第188回 WORKSHOP報告(1月5日) / 参加者42名

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《 今回のworkshop 》
○workshop参加人数:42名(うち新人の方:3名)
○【前半】:Environmental Issues
○【後半】:Art Nouveau
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≪FIRST HALF≫

Environmental Issues

It is self-evident that little of our regular activities are viable without harnessing the elements, although not many of us really appreciate it and some even take it for granted to have extensively sustainable natural resources. Quite contrarily, as there is a reckoning for every wrongdoing, we are subject to grave harm such as climate change, polluted air or water which are possibly exacerbated by specific cases of our own activities and we call them “Environmental Issues”.

So, why are they so controversial? Maybe it’s partly because we are the ones to blame, but mainly because it’s very hard to roll it back. For your better grasp, let’s cite global warming as an example and do some calculations.

An ordinary Japanese household uses electricity worth 18kWh daily. As for fossil fuels, 120Mt of coals are burnt to supply 320TWh every year and they release 2.5kg-CO2/kg. This means that, were it provided by coals, each family has roughly 5,000kg carbon footprint on a yearly basis. To your surprise, we need to plant 20 new trees to cancel it out. And there are 45 million households in Japan. So, how many of these magnanimous trees would suffice? Still far-fetched? Well, at least you know now it’s extremely difficult to stop global warming, I hope.

However, the main thing is not this brain-racking mathematics but what we can do for a prosperous future. And that’s the very aim of this time’s discussion.


Q.1: Name environmental issues as many as you can, and where did you see or hear it?
Q.2: How harmful are they? What could possibly happen if it’s left as it is?
Q.3: “Starbucks” announced it will eliminate plastic straws from all licensed stores around the world. In Japan, “Gusto” decided to stop using them in every store on December 10th, 2018. What do you think about these movements?
Q.4: Is your company or university involved in any environmental activity? And what purpose is it for?
Q.5: What part of our daily life is connected to each environmental issue?
Q.6: What can we do for the sustainable environment as an individual?

(For those who start to feel awkward)
You found yourself with an armful of these pieces of garbage below. Try sort them out properly into burnable, non-burnable, and recyclable.

-regular mask
-fur coat
-a glass
-makeup jar
(please google it for answers)

≪LATTER HALF≫
Art Nouveau is an international style of art that embraces a wide range of fine and decorative arts, including architecture, painting, graphic art, interior design, jewelry, furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass art, and metal work. Mostly known between 1890 and 1910. A reaction to the academic art of the 19th century, it was inspired by natural forms and structures, particularly the curved lines of plants and flowers.
The style is related to, but not identical with, styles that emerged in many countries in Europe at about the same time as modernism.
By 1910, Art Nouveau was out of style. It was replaced by Art Deco.

Alphonse Mucha (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels and designs which became among the best-known images of the period.
In the second part of his career, at the age of 43, he returned to his homeland and devoted himself to painting a series of twenty monumental canvases depicting the history of the Slavic peoples of the world, which he painted between 1912 and 1926. In 1928, on the 10th anniversary of the independence of Czechoslovakia, he presented the series to the Czech nation. He considered it his most important work. It is now on display in the National Gallery in Prague.

Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning of 1913 by Vladimir Tatlin. This was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. He wanted ‘to construct’ art. The movement was in favor of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th century, influencing major trends such as the Bauhaus movement. Its influence was widespread, with major effects upon architecture, sculpture, graphic design, industrial design, theatre, film, dance, fashion and to some extent music.

Bauhaus was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was known for the approach to design that it publicized and taught.
Founded by Walter Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969), the term Bauhaus – literally “building house” – was understood as meaning “School of Building”, but in spite of its name and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department during its first years of existence. Nonetheless, it was founded with the idea of creating a “total” work of art in which all arts, including architecture, would eventually be brought together.
The Bauhaus style later became one of the most influential currents in modern design, Modernist architecture and art, design and architectural education. Having a profound influence upon subsequent developments in art, such as: graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography.
The school existed from 1919 to 1933, when the school was closed by its own leadership under pressure from the Nazi regime, having been painted as a center of communist intellectualism. The changes of venue and leadership resulted in a constant shifting of focus, technique, instructors, and politics. Although the school was closed, the staff continued to spread its idealistic precepts as they left Germany and emigrated all over the world.

<Introductory question>
Who is your favorite artist? What is your favorite work of art?

<Discussion Questions>
How does history help shape and change your perspective of the artwork?
How would you describe the artwork to someone who has never seen it?
To what extent do we believe that art can contribute to positive change?
What is the relationship between art and ethics?
What are your opinion to prove monuments are more than physical objects in space?
How would you defy a concept of a contemporary art?

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