Category Archives: England

United Red Army and the Legacy of Koji Wakamatsu Talk by Jasper Sharp

23 January 2013 from 6.30pm, at the Japan Foundation, London

Koji Wakamatsu, a controversial and iconoclastic filmmaker tragically passed away in October 2012 aged 76. A self-taught director and producer, Wakamatsu produced over 100 films in his career, gaining notoriety for his soft-core ‘pink’ and exploitation films before delving into a more politically-charged cinema. Wakamatsu’s most ambitious and celebrated film is United Red Army, a docu-drama depicting the rise and fall of 1960s left-wing radicalism, will be screened as part of this year’s Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme.

Complementing this screening, Jasper Sharp, writer and film curator, will briefly go through Wakamatsu’s prolific career and contribution to the nation’s cinema. Focusing particularly onUnited Red Army, this talk will look into how Wakamatsu came to make the film about a brutal and bloody history that had almost been forgotten, and how it stands out as the best among the films depicting Japan’s epic historical radicalism activities in the 1960s.

Korean Culture Forum: A Bridge to the Future

Wednesday 30th Jan 2013, 5PM

Multi-purpose Hall, KCCUK

The Korean Cultural Centre UK is pleased to host a Forum on Korean Culturefeaturing four cultural experts. Each speaker will talk on their specialised cultural sector, the present and future of Korean culture’s presence in the UK and of course the possible future direction of the KCCUK itself.

 

*Guest Speakers and Abstract

The KCCUK – A look back at the first five years

Philip Gowman (Founder and Editor of London Korean Links)

Korean culture in London did not start with the opening of the Korean Cultural Centre (KCCUK) in 2008. But the establishment of a cultural venue at a high profile location with a regular government-funded budget has undoubtedly helped take the presentation of Korean culture in the UK to a new level. Full-time staff can obviously deliver projects that are beyond the reach of voluntary organisations. But going beyond the organisation of events – stressful enough in itself – the KCCUK has been able to build relationships with premier arts organisations in London such as the South Bank Centre and the Institute of Contemporary Arts which has enabled Korean cultural events to be presented at mainstream venues and thus reach a more generalist audience; and a flourishing relationship with London City Hall has enabled the Korean Village to become a central attraction of The Mayor’s Thames Festival. What is surprising though is that, contrary to some expectations, the entry of the Korean government into the promotion of Korean culture has not squeezed out private sector and individual initiatives. This talk will look back at the KCCUK’s achievements in its first five years and consider them alongside some of the complementary private sector projects during that period.

 

The Korean Wave in the British Context

Dr. Hyunsun Yoon (Ph.D. Cardiff University, Senior Lecturer in Advertising, School of Arts and Digital Industries, University of East London)

The flood of the Korean popular culture – films, pop music and especially TV dramas – into the rest of Asia around since the late 1990s became to be known as the Korean wave, and this has also been swiftly making its presence felt in other parts of the world such as Europe. This paper examines the ways in which the Korean wave has been, and is discussed in the mainstream media in the UK for the last decade. Considering the wide range of examples from Old Boy to Gangnam Style,this paper poses a question of whether or not the Korean wave found its way in seemingly impermeable British culture.

 

Korean Art:  A Self Portrait

Jeremy Akerman (Artist and Curator, Co-director of Akermandaly.com)

Adopting the position of an observer I’d like to talk about my experience of art school and how I see art school in the UK working for a Korean art student. I will refer to the visits I’ve made to Korea as a tourist, curator and artist and why I find Korean people’s attitudes to Korea paradoxical and stimulating. Especially here I’d like to mention some Korean artists and an art collection that changed my mind about how I understood the country. A further point is to express the metaphor of self-portraiture within young Korean art and to suggest ways in which KCC can support and engage this vital new work.

 

Connecting UK & Korean Performing Arts

Sioned Hughes (Director, SRH Arts Management, specialises in international professional development of people across the arts and creative industries). 

 I will share the experience of a 2-year research exchange programme for Korean and UK performing arts managers that promoted and supported collaborative exchange between Korean and UK arts producers; developed performing arts professional networks between Korea and the UK and encouraged the development of artistic collaboration.

 

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Anime… : Talk with Hirokatsu Kihara and Michihiko Suwa

18 January 2013 from 6.30pm

The Japan Foundation, London

Japanese animation has enthralled audiences worldwide and through its stories, concepts and visual splendour, the enchantment of the likes of Studio Ghibli and abundance of television series continue to captivate the imaginations of many. But how did such ideas come about, what is it that makes anime so distinct and original, and how has animation developed over the decades to become such a worldwide success?

