Arte:Historia

Reflection

Upon having this assignment, we were deciding between Christian art in Asia and Japonaiserie. Due to our interest, we were drawn towards “Hidden Christianity in Japan” as my group mates came up with an interesting idea of having the objects being hidden within a space. This idea intrigue me to come up with activities such as “escape room” and board games like “Cluedo” which has a relation to having things being hidden and players have to find to win the game. I feel that if we could implant this idea into the exhibition it might be interesting experience to have.

Thus as we discuss about our ideas one by one, we realize that the overall concept seem really interesting. However, we had a problem of executing the idea out as we didn’t want to make it too overwhelming, neither too simplistic. We came to a point that maybe a model of the exhibition site and a set of game rules might work out nicely. At this point, we assign each other roles on what to do for this project base on our interest. Alicia and Joanne were the researchers for the history behind hidden Christianity in Japan and they did up the wall text and object label. They really impressed me in this part of the project. Even though it may seem very simple to do to many, personally for me, in terms of theory, it is not my forte. Thus I chose the job of making the activity since I had an idea of how it look like and Vivian got the role of designing the exhibition layout as she is well versed with Japanese culture than any of us.

As we did our research, we find that it is really interesting that even though Christianity is being banned during 1600s in Japan, there were still some secretly practicing and the way they do it is amazing. They had all kinds of methods to practice Christianity. It is interesting that every single daily life object can be made into a form of practice. In addition to the way the hide it within the object is very intriguing too. It was really fun knowing all these facts and how people think at that time.

I’m glad that despite our difference, we manage to do this project smoothly and in the process I learn a lot from my group mates. I learnt of how different types of glue can affect the making of the model. For instance, having too much UV glue on the foam board, the board would actually melt overtime. Therefore when using materials to build the model, we had to handle it wisely and carefully.

Through this project, we may have done it pretty smoothly, but there are times where we did face some issues along the way. The most challenging part of this project to me was time. All 4 of us had problems of meeting up due to the difference in our major, thus many times due to our timetable we had a hard time meeting up to discuss or build the model. In the end we had to do individually during our free time and consolidate everything near the week of submission. And also when doing this project, we didn’t notice about how different age group would react to the activity. It was a refreshing and eye opener to know how people think about our idea. Thus I would like to thank everyone for the contribution to the discussion. Other than that I think everything worked out smoothly.

Overall, it was a fun experience and great job everyone for all the effort put into the project. Glad that we manage to get through another busy semester again 🙂

Process:

12268895_10153742344718094_802943124_o — Base making

12250598_10153742344738094_2034781839_o — Created the secret basement

12282052_10153742359768094_1504912561_o — Wall up for one side

11984557_10153742359933094_1457126294_o — Shoji making- it’s a nightmare cutting up the square perfectly.

12268731_10153742392843094_103471460_o — Done up furnitures and layout

12271252_10153742392903094_1566014635_o — Gallery walls up

Finalize Look:

12281579_10153742342958094_849646308_o — Room part 1

12271542_10153742342888094_1408704390_o — Room part 2

12282024_10153742343113094_2070265990_o — Garden area

12255267_10153742342853094_494068121_o — Final layout

Team 3: Individual Object Label – Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon (FINAL UPDATED)　

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon　マリア観音

(c. 17 Century)

Porcelain Statue

This statue was seized in Uragami, Nagasaki Prefecture,in 1856, Ming-Qing dynasty, 17^th century. It was then preserved by the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office. Currently the statue is kept safely in Tokyo National Museum.

It depict the feminine form of Koyasu Kannon (子安観音), the god that represent birth and child rearing. Despite bearing the resemblance of “Byakue Kannon”, she holds a child in her hand. To the Christians the statue resembles Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The white robe, according to Christianity, represents purity and righteousness. It also symbolizes salvation.

