Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
The Occupy Wall Street movement has gained traction in the past four weeks and it looks like its spirit of opposition has spread overseas. The Wallstreet Journal reports that the demand for an “Occupy Tokyo.” Activists created a Facebook group back in September, yet no fruit yielded from the seeds of dissent so far. Calls for a worldwide protest tentatively set for Oct. 15 are “scheduled” as of right now. However, people are confused as to where the protest will specifically take place, its hour, and what exactly they’re protesting to start. The Occupy Tokyo movement–if it even exists–is even more disorganized than its American cousin and that’s saying a lot. This doesn’t mean that Japan doesn’t have anything to protest against. Its youth have had their share of employment problems since its nearly bi-decennial recession with lawmakers offering little to no improvement. The Japanese have endured many of the social problems from America’s Great Recession for much longer without the public rage. If, however, Japan does manage to ignite a movement of the same magnitude of OWS, it’s doubtful that it’ll meet its goals since the 1960s student movement similarly hit a dead end. Either way, October 15th is swiftly approaching. In the mean time, keep your eyes and ears open.
Continue reading
If you have never heard of Tadanori Yokoo, please allow us to introduce you. He is perhaps the preeminent Japanese graphic designer of the 20th century, even though he officially retired from that business in 1981 to pursue painting. At the link, you’ll be able to feast your eyes on a series of graphic designs Yokoo did for various exhibitions and events in the late 1960s. We find these images striking, and highly original. Yet, they are also a little strange in that they are very Japanese yet also possess that sort of Haight Street/Peter Max aesthetic which was so common in graphic and promotional design during that era. Yokoo has been compared to Max, and also described as the Japanese Andy Warhol. We think these comparisons are unfair, as Yokoo’s graphic design work possesses a density and richness which work by Max and Warhol, in particular, often lack. (50 Watts blog – Yokoo Graphics Gallery)
Continue reading