The Japan Foundation has invited two of the most renowned figures in the industry behind this phenomenon, Hirokatsu Kihara and Michihiko Suwa, to introduce the real world of creating Japanese animation. Through Kihara’s involvement with early Studio Ghibli productions and the current subculture scene and manga, and Suwa’s role as Chief Producer at the Animation department of Yomiuri TV for anime franchises including Detective Conan(aka Case Closed), City Hunter and Inuyasha, they have helped realise a number of world-famous anime television series and movies during their illustrious careers. Despite their differing experiences, productions and working styles, Kihara and Suwa both hold a huge passion, understanding and vision for the medium, expressed through their work and activities.

Having witnessed the Japanese animation industry’s rise to the worldwide phenomenon, Kihara and Suwa will be joined by Helen McCarthy, journalist, author and anime expert, to explore the different sources of anime – both manga adaptations and originally crafted stories – and discuss their position in the Japanese animation industry, suggesting what the future holds for the medium. With Kihara’s experience of the celluloid-era of animation, and Suwa’s experience of its transition to digital, this event will also provide a fascinating insight into the ‘behind the scenes’ of anime production, telling the real story and history around the animated images.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Anime… : Talk with Hirokatsu Kihara and Michihiko Suwa

The end of the world did not materialise … so I’d like to invite the readers of this Blog to this interesting event.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Anime… : Talk with Hirokatsu Kihara and Michihiko Suwa

29 January 2013 from 6.30pm

The Japan Foundation, London

Japanese animation has enthralled audiences worldwide and through its stories, concepts and visual splendour, the enchantment of the likes of Studio Ghibli and abundance of television series continue to captivate the imaginations of many. But how did such ideas come about, what is it that makes anime so distinct and original, and how has animation developed over the decades to become such a worldwide success?

The Japan Foundation has invited two of the most renowned figures in the industry behind this phenomenon, Hirokatsu Kihara and Michihiko Suwa, to introduce the real world of creating Japanese animation. Through Kihara’s involvement with early Studio Ghibli productions and the current subculture scene and manga, and Suwa’s role as Chief Producer at the Animation department of Yomiuri TV for anime franchises including Detective Conan (aka Case Closed), City Hunter and Inuyasha, they have helped realise a number of world-famous anime television series and movies during their illustrious careers. Despite their differing experiences, productions and working styles, Kihara and Suwa both hold a huge passion, understanding and vision for the medium, expressed through their work and activities.

Having witnessed the Japanese animation industry’s rise to the worldwide phenomenon, Kihara and Suwa will be joined by Helen McCarthy, journalist, author and anime expert, to explore the different sources of anime – both manga adaptations and originally crafted stories – and discuss their position in the Japanese animation industry, suggesting what the future holds for the medium. With Kihara’s experience of the celluloid-era of animation, and Suwa’s experience of its transition to digital, this event will also provide a fascinating insight into the ‘behind the scenes’ of anime production, telling the real story and history around the animated images.

 This event is free to attend but booking is essential. To reserve a place, please email your name and the title of the event you would like to attend to event@jpf.org.uk

Rolling Home with a Bull

Korean Film Nights

 

6.30 PM, December 20, 2012

Apollo Cinema Piccadilly

 

Formerly known as “How to Travel with a Cow”
A bachelor poet lives in a remote area of Kang-won province. He goes to sell a cow but the price is too low. He gets a call from his former lover, who married his friend seven years ago. His friend has died, and she asks him to come to the funeral. He goes to the funeral with the cow. The man, the girl, and the cow leave on a journey.

My Primal Memory by Nao Matsunaga

Last few days for this very interesting exhibition.

19 October- 13 December, Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 5:00pm

Daiwa Foundation Japan House Gallery

In the exhibition My Primal Memory, Nao Matsunaga responds to his ideas and experiences of dual cultural and national identity, reflecting on his formative years growing up in Japan, and the latter part of his childhood in England. Although this is a deeply personal investigation, his work references ancient universal themes concerning the human condition.

…as people, we haven’t really changed at all over thousands of years, the way we interact, think and feel is still the same, even though the tools we use have changed.

By creating work using primal materials and tools, he connects on an emotional level with cultures from eras past, suggesting that there are certain constants in human behaviour that have not, and will not, change. With a sense of longing for a solid identity, Matsunaga attempts to find his way through the two cultures that make up his personality; responding to subconscious, primal drives in order to find a unifying whole.