During the mid-17^th century, outlawed Christians created statues of Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin). These statues are known as Maria Kannon. Maria Kannon was made or altered to look like Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), however they were not worshipped as Kannon. This act of concealment allowed the Christian to practice their faith in secret, minimizing the chance of being exposed. Since their faith were forced to go underground, the follower usual practice their faith in a hidden room, a cave or in a forest.

There are a number of Maria Kannon statues, which includes “Byakue Kannon”, “Jibo Kannon”, Guanyin (Kannon) and Child of many different sizes. Some of which even include hidden image of the “cross” within them and some have it at the back of the statue. With the presence of the cross within the statue it indirectly imply that the statue is in fact constructed for Christian and not Buddhist despite it resembling Buddhist deity Kannon. The Christians would honor this statue by silently praying to Mother Mary. With such “trick” it creates a sense of relief for the follower. To the outsider it appears as a Buddhist statue but to the outlawed Christian, it appears as an object of Christ faith. Which successfully also fooled the government and help them to keep their faith hidden and alive.

Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Maria_Kannon.jpg

Catalog Entry for Artefact (FINAL UPDATED)

Buddhist_statue_with_hidden_cross_on_back — Maria Kannon with hidden cross on back.

Maria_Kannon

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon　マリア観音

(c. 17 Century)

Porcelain Statue

In 1549, missionaries brought Christianity to Japan. As Christianity gain its popularity among the population, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to fear that the Christian will be more loyal to their faith as compared to his shogunate.

In 1612, Christianity was banned in the country and whoever practiced it were persecuted, often with violence, and as the days pass the methods got fiercer. Eventually, Christianity was banned for over two centuries during the Tokugawa Era, also known as Edo Period (1603-1868). Authorities were eager to eradicate this foreign religion that they execute and imprisoned thousands of Christians, and even to the extent of ordering all families to register with local Buddhist parishes.

To deal with the situation, the Christian had to practice their faith in secret to avoid being punished. Therefore, in order to conceal their faith, Christian were forced to keep a low profile and practice their faith in private. These Christians were eventually known as Kakure Kirishitan, or Hidden Christian. Since then their faith were forced to go underground, and follower had to practice it in secret.

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon, the feminine form of Koyasu Kannon (子安観音), is the god that represents birth and child rearing. Despite bearing the resemblance of “Byakue Kannon”, she carry a child in her hand. To the Christians the statue resemble Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The white robe, according to Christianity, represents purity and righteousness. It also symbolize salvation.

The statue is made from Dehua White Porcelain, known as “hakugorai” or “Korean White Ware” in Japanese. It is the porcelain that give the statue its colour. As the name of the material suggests, the statue is being produced not in Japan but in Dehua Kilns, located in Fujian Province. In other words, the Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon is being illegally imported from China.

One of the main reasons of the use of Dehua Kilns porcelain is that the white is the colour commonly used during rituals observance. To add on, white to the Chinese, the manufacturing country, symbolizes filial piety, death and mourning, which is why it is the common colour for statues and incense burners.

At the back of the statue, a hidden Christian cross can be found. With the presence of the cross within the statue it indirectly imply that the statue is in fact constructed for Christian and not Buddhist despite it resembling Buddhist deity Kannon. The Christians would honor this statue by silently praying to Mother Mary. With such “trick” it creates a sense of relief for the follower. To the outsider it appears as a Buddhist statue but to the outlawed Christian, it appears as an object of Christ faith. Which successfully also fooled the government and help them to keep their faith hidden and alive.

References & Further Reading:

Mark Schumacher. Virgin Mary & Kannon, Two Merciful Mothers (1995 – 2014), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maria-kannon.html

R.W.Smith. Dehua Kilns, “Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon,” The Christian Kannon, The Buddhist Madonna, Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

http://rwsmith.omeka.net/items/show/44

Dunoucou. Chinese Porcelain (October 3, 2008), Retrived from November 3, 2015, from

http://oblogdourbano.blogspot.sg/2008/10/dehua-white-porcelain-in-japan.html

Chris Morrison. John Dougill: In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians, (June 8, 2012), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

https://32minutes.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/john-dougill-in-search-of-japans-hidden-christians/

