Talk at Beyond Tellerrand Düsseldorf 2023: “瞑想と書：Meditation with Calligraphy”
I was invited to speak at 2023 edition of beyond tellerrand, an amazing creative conference in Germany hosted my the one and only Marc Thiele, and this time, in Düsseldorf.
This time, I talked about the Meditation with Calligraphy — and how the two are intertwined as the art of mental and physical practice, leaving a visual trace of time, movement and emotion through the ink. I went deeper into what goes on in my mind while I’m working on calligraphy throughout the creative process, inside or outside of my studio, for my personal works, client works to performances. I had a wonderful time sharing my story, my process, my work, my passion. Loved meeting everyone, reuniting with my dear friends, always great energy and inspiration at Beyond Tellerrand.
The special moment on stage for me was to close my eyes and meditate with everyone about the ocean waves… the theater-full of closed eyes 😌 Thank you all for joining me on a journey to 瞑想 Meiso – “meditation”!
Meditation is a crucial part in my creative process. Sharing this process step by step in this talk made me realize how much time I spend to centering myself by travel into my deeper thoughts with eyes closed, and repeat the process of visualizing and writing, the endless trial and error finding that balance within myself and in my calligraphy.
瞑想と書：Meditation with Calligraphy
Probing the Depth of the Mind with Ink and Brush
From ancient times in Eastern countries, calligraphy has been described as “the reflection of the Mind”. Introduced from China in the 6th Century, calligraphy is a highly regarded form of art that combines the literary components of the language and visual elements in Japanese culture. The practice has become a discipline, way of thought and study, one’s spiritual pursuit, and is a life-long journey to find one’s own “strokes”. Master calligrapher and artist Aoi Yamaguchi goes deeper into the relationship between meditation and Japanese calligraphy. She explores how the two are intertwined as the art of mental and physical practice, leaving a visual trace of time, movement and emotion through the ink. How does a symbol, or a stroke, embody feelings, stories, and music? Exploring some examples, she will talk about what goes on inside her mind during her own calligraphy process – from daily practice in her atelier, for client projects, or in front of an audience for a live calligraphy performance.