Nao Matsunaga was born in Osaka in 1980, graduating with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art (2005–7) and he has exhibited internationally ever since. He has been presented with various awards and scholarships, such as the Jerwood Makers Open 2012, Cove Park Residency, the Anglo-Sweden Society Bursary and the Leverhume Trust’s grant. His works are in the public collection of the Crafts Council.  Matsunaga is  represented by Marsden Woo Gallery, London.

Ascetica or Publish?

After having spent few hours going through the free themes available for WordPress users I shortlisted Able, Ascetica, Publish and Runo Lite. At present I’m not sure if to use Ascetica or Publish but I think I’ll try Ascetica and if not fully satisfied I’ll change again in the next few days.

What do you think?

The Challenges of an Ageing Society in Japan

 

4 December 2012 from 6.30pm

The Japan Foundation, London

Ageing Society is a phenomenon happening not only in Japan but also in many other developed countries, and will soon spread to developing countries as well. In this seminar looking at how Japan is tackling this challenge, we have invited four speakers from Kobe University to address different aspects of the issue – Prof Naoki Mitani will look at the question of ageing in relation to Employment Policies in Japan; Prof Yuki Sekine will be considering the status of social security within an ageing society; Prof Masahiko Yoshii will be looking at the consequences for the Japanese economy of ageing; and, Prof Zhiwei Luowill examine Innovations in Health Engineering related to an Ageing Society. Each speaker will talk for 10-15 minutes, followed by time for discussion.

This event will be chaired by Professor Christina Victor of the School of Health Sciences and Social Care, Brunel University.

Prof Naoki Mitani has been Professor of Labour Economics at the Graduate School of Economics at Kobe University since the year 2000. He studied Mathematics at the Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo and obtained a Ph.D in Economics at Kobe University. His professional experiences include the positions of Deputy Director at the Ministry of Labour, as well as Administrator at OECD. He has published papers in various journals and books on topics such as the employment of older workers, youth and female workers, and the Japanese employment system.

Prof Yuki Sekine is Professor of Social Security Law at the Graduate School of Law, Kobe University. She holds a degree of Bachelor of Law from Universite Libre de Bruxelles, and a Master of Law from the University of Tokyo. She has worked for six years with the ILO, spending three years in the International Labour Standards Department in Geneva, and two years in detachment to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Tokyo, before joining Kobe University in 2004.

Prof Masahiko Yoshii has been Professor of the Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University since 1998, and is currently Dean of the Graduate School. He obtained a PhD in Economics at Kobe University in 2001. His major research interests are comparative economic systems, and the economics of Russia and Central-Eastern European countries.

Prof Zhiwei Luo obtained his PhD in Engineering from Nagoya University in 1992. From 1992 to 1994 he was an Assistant Professor of Toyohashi University of Technology. In 1994, he moved to BMC RIKEN as a Frontier Research. He then worked at Yamagata University as an Associate Professor. Since 2001, he served as laboratory head of BMC RIKEN, and led the development of a human interactive robot RI-MAN, which was selected by TIME as the best invention of 2006. In 2006, he became a Professor of Kobe University, where he joined the setting-up of the new Graduate School in System Informatics, and is now promoting integrative research on health for the Aging Society.

This event is free to attend but booking is essential. To reserve a place, please email your name and the title of the event you would like to attend to event@jpf.org.uk.

Exposure: Inside the Olympus Scandal

Book launch details:

29 November 2012

6:00 – 7:30pm, followed by a drinks reception to 8:30pm

13/ 14 Conwall Terrace (Outer Circle), London, NW1 4QP, Nr Baker Street Tube

Organised by The Daiwa Anglo Japanese Foundation

After becoming President of Olympus in April 2011, Michael Woodford became aware of some large unexplained payments the company had made in relation to overseas acquisitions. When satisfactory explanations were not forthcoming, he kicked up a fuss, only to be dismissed by the company’s board in October. He had stumbled on one of Japan’s largest and longest-running ever “tobashi”, or loss-hiding, schemes. The resulting scandal led to the arrest of seven Olympus executives, including the former Chairman, and a drop of 75% in the company’s stock market value, as well as a revival of broader concerns about Japanese corporate governance and audit standards. Introducing his new book, Woodford will give us the inside story.

“Michael Woodford had everything the corporate world could ever offer. Yet when he discovered rampant corruption at the core of one of Japan’s most prestigious companies, he did not hesitate. This is a sensational personal account of a man of great courage and principle who got to the top, and blew the whistle to glorious effect. In the corporate world Michael Woodford is too rare and exceptional a breed.”    -Jon Snow, Channel 4 News.