Chelsea Foxwell. Merciful Mother Kannon and Its Audiences (2010), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1524561.files//Foxwell_Merciful_Mother_Kannon.pdf

Team 3: Activity Area [Late post]

[Late Post] Activity Area for our Exhibition

This is a delay post, as initially my group members and I didn’t want to reveal everything about our exhibition before the day we showcase it. My concept for the activity area was derived from board games such as Cluedo and Escape Room. Collectively, as a group, our concept was to create a memorable learning experience for our visitors at the same time unveil the history of “Hidden Christianity in Japan”, a culture known to many but understand by few. The setting of the area will bring our visitor back to 1600s, this will allow them to have a 4-dimension experience.

How will the activity be carried out?

The whole activity, which is being held within the exhibition premise, will last for 10 minutes. Due to space constraint, every 10 minutes interval, a maximum number of 5 visitors will be allowed into the premise.

Visitors will be given the roles of government officers and they will be tasked to search items relating to Christianity within the premise. These “Government officers” will be “armed” with UV lights and a scroll like “search list” which will contain clues on the hidden items.

A total of 10 items will be hidden within the premise, of which only 4 are related, the rest are just to confuse our “officers”. In order to complete their task, the “officers” will need to recover all 4 hidden items that are related to Christianity. The 4 hidden items will have a sticker that has a cross using UV ink, therefore, our “officers” will need to utilize their UV light to identify the “real items”

To ensure that all visitor, regardless of whether they have prior knowledge to Christianity or not, are able to find the 4 hidden items, the clues will be given in a descriptive style. For an example;

Item 1:
- In a form of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus
- Made of Dehua white porcelain…etc.

Upon completing their task, visitors may proceed over to the next section of the exhibition. A film, which depicts the execution of Christianity, will be shown to them. Besides gaining more insights to “Hidden Christianity in Japan” visitor will be gifted with the scrolls, as a souvenir. If they did not complete the task, they will be able to view the artifact at the gallery. Explanation of the artifacts will also be provided within the gallery.

IMG-20151111-WA0005

For visitors who do not wish to participate in the activity, they can make a detour to the gallery, which they can roam freely on their own.

Here is the first draft of the scroll content:

Kirishitan (Hidden Christian) Belongings

There are rumours that there are Kirishitan within this house. Please find the 4 evidence to prove that the rumours are true. There is only 10 minutes to find the evidences before the residence of this house find out about our plan to expose them. Every evidence would have a sticker hidden somewhere on it. Please note that the evidence must have this image of a cross on when you use your UV light on the sticker as there may be a fake version of it where there is no cross on it. There are a total of 4 evidences to prove their identity and they are listed below. Each number represents the evidence, so please make sure that the evidence’s number is similar to this scroll’s numbering.

If you have found all of the evidences, please report back to us with all the evidence layout on the table and you will be rewarded greatly.

– Keihōkyoku

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon
Clues:
- Made of Dehua white porcelain
- In a form of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus
- Depicted as Kannon feminine form Koyasu Kannon (子安観音) that means child giving and child rearing, which resemble “Byakue Kannon” in appearance but she is holding a child.
- A Christian cross is often hidden behind the statue
- It disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) in order to conceal the Christian faith while pretending to be Buddhist
MAKKYO(魔鏡), The Magic Mirror
Clues:
- Made of bronze
- Used as an Christian identity
- One side brightly polished, other side bronzed surface
- Your reflected image can be seen on it when viewing
- Shining light directly onto the shiny panel, angled in such a way that by reflecting it on a flat surface, an image of either a crucifix, a figure of Jesus Christ or Virgin Mary would appear
Hidden Wall Scroll of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus
Clues:
- In a form of Kakejiku
- Use as a form of worship to deities and also as a decorative adds on to their interior design.
- Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus depicted in the artwork
- Painted in the Shinto style – pale spotless skin, dark raven hair, narrow eyes and minimalistic noses, eyebrows.
- Littered with Japanese Motifs: Mary with exposed breasts, sat with the cloudsà depiction of immortality
Kirishitan Doro
Clues:
- A form of an Oribe lantern with a figure of Virgin Mary, that resemble Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), carved near the base
- A Greek monogram “IHS” (iota-eta-sigma, the initials of the Greek form of the name Jesus) which is inscripted below the central platform
- Made by Furuta Oribe, famed designer, tea ceremony master and warlord of the Momoyama period (15686 – 1693)
- Function as lighting devices and secret sign of being a Christian
- Usually found in household gardens as to light the way from main residence to the teahouse.

