New display now open: TAKAKO SAITŌ: From the Artist’s Archive

Our new display at ECA Library, Evolution House, has been curated by ECA PhD student Emily Clarkson and explores the world of Fluxus artist Takako Saitō.

Takako Saitō is a multidisciplinary artist often associated with Fluxus. Born in Japan in 1929, Saitō’s artistic development was intrinsically linked to her self-discovery, culminating in an extraordinary living practice that erases all boundaries between art and life.

Since 1981 Saitō has been self-documenting her experience as an artist from her home-atelier in Düsseldorf. This display showcases archival material from her transformative period in Italy (1975-1979), when she was able to fully develop her live practice under the patronage of Rosanna Chiessi.

From the late 1960s Chiessi began organising events, festivals, and exhibitions of emerging international artists. Working closely with the artists, she published rare editions and commissioned experimental performances and concerts. From 1975 she began accommodating avant-garde artists she championed at her or her family’s homes in Cavriago, among these was Takako Saitō. For Saitō this was the first time she had the financial stability and space to fully focus on her art: “In a sense, my four years of living in Italy were the most important time for me; for the first time I lived and worked as an artist.” (Saitō, 2014).

Prior to moving to Italy, Saitō began her artistic development as a member of Japan’s art educator’s movement, Sōbi, that sought to foster artistic identity through self-led exploration. In 1963 she was subsumed into New York Fluxus where she combined her visual language and pedagogy in the crafting of multi-sensory Chess Sets. In 1968 she moved to Europe, first to the artist’s haven in Villefranche, and then in 1973 to England to participate in Fluxshoe, and work for the Beau Geste Press in Devon. Since 1979 Saitō has been living and working in Düsseldorf.

CASE 1:

[1] Photo of Rosanna Chiessi and Takako Saitō and copy of employment contract

[2] Photos from Concerto, Rome,1975

Concerto was one of Saitō’s earliest performances in Italy. Prior to the piece Saitō had scattered several white cubes and potted plants around the space. Each of the cubes were hand-crafted from white card and individually weighted; this was so that they made unique sounds when dropped or moved. She then began kicking the cubes according to the rules of her kicking box game, performed at the Flux Games Fest in 1973. Smaller cubes were poured from four glass containers and viewers were invited to scatter them around. Participation and play are a central component to Saitō’s multidisciplinary practice, which explores the interplay between a preconceived idea and what develops over the course of a live event or direct public engagement with a work.

[3] Self-documentation from Performance at Gallery Multhipla, Milan, 1975

This is an example of how Saitō documents her performances. She would mount photographs onto paper and then annotate them. She would then make multiple photocopies of these to send to friends and colleagues, as well as store multiples in her personal archive.

Of the performance itself, Saitō explained in a 2013 letter:

“I hung the cubes on nylon threads suspended from the ceiling, At that time Joe Jones also lived in Asolo, in an apartment by Francesco Conz. I asked him to join us. First, we snipped at the cubes with our fingers and made music that way. Then I used scissors to cut through the nylon threads; Joe did the same with a cigarette. The cubes fell down and made sounds. Then the audience played with the cubes on the floor.

I […] had been for a walk and picked some flowers — and so I distributed them before the performance. When people were playing with the cubes later, I thought ‘Aha, this will be the end of the performance.’ But then a women came to the middle with her flowers and tied them to one of the nylon hanging threads. Then others came, one after the another, and hung-up flowers. That was beautiful. I looked at this and said, ‘Oh beautiful.’ I never thought that something like that would happen.” (Saitō, 2013).

[4] Press response to Studio 74 event, 1976

Translation:

Presented by the cultural centre ‘Studio 74’ on via Spallanzani, a concert-exhibition by Japanese artist Takako Saitō was held. Numerous spectators attended the hall, participating in the spectacular exhibition of the artist. Saitō, one of the major exponents of ‘Fluxus’ (a type of concert that combines dance, music, painting, theatre), using the fall of small cubes on the pavement, created works of various measures, composing a suggestive musical orchestration of clear oriental extraction. The exhibition, followed with great attention by the public, was much appreciated and commented upon.

