artists were presenting site-specific works and performances, he had the idea to move into the basement of the building and started digging a hole. The intention was to release the weight of the building by digging a hole, but the hard ground prevented him from digging as far as he thought he could. However, when he planted a cherry tree in the hole and exhibited it, the contrast between the closed space of the basement and the budding and blooming plants left a strong impression and became popular. The contrast between the enclosed space of the basement and the budding and blooming plants left a strong impression and was well received. After that, he began to consider the place itself as a material for his works.
Looking at the catalogue, I read that the idea for "food" came from a friend of his who brought edible flowers instead of a bouquet to an artist's birthday party. Edible flowers are familiar to us now, but they may have been rare at the time. They could be eaten as well as displayed, not only eaten but also. A single flower has several roles, and by replacing it with our own environment, a restaurant was born where we can eat while we work. I imagine this conversation and am thrilled by the leap in ideas.
FOOD" is often talked about in terms of its social position, but for Gordon Matta-Clark, it was also an aspect of an art show using food, such as recycling finished animal bones into necklaces and offering live shrimp.
Of course, the communal nature of the meal is important, but if we just eat together, it is no different from a school lunch.
The ideal situation is one where there is ingenuity on the part of the cook, the ingredients used, the menu served, the people who gather, the setting, and the relationship with the community. Ideally, there should be ingenuity in each of these areas, but there is also the huge barrier of economic activity.
Now that I've written this, I'm back to thinking about what to deliver at a roadside station.
In June, I spent a lot of time preparing for the "distillery tour" as a return for the crowdfunding. At the end of June, a total of 300 people visited mitosaya for the first time over four separate days. As we tried to decide what to do in the limited time we had with the people involved, we inevitably found out what each person cared about.
One person wanted to put up a sign at the entrance, so he scrambled to find a neon sign contractor and get it installed by this date. One person wanted to make business cards. One person wanted to arrange a chartered bus from Tokyo so that visitors could get to and from the event comfortably. Some wanted to think about what kind of drinks and food to serve. And I want to set up the facilities so that people can see the distillery in operation as much as possible.
I also need to set up tables and chairs for 80 people so that people can come and drink and eat. While I was having trouble, I saw a container that had just arrived from Germany. With the help of the delivery man, I decided to take the crate container apart and use it as the table top, and the wooden frame that contained the glass flask as the table legs.
Furthermore, I wanted to make something to hand out. I asked other people who were involved in mitosaya to write a guide. When I read it again, the contents were very different, and I could understand what each person was thinking (I still don't know what will happen as a result).
I think the people who came to the tour that took place in this way must have been pleased.
Gradually, people began to gather in a place where we were the only ones there. I hope we can become a place that can provide positive and unexpected opportunities, like Matta-Clark's edible flowers.