————————————————————————————————————————————

This is the remake version after discussion:

SCROLL2 — Please click on the image to zoom in for reading

Week 8: Journal

On the visit to Asian Civilizations Museum, the “Blanket” from Laos is rather an interesting object among the others. It is an object that has a special element to it when the Tai Daeng weaver made this cloth and that element is it served as a healing or protection cloths for the user. In the Laos tradition they usually used these kind of cloth for healing ritual to cure a cold or physical injury. However there are times they used such cloth for protecting a newly born baby or casting their wishes upon the blanket for their child. It is like if the weaver weaves motifs of an elephant on the blanket, the weaver is wishing that the child would be strong and powerful. In their culture, they interpret elephants to be creature that portray an important role in military expeditions and thus it represents power. Likewise for animals such as birds, which represent free spirit, and horse-deer like creatures that also represent a form of military strength. Even motifs of plants represent something for the user. The way of using this cloth is when the baby is being wrapped in the blanket; the baby would in the process absorb the wishes within the blanket.

I find this fact of their tradition is interesting as the little details within the blanket has so much emotions and meaning towards the user and is something that we don’t really see now in the modern times since whenever we are sick, we would take medicine and get well from our cold.

20151118013257

Note: Sadly I didn’t really take any pictures due to the lighting, thus most of my images are from my friends that have successfully taken the photo.

Week 7: Journal

If you could have a room of your own, how would you set about decorating it? Chinoiserie? Japonaiserie? Check out the video about a Chinoiserie room on this web site: http://www.gladstonehotel.com/spaces/417-chinoiserie-room/

I prefer Chinoiserie for its whimsical designs. Chinoiserie is a style inspired by China, Japan and other Asian countries designs. Personally I really like landscape paintings on porcelain from China. It looks interesting and refreshing to look at and to have this kind of design within the room I think it would be a wonderful experience to have. Since Chinoiserie is made up of an imaginary China, it enables one to have an experience of something different beyond their usual space. I like how the patterns feel so synchronize and within the pattern it may tell a story. It is like reading a picture book on a wide wall. The little details contain within works of Chinoiserie intrigue me, and made me think about what was the artist thinking of the story behind this image that was drawn, what kind of interesting characters were being drawn to create life within this space. In the process it feel as if my room would become a space that creates inspirations and an imaginary place for me.

If I would to set about my decoration I would like to keep it as simple as possible cause if there are too many things within the space it would be painful to look at when the purpose of having a room of my own is to relax within the space.

Catalog Entry for Artefact (UPDATED)

Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon

Dehua Kilns

Porcelain Statue

17^th century

Tokyo National Museum

In 1549, missionaries brought Christianity to Japan. It soon became popular that Tokugawa Ieyasu began to fear that Christians were more loyal to their faith than his shogunate. In 1612, Christianity was banned in the country and whoever practiced it were persecuted, often with violence, and in the coming years was even fiercer. It was banned for over two centuries during the Tokugawa Era known as the Edo Period. Authorites were eager to eradicate this foreign religion that they excuted and imprisioned thousands of Christians and ordered all families to register with local Buddhist parishes.

