Entering Autumn + Japan field notes III

This year I entered autumn with joy and relief, with the feeling that the summer had been too dry. Joyfully, I am bathing in the autumn light, the crisp air, in awe of the colours, more than any previous year.
In October I had more time than I thought, and I was able to sit down with a guitar and write a little song, like before. I enjoy the simplicity and immediacy of guitar and voice, it makes me realise that writing a song can be uncomplicated.

It’s been a month of my album ‘Night Blossoms’ which is the first ambient/electronic album I’ve put out after playing this kind of music live for a few years now. I remember in 2020, I decided the get the Moog Grandmother, because I thought it looked so inviting with all the colours, and I would be enticed to learn on such a beautiful instrument. Learning how to use this wonderful analogue synth, alongside the keystep pro, taught me how much each device speaks its own language. I still feel like I am learning, very much.

I have a few mini art books left for my album Night Blossoms, which you can purchase on my Bandcamp. I was so touched to send some books over to Sweden and America (although god knows when it will reach its US destination).
I also love making a book to be able to gift it to friends and family.

When I came back from Japan in June, I had spent so long there and had been so happy - I felt a little heartbroken. I think, because I know I will probably never get to live there, for practical and family reasons, and it made me wish I was ten years younger, with time and space ahead. But it makes me cultivate a little dream of retiring there or at least keeping in touch with the culture and the country in other ways.

Even if I feel a little mélancolique, I remember the truly happy times I had during my trip. It felt like everything was flowing. I played a little gig in front of friends and strangers in a cute venue an hour away from Tokyo, which was like a dream come true. During my residency I was making friends, just by being open and having a smile on my face, trying my broken Japanese, chatting to shop owners, sometimes they would say ‘oh, you should listen to my friend’s music’, people I’ve connected with on instagram because of our common love for analogue photography and mountains, old ladies making sure I would get off at the right stop on the train, a soba shop obaa-chan gifting me a handkerchief as I was about to leave, all this making me want to smile and bow even deeper to everyone being so nice to me.

This being said, I also acknowledge the down sides of Japan. The country has a very conservative feeling, millions of rules, there is very little diversity, the work culture is extremely toxic, and much more.

But in a way, maybe my interest for the soft and kind side of this country acts like a magnet on my behalf? Also, as a tourist / artist, you don’t get to experience the pressure that most Japanese people feel from society. Anyway, it’s just my personal reflection here.

During my residency at Studio Kura I was able to experiment with printing on Japanese rice paper / gold speckled paper as part of my project ‘please consider the moss’. It allowed me to add a warm, analogue dimension to my digital photographs. Suddenly the textures and reflections of the paper become part of the image, they dance around the ink, and made me so happy.

I would usually go ‘foraging’ for sounds and images in a specific location, and then work from the found sound and visuals. As part of my foraging adventures around Itoshima I visited Koudake shrine, Kamiari Shrine and the God Stone, Matsutsue Shrine, Senjuin Waterfall, Shiraito Waterfall, Mount Kaya.

I really wish I did the Mt. Tateishi trail, as I found out it is my friend Atsushi’s favourite spot.

I also wanted to give a shout out to a very kind person I met there, who also makes ambient music. We connected after his friend, owner of alternative book shop ‘all books considered’ told me about his music. He ended up coming along to the end of residency exhibition and we grabbed some dinner in Fukuoka a few days later, had some nerdy talk about synths. It made me feel like making friends in Japan was easy! Thank you for your kindness, Furuta-san.

Take care and listen to ambient music x

Clémentine