Watching movies...

Yesterday Ayomi and I had the opportunity to preview parts of a film that will augment our concurrent exhibit of modern (20th century) Japanese prints. The film, from the late 1950s, contains footage of Ayomi’s parents working together on a large print.
In that moment, the connection of Yedoensis to the past became quite palpable, and simultaneously its originality and inventiveness - and relevance to its own time and place.

On halfway, of 100,000 flowers

Working (measuring walls, hanging prints, making phone calls, filling out paperwork, sending emails, fiddling with websites, etc, etc, etc) on other museum exhibits, past, present and future, has kept me from being of much help on this installation. I have been watching, from a distance, like a cat just beyond the light from the windows of a house. I am inspired by the persistence and tenacity of the crew that has been coaxing this idea, this transformation, indeed (dare I say it) this beauty, into fruition.

A little research...

I Googled Yedoensis. Prunus X yedoensis (Yoshino Cherry), to be exact. This particular species of ornamental cherry tree does not actually exist in “the wild”. Cultivated, shaped and cherished by humans, it brightens parks throughout the world (well, in the appropriate climate zones). Suddenly the grid of blossoms in our exhibition carries a deeper resonance for me.

Exciting progress

As the snow outside the gallery begins to melt, many cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom inside the gallery.