Presentation Ideas

Takao Sakai

In one of our lessons we watched a video on the artist Takao Sakai and it really stuck with me. I think it was from it's weirdness more than anything. However, it gave our group inspiration of what to do for our presentation. We has the idea that we could use him and link it to 'Movember' also focusing on beards and moustaches. Here we could also link both to the theme of semiotics. 

Takao Sakai bean beard - Google Search. 2013. Takao Sakai bean beard - Google Search. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Takao+Sakai+bean+beard&sa=N&rlz=1C5CHFA_enGB510GB510&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=52ieUZnUAdLw0gXZx4GIAg&ved=0CDMQsAQ&biw=1680&bih=908#facrc=_&imgrc=1tnAyNF6z18JNM%3A%3BhzG7AjCVy-jGTM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.japanator.com%252Felephant%252Ful%252F7131-takao_sakai_bean_beards.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.japanator.com%252Ftakao-sakai-s-adzuki-art-7131.phtml%3B550%3B253. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Here is an interview with Takao Sakai about his work with the Adzuki Beans:

First of all, what attracts you to beans?

I have to explain: The beans I use are adzuki beans, which are one of the most popular ingredients in Japanese cooking with a long tradition of being used in sweets, called wagashi in Japanese. Adzuki beans are said to bring good luck, that’s why we eat them as sweets. This image of happiness serves not only as a motif for me, I’m also really attracted to their texture and shape.

Is it about their consistency? Or the liquid they are in?

That’s not liquid but a way to make the beans glossy by boiling them first. That glossiness is a means of showing the deliciousness of the beans visually. When working with beans, I form them like papier-mâché and apply some colours with acrylic paints. Though that part is faked, it is just to show their glossiness realistically.

Your earlier approach with wagashi, Japanese sweets, was delicious – what inspired you to do that?

I was born and raised in the city, so I grew up in a culture that said we must continue old traditions and, at the same time, said we should create something new. People in my generation who grew up in those circumstances sought out new forms of happiness. In my early works, I tried to express a new form of happiness for contemporary Japan that references Japanese sweets as a form of cultural heritage, but puts them in a totally new setting. The same is true of my current works.

aaa.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/bean-fashion-by-takao-sakai/ 

Takao Sakai also said; For this, I created a fictitious story about a recent trend among young Japanese to make adzuki bean beards: Much like tattoos or earrings before, they were first used as good luck charms or talismans to ward off evil. But then they gave birth to adzuki bean idols, and because of their influence it went so far to become a casual fashion worn in everyday life. Then foreign media began introducing the fad to people overseas as an extension of otaku and anime youth culture, thus spreading adzuki fashion around the world. Now, I am making these portraits to illustrate that fictional story. If some media outside of Japan would mistakenly think that this is really fashion and would report it as news, then I would have succeeded.

Takao Sakai's adzuki art - JAPANATOR. 2013. Takao Sakai's adzuki art - JAPANATOR. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.japanator.com/takao-sakai-s-adzuki-art-7131.phtml. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Movember

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

A Mo Sista is essentially a woman who loves a Mo. An individual that is dedicated to supporting the Mo Bros in her life through their moustache growing journey; whether it be a friend, colleague, family member or partner. These inspirational women are committed to raising awareness of men's health issues and much needed funds for men's health along the way.

Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.

At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their Movember journey throwing their own Movember parties or attending one of the Gala Partés held around the world to stand tall and celebrate the moustache.

The Movember Effect: Awareness & Education, Survivorship, Research
The funds raised in the UK are directed to programmes run directly by Movember and our men’s health partners, Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research. We work with these partners to ensure that Movember funds are supporting a broad range of innovative, world-class programmes in line with our strategic goals in the areas of awareness and education, survivorship and research.

Since its humble beginnings in Melbourne, Australia Movember has grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.9 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate across 21 countries worldwide. We currently have formal campaigns in: the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Austria, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health causes across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro to Mumbai, and everywhere in between. In 2012, over 1.1 million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas around the world got on board, raising GBP 88.2 million to date. We continue to receive donations for several months following the campaign so these totals will be updated.

Movember United Kingdom - About Movember. 2013. Movember United Kingdom - About Movember. [ONLINE] Available at:http://uk.movember.com/about/about-campaign/. [Accessed 23 May 2013].

Movember's Impact on Awareness - YouTube. 2013. Movember's Impact on Awareness - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnb6NmypnIE&list=PLE16015B18F27124B. [Accessed 23 May 2013].