Research
I can provide research and consultation on English language information panels, exhibition labels, signs and online content. I am currently involved in a project for the Japan Cultural Institute and the Japan Tourist Association, researching and reviewing the English language information made available to western visitors at various cultural sites across Japan.
In the case of works of art and cultural and historical sites, it is generally not enough to simply do a straight translation of a Japanese language information panel into English. The content will not take into account visitors with little to no knowledge of Japanese culture and history. Often explanations need to be provided that might seem redundant if aimed solely at a Japanese audience. The information should be tailored to the intended audience, and this requires a knowledgeable and expert eye.
Below are some writing samples from a research project on the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.
英語の案内パネル、展示ラベル、サイン、オンラインコンテンツに関する調査やコンサルティングを行うことができます。現在、日本文化会館と日本観光協会のプロジェクトに参加しており、日本各地の文化施設で英語話者に提供されている英語情報を調査・検証しています。
美術品や文化財、歴史的建造物について説明する場合、たいていは日本語の案内板をそのまま英語に翻訳するだけでは不十分です。日本の文化や歴史をほとんど知らない訪問者のことを考慮した内容にはならないからです。日本人にとっては冗長になりがちでも、国外からの訪問者にとっては必要な説明もあります。このように、対象者に合わせた情報を提供するためには専門的な知識が必要なのです。
The Reina Sofia Museum
Writing project producing audio guides for artworks in the museum
The Reina Sofia Museum was founded in 1990, as part of a series of events marking the Spanish transition from dictatorship to democracy. Focussed on 20th-century and contemporary art, the arrival of Pablo Picasso’s monumental painting Guernica in 1992, arguably the most famous and powerful of all 20th-century artworks, cemented the museum’s position as a leading cultural institution.The museum buildings are comprised of two components; the new wing designed by French architect Jean Novel, opened in 2005, and the 18th-century main building, re-purposed from its original role as a hospital in the 1980s. The building was primarily designed by the Italian architect Francesco Sabatini in the late 18th Century and continued to function as a hospital until 1968. The first cultural centre established here was the Reina Sofia Art Centre, named after Queen Sofia, which opened in 1986. Its status was upgraded to a National Museum just four years later.The bulk of the museum’s collection is made up of artworks from the Spanish Museum of Contemporary Art and Prado’s 20th century art collection. The idea behind the museum was to bring together all of the state’s various holdings of modern and contemporary art in one institution. The addition of both the Salvador Dali bequest in 1992 and Picasso’s Guernica in the same year boosted the museum’s international reputation and shaped the identity of its collection. It is now known as one of the leading repositories for the avant-garde and neo-avant garde, representing Spanish and international artists of the stature of Joan Miro, Juan Gris, Francis Bacon, George Braque, Mark Rothko, Wasily Kandinsky, Henry Moore and Cindy Sherman, to name but a few.Today, the museum is committed to a constant reevaluation of its collection, recognising that changing times and evolving theories on art impact the way we view the works on display. Understanding that a permanent collection is always open to analysis and that the meaning of artworks will change over time is at the core of the museum’s curatorial and collection philosophy.Blue with four red bars (Antoni Tàpies)
Over the course of his career, the Spanish painter and sculptor Antoni Tàpies became one of the best known artists of his generation. Born in 1923, he developed his artistic sensibilities while convalescing from a severe bout of tuberculosis at the age of 17. While initially influenced by the Surrealist painters, such as Paul Klee and Joan Miro, he soon developed his own distinct style and theories. Notable amongst these was his incorporation of non-artistic materials onto the surface of his paintings, such as clay, marble dust, and in the case of this work, sand. The painting ‘Blue with Four Red Bars’ dates from 1966 and is representative of his work from this period. After removing all traces of the human figure from his painting in the 1950s, he began to consciously reintroduce elements of the human form into his compositions in the 1960s. In this instance, we can clearly discern a pair of spectacles, delicately poised below a bold eye and large hat, which is painted in relief with a mix of sand and paint. Striking through the centre of the hat are four violent red lines, apparently mutilating the hat, and hovering threateningly over the eye and glasses. These lines provide the drama in the image, cutting through the loose brushstrokes of the pale blue background.