Thus to conceal their faith, Christian had to stay low profile and their faith had to be private. They were known as the Kakure Kirishitan, or Hidden Christians. Since then their faith was forced to go underground, and follower had to find private ways to practice it. In the mid-17^th century, outlawed Christians created statues of Virgin Mary (Mother of Jesus) disguised as the Buddhist deity Kannon (Goddess of Mercy, Guanyin). These statues are known as Maria Kannon. Maria Kannon was made or altered to look like Kannon (Goddess of Mercy), however they were not worshipped as Kannon. This is for safety purposes for the Christian who practices their faith in secret. Part of their creation of the statues, they had many version of Maria Kannon that looks like Kannon ranging from “Byakue Kannon”, “Jibo Kannon”, to Guanyin(Kannon) and Child of many different sizes. There are some that have a cross-hidden within the image or had a Christian icon hidden inside the body of the camouflaged artwork.

For instance, Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon is depicted as one of Kannon feminine form Koyasu Kannon (子安観音) that means child giving and child rearing, which resemble “Byakue Kannon” in appearance but she is holding a child. If you look at it with a Christian point of view, doesn’t it feels like it is depicting Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. In addition to its white robe, according to Christianity, it represents purity and righteousness and served as a symbol of salvation. This statue is made white with Dehua white porcelain, which can be known as “hakugorai” or “Korean White Ware” in traditional Japanese. Based on the material used to make for this statue, it tells that instead of it being made in japan, it is produced in Dehua Kilns, known for their porcelain that is located in Fujian Province opposite the island of Taiwan. Therefore it shows that Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon is imported to Japan for the hidden Christian’s underground use. The reason partly that Japanese uses such material is due to the fact that they associate very plain white with object for Japanese religious and ritual observance. Another reason for the use of such material is that it can produce a pure white colouring for the object. Since it is made in China, Chinese believe that white is the colour of filial piety and , death and mourning. Therefore they are usually used to make devotional characters such as statues and incense burners.

At the back of the statue, a hidden Christian cross can be found. This icon serve to conceal the Christian’s faith while they pretended to be Buddhist. The Christians would honor this statue by silently praying to Mother Mary. Due to having such method it create a sense of relief for the follower as to the outsider it appeared Buddhist, whereas to the outlawed Christian, it appeared as an object of Christ faith. These secretive methods fool the government and help them to keep their faith hidden and alive.

References & Further Reading:

Mark Schumacher. Virgin Mary & Kannon, Two Merciful Mothers (1995 – 2014), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/maria-kannon.html

R.W.Smith. Dehua Kilns, “Dehua Kilns Maria Kannon,” The Christian Kannon, The Buddhist Madonna, Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from http://rwsmith.omeka.net/items/show/44

Dunoucou. Chinese Porcelain (October 3, 2008), Retrived from November 3, 2015, from

http://oblogdourbano.blogspot.sg/2008/10/dehua-white-porcelain-in-japan.html

Chris Morrison. John Dougill: In Search of Japan’s Hidden Christians, (June 8, 2012), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

https://32minutes.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/john-dougill-in-search-of-japans-hidden-christians/

Chelsea Foxwell. Merciful Mother Kannon and Its Audiences (2010), Retrieved from November 3, 2015, from

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1524561.files//Foxwell_Merciful_Mother_Kannon.pdf

Week 6: Journal

Family portrait consist of close-ones standing or posing together for a picture for remembrance that is my definition of what a family portrait is. It captures time, relationship and culture at that moment within the portrait.

There is one family portrait that I know is Jacob Coeman Portrait of Pieter Cnoll and his familie, 1665. This painting depicts Pieter Cnoll, a senior merchant of the VOC in Batavia, and his Japanese courtesan, Cornelia, together with his daughter and servants. I find this family portrait rather interesting as through this painting itself, it tells people what kind of family they are and their relation to another. For instance the way they are dressed tells that they are from the upper class in society, as when compare with the servants in the background Cornelia is dressed beautifully wearing a white pearl necklace, holding a fan, while the servants are poorly dressed. The choices of colors on her clothes also tell us her status. As for relation, the capture of the Asian looks of the daughters tells us the connection between them and Cornelia. The fact that this was painted out fascinates me as I feel that it is harder to capture facial expression on a painting rather than just taking a photo to capture everything within that moment.

