Month: July 2011

DOMO ARIGATO MR. ROBOTO: Toy Porn 2 Exhibition Review

Art, Comics, Film, Japanning July 26, 2011

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto! Earlier this evening I went to the opening of a comics art related exhibition in Chippendale. This area of inner Sydney is becoming something of an arts hub. In recent weeks I have visited galleries located within a stone’s throw of each other: MOP, NG and White Rabbit. This exhibition, titled Toy Porn 2, showcased the work of established artist Nick Stathopoulos. Nick recently made a portrait of the comics creator Shaun Tan for the Archibald Prize competition. It was on display in the restaurant downstairs. The portraits here, however, were of cartoon character creations from animation, comics and films. Titles selected included Astro Boy, Tintin, Batman, Thunderbirds, Robby the Robot, The Beatles in their Yellow Submarine, and assorted others.

_{Title: He always comes between us – Acrylic and oil glaze on canvas-2011-60 x 60 cm}

Stathopoulos paints in a hyper-realistic style on a flat canvas but manages to deliver a convincing three dimensional effect. He does intensely detailed, fine painting with no visible trace of brush strokes. His rendering of plastic surfaces is extraordinary. It is a labour of love. There is tension evident in the work. He always comes between us portrays a moment of drama between the cartoon characters Snowy, Tintin and Captain Haddock. A painting of the package containing the Yellow Submarine toy is a delight. Collectors and toy hunters will enjoy its scratches and dents pointing to its less than mint condition.

Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics with the artist at the opening. (Photo by Louise Graber) — _{Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics with the artist Nick Stathopoulos at the opening. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

The show was enthusiastically opened by Claudia Chan Shaw, of ABC-TV’s Collectors program and a former student of mine. She admitted to being something of a collector herself. She has a weakness for plastic and vinyl. She even brought one of her toys along to the event. Her speech was both erudite and amusing. She demonstrated a fine understanding of the business and motivation for collecting. In this instance, the need for re-connection with the playthings of one’s childhood. Discussing her own collecting habits Claudia mentioned the therapeutic value of going public and sharing stories with other collectors. From this she gained empathy in a form of collaborative complicity. She was the perfect choice to launch this exhibition. I am familiar with the term ‘shelf porn’ referring to the display of treasured collections. There are photos by comics collectors of their bookshelves with the spines of all the graphic novels they own. The notion of display, or as Claudia Chan Shaw described it, “one’s habit”, is an element of this behaviour. You look at these images of someone’s collection and envy the items and titles that they have and you don’t…a love for the object in question and the desire to add it to one’s own collection.

"Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!" Claudia Chan Shaw, Doctor Comics and the artist Nick Stathopoulos. (Photo by Louise Graber) — _{“Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!” Claudia Chan Shaw, Doctor Comics and the artist Nick Stathopoulos posing with Astro Boy dolls. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

To the music of Domo arigato Mr. Roboto by Japanese band Polysics…and with robots, rockets, plastic and vinyl around…this exhibition is an affectionate tribute to toys, their collection and preservation. Well done Nick! Good show. Comics lovers should definitely see it. Toy Porn 2 is on in Sydney at NG Art Gallery Little Queen Street, Chippendale, 26 July-13 August 2011, Michael.

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics: GETTING SMASH(ed)!

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics, Art, Comics, Film, Japanning July 18, 2011

Saturday July 16, 2011 was a day of comics and anime amusement at SMASH! (Sydney Manga And Anime Show). Over the past few years the local interest in manga and anime has been increasing. Initially ignored by existing comics conventions the manga fans went out and created their own event. Some even began learning Japanese so that they could translate the manga that they loved! The new conventions provided opportunities for fans to meet and enjoy these two media. Some local female creators even began making their own versions of shōjo manga. Interest continued to grow, as did the events. Within Australia, Sydney had Animania, Melbourne had Manifest...then along came SMASH! also in Sydney.

In 2011 it was located, for the first time in its short 5 year history, at the Sydney Convention Centre. It had outgrown its previous smaller venues at the Roundhouse, University of New South Wales and the Sydney Town Hall.

_{Welcome from Box Man. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

A suitable event for Cosplay, there were some costumes featuring sewing, beading, feathering and functioning. These were paraded both inside and outside the venue and on the cosplay stage.

_{A tutu moment…(Photo-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

_{A posing trio. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

In addition to university and high school students, many young children attended, some with their parents or older siblings.

_{Young cosplay fans. (Photo-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

There were Hobby Rooms for the construction and display of dolls and robots.

_{Some Dolfie dolls. (Photo-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Other events included a Gundam workshop, Karaoke session, videogames and a screening of the anime Summer Wars. There were also sewing, pattern and armour making workshops…plus the huge trading floor full of vendors, artists and fan clubs. It all flourished in the presence of the patronage of the Japan Foundation. Japanese popular culture thrived at this event and made it a wonderful day!

FOOTNOTE: I SAW A BIG SAW AT BIG SIGHT! As an addendum to this convention report I wish to mention an event I attended in Tokyo last year. I travelled by monorail to Odaiba Island, an artificial island built in Tokyo Bay…to attend the Tokyo Anime Fair at a venue called Tokyo Big Sight (pronounced Biggu Saito in Japanese). Big Sight? I thought that must be a misspelling along Japlish lines for the name of a large exhibition space. There were definitely some big architectural sights to behold as it was a very large exhibition space. No sign of Godzilla though! I thought of Thor as the monorail travelled over the Rainbow Bridge…but instead saw the high tech buildings of Fuji TV headquarters.

