After more than four years in Tokyo blowing minds with her visual stimuli, Shantell Martin has decided it's time for a change, a new challenge. The illustrator, designer, VJ, artist, videographer is leaving Tokyo and headed for New York.
Last night Shantell had her final show in Tokyo at Super Deluxe, Roppongi. Sadly I was carting my life from Narita airport while the sayonaras were being said, Masao was lucky enough to go along and catch some the creatively, colorful action.
With web hits increasing daily and media recognition both online and in print Dr. Sketchy’s Tokyo has grown from it’s humble blogosphere wall flower beginnings to a facebooking, mixi loving, mass media courting Tokyo sensation in both the art and burlesque community and they feel like celebrating!
Join the crew Saturday April 11th in Hatagaya for their 2 Year Anniversary first ever WET Party!
We have to give a shout out to the super gorgeous Lauryn, who is collecting quite a fine array of Tokyo fashion accessories. Thanks for the sweet words, the awesome picture and for supporting Japan-based design and creation!
I thought I would share a
picture of me in my Blitz Kiss bat party mask, it's completely livens up my
life. I wear it whenever I have to do un-fun things like wash the dishes.
Thanks for sending such sweet postcards with all my orders as well, it
definitely makes me want to buy more! And if by any chance you could let the
artists behind CHAPTER, Blitz Kiss and Tiny Azure know (next time you have
to contact them perhaps?) that they have a big fan in the states that would
totally make my day.
Late on Friday night Masao informed me that we had a photo shoot at 10am Saturday morning - in our BATHTUB.
Photographer Hal, known for his saucy shots of Japanese couples in the Pinky & Killer DX Book, rocked in early with his compact bag of image capturing gadgets. After a quick rummage through my costume boxes, Masao and I were dressed, made up and wedged tightly together in our tiny Japanese bath tub. This was our view...
you will have to wait for the next book coming out in August to see what Photographer Hal saw.
BEFORE
AFTER
[Photographic Style]
In order to emerge and capture love of the “couple”, I used to corner the models in small and enclosed room in my earlier exploration. However, extending this idea to the extreme, I now place them in a bathtub of their house.
The bathroom is the most private place in the house for most couples, and they feel shy about it. That is why it is so inspiring!!
Bathtub is an ideal vessel to hold a couple. I compress the couple into the bottom of a bathtub and ask them to express themselves. It is like high school girls in Tokyo taking self-portraits in an instant photo sticker machine booth, “print club”!! Intensity of vivid color, like highly boiled jam, provides tonality best suited for the photograph. I regard this to be a microcosm of intensified energy.
* Write a Haiku about your dog! Leave it on Aimee's blog post in the comments before April 13th, 2009.
* You may write as many Haiku as you like until the contest ends. Just leave a separate comment for each one.
* After April 13th, we will choose our favorite Haiku to win the kimono.
* You can also enter to win a dog Kimono by signing up for the TokyoMade.com fan club.
Masao has been twittering away for a while now. I love following his quirky updates and interesting links. You can follow him too here.
A while back a friend sent me this link to an article exploring American and Japanese blog culture. A few interesting points, I wonder can the same be said about twitter culture.
The gorgeous Aimeeroo and her family of super cute critters have been rounding up the puppy haiku. One lucky commenter on Aimee's post will win a Doggie Kimono from Tokyo Made. Check out the entries, super cute and too hard to choose from!
APW Gallery found in NYC's Lower East Side is a growing community housing artists from all over NYC and the world.
The gallery is currently searching for 10 artists to feature in their next show. With so much talent on offer they are calling out to the general public to vote.
Canvas @ Sony is an art collaboration project between digmeout and Sony. The project invited artists to enter the 2009 ARTWALL AUDITION.
The winner of this year's project will have their art displayed on the wall of the Sony Building in Ginza and Sony products as their "canvas". Yes, that is right, a whole building in Tokyo!!
Super talent, Sonja de Boer has entered her magnificence this year.
Results will be announced at the end of May, 2009.
Good luck to Sonja. Her creative efforts and talent continue to inspire and amaze us!!
Kichijoji Vibe Tribe Vol. ii
(GREEN CAMPAIGN)
Date: Saturday, May 2nd
Time: 23:30 ...
Place: WARP (Kichijoji)
Price:
3,000 yen (w/ 1d)
* with flier 2,500 yen (w/ 1d)
** with green top 2,000 yen (w/ 1d)
DJs:
Megumilk
Kabuto
Tomokichi HotHouse Boys (Kai, Raimon, Janga)
Live Performance:
Rhapsody Groovez (Taka, No Milk)
La Carmina's Guide to Tokyo Gothic and Lolita Nightlife
Tokyo subculture and style guru, kitschy-cute book author and earless cat owner, La Carmina has realeased her long awaited guide to Tokyo’s Goth Cyber & Lolita Club Nights!
The highly detailed and clearly laid out guide comes complete with maps, directions, suggestions, price guides and tips. Well worth a look if you are interested in the dark and underground, yet often creatively colorful, side of Tokyo club events.
Nipponscape is a new web magazine founded by a former editor and a former designer from legendary PingMag MAKE. The Nipponscape team scours Japan visiting makers and doers. As a team they bring real life stories of people from all over Japan creating and doing. Their strong belief in the power of raw voices and real people sets the tone for the diversity of true stories featured on Nipponscape.
Today is that last day to check out the 100 pieces on show for the "Little Pink" exhibition at Cafe Pause. A collaboration between Alexander Gelman and Shantell Martin. Shantell drew over100 flyers that were produced for Gelman’s “Little Black” installation at the Nanzuka Underground gallery.
Believe it or not Tokyo is not always wild, crazy and frantic. In fact it is important to find balance in such a face paced city. The days are getting warmer and the feeling of Summer coming is helping the city to really come alive. This weekend will be all about fun in the sun, with World Laughter Day on Sunday May 3.
Sunday, May 3rd, 11AM -2 PM Yoyogi Park
Laughter Yoga started in India in 1995 and has since then been spreading like wildfire around the globe. It is a unique form of exercise developed by a medical doctor, Madan Kataria. It incorporates breathing techniques from yoga but is fun and easy for anyone to do regardless of physical or other limitations. A sense of humor is not required. Laughter begins with exercises but soon becomes contagious, and the result is prolonged and hearty unconditional laughter. Laughter Yoga, providing tremendous physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual benefits, is a complete well being workout.
World Laughter Day is a positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of unity and friendship through laughter. Please join us for the Japan celebration of this very special annual event!
We'll meet before 11AM on the far side of the fountains (middle of Yoyogi Park) if you are coming from Harajuku Station.
You can also meet us at 10:30AM at Harajuku Station, Omotesando Exit, where someone will be holding up a sign.
What to bring:
Comfortable clothes, water, lunch and a picnic mat to sit on.
Schedule: 11 - 12 Laughter exercises
12 - 2 Lunch, Laughter games and Hoop Love
The World Laughter Day celebration is free. Donations are welcome.