[5] Invitations

As with any event, there must be invitations. This was especially the case for artists associated with Fluxus, who often saw the invitation a work of art in its own right. The invitation for a performance/concert Studio Morra (1976) was designed and produced by Saitō herself. The invitation to a multiple-day event held in Amsterdam (1978) is an example of an invitation/press release issued by the organiser, in this instant it includes some biographical information and ‘teaser’ for the performance in both Dutch and English.

[6] Cubes

Cubes are a central motif in Saitō’s entire oeuvre, first emerging in etchings made in 1950s Japan, and continuing through every facet of her multidisciplinary performance to this day. In the images in this display the cubes are made through traditional paper folding (origami), however she has also hand-crafted them from wood and occasionally metal. The cubes in these cases are not original works by Takako, but wooden copies designed to evoke the essence of the performances.

CASE 2:

[7] Photos and ephemera from a game, Bologna, 1977

The people in these photographs are playing Saitō’s a game (1976-79). Saitō would put a lot of preparation into a live event, crafting and preparing everything by hand, including these elaborate costumes. The purpose of such costumes was to free the participants playful spirit, providing them with the space to explore their own creativity. While rules of a game are written out in incredible detail, the actual execution of the performance were purely left to chance, creating unique encounters between players. Saitō performed a game on several occasions between 1976 and 1979, and no two events were the same.

[8] Photos and ephemera from Picnic Game and Game Performance, 1976-77

Similarly to a game these performances followed a prescribed game plan outlined on the floor. In Game Performance Saitō prepared the arena by taping out the game with strips of fabric pinned down. In Picnic Game she had prepared large blankets, either painted or embroidered with the game design. In both instances the games take their cue from traditional board games but continue to develop as the event unfolds and participants become increasingly imaginative — and confident.

[9] Self-documentation from event in Bologna, 1977

The arrangement of images on these two sheets relate to Saitō’s live event in Bologna and give an idea of how her performances became increasingly experimental. Images from Picnic Game show how participants threw marbles, paint, wine, and even salad onto the ‘board’. In this live event with cubes, Saitō embraced the audience reactions from previous stagings to incorporate the building, and knocking down, of towers into her performance. This is also one of the first instances in which she released a large quantity of cubes from above at once.

This display forms part of an ongoing PhD project titled The Atelier as Autobiography: Takako Saitō’s ‘Living Practice’ as Artists Intervention (1929-Present).

For more information on Saitō or her archive, please contact Emily Clarkson:

E.Clarkson@sms.ed.ac.uk / https://www.eca.ed.ac.uk/profile/emily-clarkson

All images and material on display are courtesy of the artist’s personal archive, and subject to copyright.

 

Trial access to Hindi Cinema: Histories of Film-making

Edinburgh University students and staff currently have trial access to Hindi Cinema: Histories of Film-making, until 11th May 2025.

Hindi Cinema: Histories of Film-making:

Sourced from the private collection of renowned author and documentary film-maker Nasreen Munni Kabir, this resource features unedited interviews with leading Indian film personalities who contributed to the shaping of the ‘Golden Age’ of Hindi cinema and beyond.

This material marks the first time that a significant number of Indian film practitioners were filmed for a British broadcaster. Other collection highlights include behind-the-scenes photographs from film sets and popular Indian film posters from the British Film Institute (BFI).

As always this trial can be accessed via the Library E-resources Trials page.

Bookmarks 2024 Winners display

Our new display at ECA Library, Evolution House, level 1, features works by three of the winners of the 2024 Bookmarks Prize.

The Bookmarks Prize is awarded to selected graduates for high quality and innovative use of the book form shown at the Edinburgh College of Art Graduate Shows. It is open to all students across the Schools of Art and Design.