If I were to take a family portrait, I would most likely do it in a photo studio as they have everything provided there for us. But on second thought I think it would rather be interesting to take a family portrait anywhere in order the capture the moment as a family together in that period of time just by the way we dress and behave while taking that shot, rather than being so formal like Jacob Coeman Portrait of Pieter Cnoll and his familie,1665.

Week 5: Journal

Liu Kang Building Site / Samsui Women 1951 Oil on canvas

Laborer is needed everywhere. No matter how much time has passed, it is something that still revolves around us. Though now isn’t as harsh than the past where in the ancient Egypt, there were slave laborers to build pyramids for the king, and in the 16^th centuries, where laborer were hired to help out in shifting trades cargo. And now we have migrant laborer to help build and clean our home. All of them require a lot of effort and I do appreciate them for their presence. During presentation about laborer, I find the oil painting by Liu Kang is rather interesting. Because often when people talk about laborer, they will tend to look at the bad side of things and talk about cruelty against human rights and etc. However in Liu Kang’s work “Building Site/Samsui Women” he depicted the happiness of the laborers (Samsui Women).

By making his oil painting colorful, it shows realism in his work. When looking at the painting, the women point of view seem to be looking down on their work, it felt as if they were really focusing on the job that need to get it done by the end of the day. Somehow the work itself make one feel to look at it with respect rather than a judgmental point of view towards it. It is really a pretty refreshing way of looking at another point of view. Cause it is like saying that we should be appreciative towards laborers in our country and respect them for having to travel so far in order to earn a living, doing jobs that normally people wouldn’t really want to do in life.

Week 4: Journal

allan_sekula_welders_booth_in_bankrupt_todd_shipyard._two_years_after_closing._los_angeles_harbor._san_pedro_california._july_1991_from_fish_story_1989-1995_0 — Allan Sekula Welder’s Booth in Bankrupt Todd Shipyard. Two Years After Closing. Los Angeles Harbor. San Pedro, California. July 1991, from Fish Story 1989–95

In Allan Sekula’s engagement with the sea, the film and book “Fish Story” shows us of the lives of people living out in the sea and also lives of people working in the ports part of the trades that he took during his travels to industrial ports around the world. Among his photos that he took, it shows a change of labor in the ports works. I feel his photo “Welder’s booth in Bankrupt Todd Shipyard. Two years After Closing.” speaks a lot about how the port works nowadays. The neglected spanner felt like a representation of manual labor. Since the photo is taken in a port, it feels like with today automated container ports, there are getting lesser manual labors in ports and many stuff are handle by machine and welding. There are still labor handling the machine and welding of pipes, however there isn’t a need for that much people to do manual labor.

While in the 16^th century, there aren’t things such as machines or automated containers to help out in the ports. Majority of the stuff are handled by number of men that the captain has on his ship and also how much one labor’s strength is.

In Allan Sekula’s “Fish story”, he quoted from George Keyes:

“ …a ship is not an inanimate object but a complex manned entity that is rarely depicted in isolation; by its very nature it is related to a larger visible or implied whole. Not only are these ships some of the most complex products of seventeenth-century engineering, but their inherently human presence arouse our interest. Once we realize that they are pitted against the elements or against each other we become absorbed in their destiny. By implication the subject is dramatic because there must be an outcome: survival of destruction—victory or defeat.”

This quote made me think that people in the 16^th centuries are amazing. To be able to do trades via sea is not an easy task. Just imagining that when a merchant does his trades, he has to carry and ship stuff from one country to another. And without knowing where land would soon be seen is something that I feel personally it takes a lot of courage and risk along the way. While now we have devices to tell us of where we are out at sea.

Reference:

http://monoskop.org/images/8/86/Sekula_Allan_Fish_Story.pdf

http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/tate-papers/18/production-in-view-allan-sekulas-fish-story-and-the-thawing-of-postmodernism

http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/artwork/arrival-portuguese-ship-1620-1640