The headquarters of Fuji TV(building designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange) and the Joyopolis Arcade. (Photo by Michael Hill) — _{The headquarters of Fuji TV(with the building designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange) and the Joyopolis Arcade. (Photo-© 2010 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

On arrival at the Big Sight location things started to look a little unusual. There was an open space beneath a series of inverted pyramids sitting on glass covered, cantilevered legs(see photo below). This giant entrance had the effect of considerably reducing the scale of the people passing beneath it. Then I understood the ‘big’ aspect implied in the name of the site.

Tokyo Big Sight-entrance. (Photo by Michael Hill) — _{Tokyo Big Sight-massive scale entrance. (Photo-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

The walk from the monorail station to the Big Sight exhibition also had an epic feel to it. It looked a lot closer than the long walk it took to get there. It was during this walk that I experienced a visual surprise…the sight of a large object embedded in the grass on the level below. It was a sculpture, an art installation of a large saw…unmistakably something by the Swedish/American Pop artist Claes Oldenburg. It also was a “big sight” to see at this big site.

Saw, Sawing by Claes Oldenburg. (Photo by Michael Hill) — _{Saw, Sawing by Claes Oldenburg. (Photo-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

This is the third in my series of posts on the theme of comics art…that document moments in the recent history of Australian comics, particularly alternative comics and the Australian Small Press..and related overseas comics events that I attended as part of my research. I had started researching this subject in the late 1990s and it eventually led to my PhD thesis. Details: Ph.D. Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy…A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000…With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord, 2003. On completion of this research I donated my large collection of comics to the National Library of Australia…for listing as the Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.

NOTE: I wish to acknowledge the shorter gap between my posts in this instance…this was influenced by the attendance and timing of the anime and manga event in Sydney. BTW please let me know what you think about the content and frequency of my blog posts. With this post there’s an opportunity to compare the two events…Sydney and Tokyo…comics and anime…small scale and grand. I welcome any comparative comments, Michael.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.2

Art, Blotting Paper, Comics July 10, 2011

_{Title page from the first issue of my comic using experimental printmaking techniques with rubber stamp letter stamps and smudges.-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill} _{a.k.a. Doctor Comics}

The above image is an experimental graphic impression of the typographic design of the title of my emerging first comic. Keen to experiment graphically with rubber stamping I have moved the letters during printing to create a smudged effect. I have also used some askew registration and mixed the fonts. How postmodern! My comic is based on my experiences…both practical and metaphorical…that I have had in a career in higher education. This involved teaching and research at an art and design college…followed by a university, in the disciplines of film, video, animation and visual communication design. The subject of comics often arose and I actively endorsed that. Initially considered as an effective method of teaching storyboarding it then became a medium in its own right. I also began to research the comics medium. This ultimately led to my doctoral research in comics studies and the gaining of my Ph.D in that field. The Art and Design schools of Sydney College of the Arts were virtually neighbours. As mentioned in my previous post, I became involved in printmaking when I temporarily swapped classes with a colleague…my graphics students with her printmaking students for a couple of sessions, and her students learning animation with me. I became very interested in the printmaking studio and its graphic methods…and began to learn printmaking techniques myself. The printmaking lecturer and I taught each other the rudiments of our respective skills. It was a good exchange. I enjoyed it both as a technical medium and as a form of artistic expression. Consequently, printmaking became an adopted part of my artistic practice. In my own comic production I have employed printmaking to generate titles and visual expressions. These have been edited and combined in my developing graphic novel project Blotting Paper.

_{My printmaking design of the title page of the comic…an attempt at animated typography but a bit on the blurry side!}
_{© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

I experimented with the visual communication design elements of the work and found this approach both exciting and productive. I also began to think of my project extending beyond a single issue…possibly even becoming a graphic novel?

_{Another example of expressive and experimental typography-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

The ‘graphical impressions’ are drawings and prints of graphic memories. These were generated and printed in ink from rubber, wood, lino and other surfaces. The titles were made with rubber type and my name credit from a linocut. Besides printmaking as a method of image-making I also did some drawing…using traditional metal dip pens, pencils, felt-tipped pens and brushes plus a range of inks.

_{Title page for Chapter 1 of my comic/graphic novel Blotting Paper titled The Ingurgitator. (collage, sketch and printmaking assemblage- © 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

PRODUCTION UPDATE: Recently the production progress of my comic has experienced a few interruptions. On the plus side of this I have been working on interesting studies projects during the delays. One project involves the works of Tezuka, Rintaro, Matsumoto and Miyazaki, and their films. These include Galaxy Express 999, The Dagger of Kamui, Laputa-Castle in the Sky, and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Another project involves workshops in the sosaku hanga technique of creative Japanese printmaking. Both of these activities will form part of a Japanese Cultural Festival in Suva in the South Pacific. I shall be participating in and teaching at this event. In terms of my comic’s progress, I have pulled some pieces of completed work together. I have also been modifying other work that I had considered completed. That’s the title page design(above) for the first chapter The Ingurgitator, as it currently stands. Although created in colour a black and white version may appear in the comic. It consists of a combination of image-making techniques including drawing, painting, inking, printmaking and collage. The original collage/sketch, below, was made during a trip to Shanghai to attend the Animation Expo in Hangzhou in 2007.

_{Original image and early draft of The Ingurgitator final image, above, from my Shanghai sketchbook. (Collage and rough sketch- © 2007 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

So there is my third post on this blog…a month since my previous post…which seems to be a better and more manageable gap…and the second post on my comics project. I would love to hear any comments and suggestions about my blog…including the frequency of my postings, Michael.