Jane Hyslop, Lecturer in Painting & Illustration at ECA, who curated this display says “In 2024 it was a pleasure to select three graduates to receive the award: Daniyyel Ironside (School of Art, Intermedia), Charlotte Brooke Simm (School of Design, Textiles) and Honor Dodd (School of Design, Jewellery).

The prize itself offered the opportunity to showcase work at BOOKMARKS 2025 which was held at Edinburgh College of Art in March 2025.”

The shortlist of prize winners was as follows:

Honor Dodd – BA (Hons) Jewellery

Daniyyel Ironside – BA (Hons) Intermedia

Charlotte Brooke Simm – BA (Hons) Textiles

Aner Wang -BA (Hons) Illustration

& Commended Collective:

SPRITZ – Flora Luckman, Ally McKay, Lucy Parker, BA (Hons) Illustration.

The display will continue until 11th May 2025, and is accessible to the public, Monday – Friday, 9.00am – 4.45pm.

Works by Daniyyel Ironside, Honor Dodd and Charlotte Brooke Simm

ECA Bookmarks Bookfair: 5th March 2025

Make your way to the ECA Sculpture Court at Lauriston campus Main Building from 1.00pm to 7.00pm to enjoy the annual ECA Bookmarks Bookfair! Your opportunity to buy prints, zines, artists’ books, cards, pin badges, t-shirts and other wonders made by our ECA Art and Design students, and friends from Scottish colleges and arts organisations.

Poster for Bookmarks 2025 in red and blue print

Poster art by Rosie Wang, ECA Illustration student, rosieee_art on Insta…

Dissertation and Thesis Festival 24-28 February 2025

Want to boost your library research skills? Interested in finding out more about library resources for your research question? Looking for help with managing bibliographic and research data?

Join us for the Library’s week-long programme of events to help you succeed with your dissertation or thesis.

We’re offering a range of online sessions including EndNote for managing references, SAGE Research Methods and Literature reviews: functions, types and methods.

If you prefer to attend in-person events, why not come along to our Dissertation & Thesis Festival Discovery Day on Wednesday 26 February!

We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with a day of LGBTQ+ themed events in the Main Library, featuring :

  • Stalls with information, freebies and advice on library resources
  • Deep dive sessions into our digital primary sources
  • Hands on session with our unique archival resources

Information and booking for all events is available here

We look forward to welcoming you!

Display in ECA Library: Semester 2

We wish all our students and staff a very productive semester 2, and invite you to come along to ECA Library to enjoy our new display of book works by artist and print maker Susie Wilson.

We are fortunate to have several artists’ books in our collection by Susie, in addition to the major boxed work she created in response to her residency at ECA library in 2016.

The works featured are:

Cabinet on left:

1: Flutter, Edinburgh, 2011

2: Inside Outside, Edinburgh, 2011

3: Hidden Inside, Edinburgh, 2011

4: Tunnel, Edinburgh, 2011

5: Insect Life, Edinburgh, 2011

Cabinet on right:

6: Untitled, Edinburgh, 2016

For more information about Susie’s work click here. [This display has now closed.]

picture of an artists book
Susie Wilson, Tunnel, 2011

Festive season at ECA and A&A Libraries

All the staff of ECA and A&A Libraries wish our students and staff a very happy and restorative festive holiday. Please note the following opening and closing dates for our libraries over the festive season:

ECA Library: Closed on 21st and 22nd December; open until 4.50pm on Monday 23rd December; then closed until 9.00am on Friday 3rd January 2025.

A&A Library: Closed on 21st and 22nd December; open until 4.50pm on Monday 23rd December; then closed until 9.00am on Friday 3rd January 2025.

Main Library, George Square: open until 2.45pm on Tuesday 24th December, closed for 25th and 26th December, then open from 9.00am 27th December. Also closed on 1st and 2nd January 2025. For full details click here.

Happy holidays!