Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 8 : Pressclippings, 1977-1981

Japanese package display will be Warana highlight "THE Art of the Japanese Package," which will be the major international visual arts display for the Brisbane Warana Festival this year, will be staged in the Queensland Art Gallery. Professor Hidcyuki Oka, who seleclcd and catatlogucd the exhibition, collec1ed more 1han 200 packages over aboul 20 years for 1he collection. He says 1hat a hobby begun in 1959 is now an all– consuming passion for him . He claims that . during his years of close involvement , the art of Japanese packaging has been disappearing, almos1 as fast as his interest has in– creased. "That world simply no longer exists, except perhaps in a few inaccessible and forgollen spols," he says. "I have felt it my duty 10 save whatever I can of this transient, vanishing art," he said. The exhibition is being presented in Australia by 1hc Japan Foundation. the Crafts Board of the Australia Coun – cil and the Australian Gallery Direclors Council. Jackie Mcnzil•s, assislanl curalor of lhc Arl Gallery ol' New South Wales, in a recenl commenl, "A Note 1111 Japanese Aesthetics," said: Perhaps more than any olher nalionality, the Japanese possess an aesthetic awareness so keen that it per– vades many aspects of every• day life, from lhc arrangement of nowers and the artistic prescn1a1ic111 of food to utili1arian packaging. Through these objec1s some1hing of 1he nature of Japanc.c acs1hc1ic awareness can be understood. All 1hc works in this exhi1Ji- 1ion urc made cilhcr of na1urnl ma1crial; ;uch as bamboo. wood and maw or derivative, of na111ral 111a1erials such as paper and ceramics. The inna1e charac1eris1ics of each ma1erial have IJccn developed 10 their full ex– pressive potential by crafl· smen skilled in the long prac· 1ice of 1radilional methods llf wrapping. In Japan. the qualities and 1rai1s of natural materials arc CXj)IOited ralher than hidden. The grain of wood. the tex· turc of slraw, the septa or bamboo arc not concealed but lovingly incorporated in10 1he whole. In ceramics. accidents or fir– ing in 1he kiln can add to the crfecl of a panicular piece. rhe natural, the rough, the unfinished aspects can lJc ap– preciated for their own sake. They are not dismissed because they do not adhere to a canon of beauty that espouses perfection. In accordance wi1h a preference for the unfinished and the na111ral, in Japanese design lhere is to be found a 1cndcncy 10 the a1,y111me1rical So, 100. is_1hc C:1lli~rapher. and 1hc , ub<lucd. who;c medium 1s 111k 1111 The 4uality of re 1rni111 and paper. Calligraphy qui1e often unprc1c111iousnc,s evoked by appears on package , in much fapancse design is called tegra1cd in10 1he whole Shi/Jumi and for the Japanese design. Shi/Jumi is one uf the csscn1ial In Japanese design. every quali1ks of beau1y. pan con1ribu1cs 10 1he whole- In using natural 111a1crials. and every arrangcmcn1 is 1hc Japuncse craftsman is governed hy the special highly alluned to the shape. Jupancsc .cn, i1ivi1y for place• colors. tex1urcs, even 1hc 1ac- men1. 1ilc qualities. of each material. Of1rn fuu11ll in Japanc;c The interplay of these dif· an. 1hough 1101 dominant in fcrcnt qualities uf various 1his panicular exhibition. arc ma1erials is an intrinsic part of li1erary. poc1ic or 1hc appeal of many Japanese m1•1hologil;al allusions. Japan objcc1s. has a long his1ory. rich in Dominating Japanese many 1radi1ions. culture and tied in wi1h 1hc Anolhcr fac1or in 1hc ap– apprccia1ion of natural preciation nl' objects is the 111a1erials is the response 10 regional navor of a piece. Nature and her seasonal Many packages arc design- m~\~11-a\ian each of the four ed ror a commodity. which is the specially of a particular seasons asts abou1 three mon- region of Japan . Thus. 1hcy ths and each has ils distinc1ive have their own unique navor. charac1eristics. Japanese art and litcralurc In summary. ii is hoped arc fu ll of allusions to Na1ure. lhat. lhrough 1he examples of her seasons and 1hc activities rural packaging in lhis cxhilJi• characicristic of each season. tion. s0111e1hing of lhe 11a1urc Scusonal references arc of Japanese aes1he1ic, can be even found in wrappings, such understood. as rice cakes wrapped in di[- In 1:onn1•ction with thr ex• ferent leaves to symbolise dif- hlhltion on "Thl· Arl of thr fcrent seaso 1s i Japanrsr Package," 1hr The · unknown rural er •• ( 111l11wln.ll ilfl1:s) ta1:t .~ .In• sman is motivated by .._ ~dcd 111. t"!',~ 11 the desire 10 make the mosl df'the ~IIJaiid i\rt G•1~ cxprrnivc potential ~~ • "te11, C:eremo~ and medium in hand. • • \•~ ,J,ill16'iio~P~r!Ulc.,.:0rf unliaY, · SeP,tllm~r .::2t;'. it · .30 pm. T~•~liord~ 'ceremony, Usa– Cha. will be performed by Miss Akiko Yamada, plus a parade of tradilional fapanese kimonos. • Tea Ceremony, on Fri· day, Scp1cmbcr 26, at 7 pm. • lkebana and Trad111onal Japanese Painting, on Sun– day, Scp1embcr 28, at 2.30 pm. consisting of demonstra· tions on the art of nower ar– rangement and Japanese pain– ting. • lkebana Demonstra- tion. on Friday. OctolJcr 3, al 7 pm.