Fukuko Ando
Nô mask has been neglected for a long time.
In the sculpture garden of Yasuo Mizui in Lacoste, France, a dancer wearing the kimono of his first wife, Kiyoko, and wearing Nô mask that Yasuo had preserved.
In a forgotten garden, Nô mask sometimes cries, laughs, and gets angry.
The fantasy memory begins to move with sculptures, Nô mask, and kimono.
( Fukuko Ando )
Franco -Japanese Collaboration
FRANCE
The Kumano Kodō is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes of Japan. It is the path of the wisdom and patience of the old, and some trees are more than 800 years old.
( Fukuko Ando )
In that space, a dancer wearing a yellow “wisdom of light” dress concentrates her soul and has a conversation connecting with “the pilgrim’s wisdom” in space and time.
(熊野古道)
Franco-Japanese CollaborationA French Performance:
**Sacred Places**
JAPAN
Kumano Kodō
(熊野古道)
Performance
Franco-Japanese Collaboration
A French Performance: Sacred Places
Place: Kumano Kodō / Japan
https://www.google.fr/maps/place/Matsumoto+Pass+trailhead+Kumano+side+(Kumano+Kodo+Iseji)/@33.8158726,136.0752694,11z/data=!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sKumano+Kodo!3m4!1s0x600670ef11bc4781:0x72858d80321f6224!8m2!3d33.893818!4d136.1071113
Performance: Soluna de Cock (France)
Dress: Fukuko Ando (Japan)
Date: 17th October 2017
www.12robes.com
The Myth of the Floating Bridge in the heavens there are legends stating that Amanohashidate was originally a ladder used by the god Izanagi No Mikoto to visit his lover the goddess Izanami No Mikoto (Izanagi No Mikoto and Izanami No Mikoto are the gods credited with the creation of Japan)
( Fukuko Ando )
Legend has it that the ladder fell out of the sky into the ocean and became Amanohashidate.
( 天橋立)
Franco-Japanese Collaboration
A French Performance:
JAPAN
**Sacred Places**
Dance dedicated to Konohanasakuya-hime.
( Fukuko Ando )
Konohanasakuya-hime means “cherry blossom blooming princess” in Japanese mythology.
She is the goddess of Mount Fuji.
The red dress expresses the energy of the goddess of Mt. Fuji, with white veins running on a powerful red volcano.
(富士山)
Japan
Franco-Japanese Collaboration
A French Performance:
**Sacred Places**
Japan / 2020
Modern Japan is well-regarded internationally, but what of the deeper spirit of Japan? My Japanese contemporaries seem to have forgotten the sacred knowledge of the origin of Japan. This deeper knowledge arises only when one’s awareness has been refined through regular presence in a sacred place. This is the true strength of Japan. Why is France the proper place for this exhibition? Living in Paris for 25 years, I have felt that many French people respect the authentic spirit of Japan and show a keen wish to discover more about it. I have observed that French practitioners of the Japanese arts of judo, aikido and karate work seriously and assiduously at their practice, often showing a greater grasp of the original purity of Japan than is shown by the Japanese themselves. Although I am Japanese and grew up in Japan, my awareness of the deeper essence of the Japanese spirit developed only during my years in Paris, when I saw how the French respected and understood Japanese culture.
After 25 years in Paris, I have returned to live in Japan where I act as a link between France and Japan, both forever united in my heart with a deep sense of gratitude.
I met the dancer Soluna in Paris. Her dance is a soulful conversation with the sacred spirit of Japan. I wanted her movement to express the sacred dimension of Japan, and the union of the sacred spirit of Japan with the soul of France. I make dresses; this is the creative path I have followed for 25 years. The first time I saw the Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre, I felt the powerful, sacred energy of this statue as though it were alive and immortal: Grace taking form through the wind, symbol of complete freedom. I recognized that same freedom in the dresses created by Madeleine Vionnet. I developed my own way of creating dresses in that spirit of freedom, working with a full-size mannequin in front of a mirror. My intention has been to create dresses that convey the same experience as the Winged Victory: complete freedom. Like the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the dancer is united with the dress of freedom. Wearing this dress, she visited and performed at the sacred sites of Japan in October 2017.
I would like to show the sacred dimension of Japan by presenting the dress of freedom in France, to serve as a bridge that reveals the sacred spirit of both Japan and France. This is my wish.
Related Posts : PERFORMANCE
SACRED PLACES