Performance | Eiko 's "Remembering Fukushima" at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Yesterday the Cathedral of St. John the Divine hosted an important performance by Eiko Otake, on the eighth anniversary of the nuclear meltdown of the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima Prefecture. The disaster was caused primarily by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake on 11 March 2011 and still carries tragic consequences.  The program included live performative actions by Eiko in the Cathedral site and photographic as well as video and photo recordings of the performer in several places in the surroundings of the disaster, documenting the artist's work in the years following the disasters. In this years-long Eiko's work art is a means to expose the gravity of this nuclear disaster and lack of responsiveness from corporations and governments.

workshop, performance, exhibition | Eiko "A Body in Places: Queens Edition "at Topaz Arts

Eiko's perfomance at Topaz Arts

On Saturday, May 6, Eiko performed at (and outside) the multidisciplinary arts organization Topaz Arts. The performance was accompanied the exhibition A Body in Places: Queens Edition displaying work by Eiko Otake and photographer William Johnston – on view May 6 to 28, 2017. The images were from the 2016 collaborative work (performance + photography) at Indian Point Energy Center, in  Buchanan, New York. The photographs from Indian Point were displayed with selected images from A Body in Fukushima (2014-16) the collaborative work in irradiated areas in Fukushima, after the 2011 nuclear meltdowns, following the earthquake and tsunami. The live performance by Eiko was "a poetic response to disaster and proximity".

Eiko's performance in front of  video and photo recording of her performance in Fukushima

The performance is taken to the streets, which uncannily border a power plant:
the signage recalls the potential of a disaster

The performance and exhibition opening from preceded by the workshop Delicious Movement also taught by Eiko. I was familiar with Eiko's work as a spectator but being immersed to become a participant provided a very different level of perception and interpretation. My work also revolves about making of movement from a different yet complementary perspective: I use geometry as internal proprioceptive as well as external physical framework as a means of awareness. Eiko's workshop inspired me to explore movement in a more fluid, personal and emotional expression.