* The book will be available for purchase on the day.

Michael Woodford

Michael Woodford grew up in Liverpool and joined Olympus as a medical equipment salesman, rising through the ranks to run its UK, MEA and European businesses. In April 2011, he was appointed President and COO of the Olympus Corporation – the first Western ‘salary-man’ to rise through the ranks to the top of a Japanese giant. That October he was made CEO, but only two weeks later, he was dismissed after querying inexplicable payments approaching $2 billion. He was named Business Person of the Year 2011 by the Sunday Times, the Independent and theSun, and won the Financial Times Arcelor-Mittal Award for Boldest Businessperson of the Year. He lives in London with his wife and two teenage children.

Extreme Rituals: A Schimpfluch Carnival

30 November 2012 – 2 December 2012

Arnolfini, Bristol

Extreme Rituals: A Schimpfluch Carnival is a retrospective and a celebration of Schimpfluch, a platform created by Rudolf Eb.er in 1987 for extreme and outsider artists and the generation of highly disturbing and irritating audio/visual works. As part of the programme over the weekend, there will be a rare appearance by Japanese artist Junko Hiroshige from the seminal band Hijokaidan, who will perform alongside Rudolf Eb.er and also participate in an accompanying discussion. The weekend will include an extensive programme highlighting the influence Schimpfluch has had since the late 80s, and audiences will be treated to performances from a range of artists, sound-installations, films, photographs and contextualising panel discussions. 

For more information, please click here.

 

 

Yunhee Choi & Hun Ouk Park Duo Concert

October 11, 2012

VIOLIN AND PIANO DUO CONCERT

Yunhee Choi, piano  

Hun Ouk Park, violin

PROGRAMME

Arvo Pärt, Fratres César Franck, Sonata for violin and piano in A major

I. Allegretto ben moderato

II. Allegro

III. Ben moderato: Recitative-Fantasia

IV. Allegretto poco mosso

Arvo Pärt, Spiegel im Spiegel

Yunhee Choi, pianist

Yunhee Choi, born in Seoul, South Korea, studied chamber music and song accompaniment with Pamela Lidiard at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After achieving MMus and MPerf which are postgraduate courses, she has been working as a staff accompanist at the Guildhall and City Lit, playing for classes and performances, and with her freelance career performing as an accompanist. Currently, she is also working as translator for the South Korean Embassy in the UK.

Yunhee thinks her life as accompanist probably began when she was nine years old, playing for mass with children’s choir in a local church. Her interests in humanities led her to Sogang University, where she studied linguistics, and literature in English and French. In the university, she joined the school chorus to sing. She became a conductor there and gave regular concerts for many years. She also continued to play for mass and choirs in local churches. She learned the organ with Sr. Helen Yoon at Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres in Korea.

Then she decided to take up music more seriously and went to Sungshin Women’s University to study piano where she was awarded full scholarship by Haesung Cultural Foundation. She studied with Namjoo Lee and Yoonjung Ahn.

After coming to London, Yunhee was coached regularly by Graham Johnson, Iain Burnside and Eugene Asti. She played in a concert directed by Iain Burnside in City of London Festival in 2009. Vocal classes with Sarah Walker, mezzo-soprano, and Adrian Thomson, tenor, are among many other classes she played for many terms. Yunhee has recently given a lot of concerts with chamber musicians and singers in UK, Ireland and Korea. She won the second prize in a composition contest by Catholic Lay Apostolate Council of Korea in 2008. Yunhee has recently become a Steinway Artist.

Hun Ouk Park, violinist

Hun Ouk was born in South Korea 1989. He started playing the piano at the age of six and the violin at the age of seven. When he was eight years old he went over to Russia to study at the Saint-Petersburg Special Music School of N.A Rimsky-Korsakov with Professor Vladimir Ovcharek.

In 2001 he went over to England to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School with Simon Fisher, and Maciej Rakowski. During his stay at the Menuhin school he participated in many concerts, for example playing at the Mozart festival in Turkey, at the Royal Albert hall, Queen Elizabeth hall and the Wigmore hall.

In 2007 he went on to study at the Royal College of Music with a full scholarship studying under Itzhak Rashokovsky. Currently he is a post-graduate student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama actively participating in solo, chamber music, and orchestral concerts.

For more information, please visit http://www.steinwayhall.co.uk/news-events or call 020 7487 3391.