When interpreting Tàpies’s work, it is important to consider his own theories and commentaries on art. As a theorist himself, Tàpies spoke openly about his painting, noting his intention to ‘demolish the over-estimation of the human-being’. Bydirecting his attention to the human figure, and including figurative elements only in a fragmented, emblematic fashion, Tapies is imbuing these objects with great meaning. In the case of Blue with Four Red Bars, Tàpies has focussed his energy on the hat, which for him was a symbol of human mentality. The four red bars dramatically slicing through the hat suggest an attack on the mind itself. The eye and glasses symbolise different ways of seeing and indicate that his work can be viewed in a myriad of ways, changing meaning depending on the viewer's stance.
The American sculptor Alexander Calder is best known his mobiles; a form of sculpture that embraces movement, either through naturally occurring air currents or automation. These ranged in size from delicate wire pieces to monumental standing mobiles, incorporating a heavy, static base with moving parts above. Carmen is an example of the latter, which today stands in the Sabatini Garden of the Reina Sofia Museum. As Carmen relies on air currents for its movement, it is essential that it is placed in an outdoor setting. Interestingly, despite being one of America’s best known modern sculptors, Alexander Calder started his career as a mechanical engineer. This experience proved instrumental in helping him develop his unique form of sculpture. After switching his focus to art and moving to Paris in the 1920s, Calder visited the studio of abstract artist Piet Mondrian in 1930. He was so moved by the work he witnessed that he was convinced to focus solely on abstract pieces. It was not long after this that he began to develop his signature form of kinetic sculpture. Calder is credited with being amongst the first to bring movement and gesture into art, and today his mobiles, static sculptures (dubbed ‘stabiles’), and large-scale public commissions can be found across the globe.
Carmen (Alexander Calder)
Carmen is an excellent example of the form of sculpture that made Calder famous. Made in 1974 from aluminium sheet, iron and paint, movement is an essential component in the aesthetic experience of viewing this work. As it is not automated but derives its playful gestures from changing wind conditions, it will adopt spontaneous and unique forms depending on when it is viewed. The eight red and yellow blades appear delicately balanced on top of the heavy, immobile, triangular base. The contrast between the two components is an important part of the appeal of this sculpture, which has at once a child-like innocence and monumental presence. The element of the unknown and uncontrollable in Calder’s sculptures is what make them so intriguing.
Over the course of his career, the Spanish painter and sculptor Antoni Tàpies became one of the best known artists of his generation. Born in 1923, he developed his artistic sensibilities while convalescing from a severe bout of tuberculosis at the age of 17. While initially influenced by the Surrealist painters, such as Paul Klee and Joan Miro, he soon developed his own distinct style and theories. Notable amongst these was his incorporation of non-artistic materials onto the surface of his paintings, such as clay, marble dust, and in the case of this work, sand. The painting ‘Blue with Four Red Bars’ dates from 1966 and is representative of his work from this period. After removing all traces of the human figure from his painting in the 1950s, he began to consciously reintroduce elements of the human form into his compositions in the 1960s. In this instance, we can clearly discern a pair of spectacles, delicately poised below a bold eye and large hat, which is painted in relief with a mix of sand and paint. Striking through the centre of the hat are four violent red lines, apparently mutilating the hat, and hovering threateningly over the eye and glasses. These lines provide the drama in the image, cutting through the loose brushstrokes of the pale blue background. When interpreting Tàpies’s work, it is important to consider his own theories and commentaries on art. As a theorist himself, Tàpies spoke openly about his painting, noting his intention to ‘demolish the over-estimation of the human-being’. Bydirecting his attention to the human figure and including figurative elements only in a fragmented, emblematic fashion, Tapies is imbuing these objects with great meaning. In the case of Blue with Four Red Bars, Tàpies has focussed his energy on the hat, which for him was a symbol of human mentality. The four red bars dramatically slicing through the hat suggest an attack on the mind itself. The eye and glasses symbolise different ways of seeing and indicate that his work can be viewed in a myriad of ways, changing meaning depending on the stance of the viewer.