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Show 30 Madison Lindgren college of fine arts In many ways Japan feels like an Eastern land that's been airbrushed with Western aesthetics. There's a historical ebb and flow of interest in regards to the outside world with Japan. There are periods of time where cultural fusion is explosive and many Japanese people will travel abroad, adopt the ideas present in outside countries and bring them back to Japan to share. Then there are other periods where Japan reestablishes its unity, its oneness its traditional self. Examples of the periods of cultural fusion are present in their cartoons. The character Astroboy was created as a response to the large-eyed animals in Bambi. This cartoon as well as Disney itself has fused its aesthetics into modern Japanese anime. Japan's periods of culture adoption are wonderful. The Japanese people take an outside idea, bring it home and make it their own through slight or very dramatic variations. Part of the development for this project has been inspired by Japan's periods of fascination with cultures outside of their own. Particularly in regards to their adoption of aesthetics. The photographs present in this project attempt a fusion of photos taken in Utah and photos taken in Tadotsu-Cho of the Kagawa prefecture. Basically I've attempted a fusion of old farm buildings against red rock and a fishing village set on the coast of the inland sea. My goal was not to make a seamless photograph, but to present an image where both the West and the East are merged into an art piece. Something not obviously here or there, but somewhere in between. My purpose for being in Japan in the first place is due to my teaching internship with the Interac Company. I'm an assistant language teacher at four elementary schools and literally 90% of my vocabulary is abso-lutely useless. This has not caused a lack of communication however. It's amazing to understand that the capacity for human communication doesn't reside solely in language but in an appreciation for differences and of course a huge dependence on body language. I can draw a picture of Mickey Mouse and imme-diately the kids will feel closer to me because I can communicate through an image a common link in our humanity. Disney cartoons are seen as Japanese to Japanese children; many have no idea that an Ameri-can artist started Disney. I did the same thing myself with Karaoke, I had no idea that karaoke was origi-nally Japanese. This idea of mine vs. yours has highly influenced my thoughts about the project. Fusing Eastern and Western aesthetics into pieces that sit somewhere between "mine" and "yours" and attempt to readjust the borderline. READJUSTING THE BORDERLINE Madison Lindgren (Jan James) Department of Art & Art History University of Utah UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS Jan James |