Van Gogh House London

Japanese artists Takehito Koganezawa and Yoichi Kamimura lived at Van Gogh House from the 29th of February to the 14th of April.

We started our residency program this year with the kind support of Japan House London, hosting two distinguished Japanese artists; visual artist Takehito Koganezawa and sound artist Yoichi Kamimura.

Takehito Koganezawa is a drawing artist, video artist, and performer. He delicately captures the physical movements of drawing and transforms them into moving images. Yoichi Kamimura is a visual and sound artist. He refers to his field recording process as an act of ‘meditative hunting’, where he acts as an observer of the amorphous relationship between humankind and nature. Recorded material is later turned into immersive sound installations, many of which draw upon our biology to create surprising sensory experiences. Both artists have collaborated on several projects, combining their shared interest in sensory experiences, and translating these experiments into visual artworks.

At the centre of their residency was their interest in the river Thames, and both artists were keen to create works responding to it.

Their residency culminated in a final performance at Japan House London titled ‘Drift Ice on the River Thames’.

“At night, you will find your silhouette doubled in Vincent’s room” 

– Takehito Koganezawa

Takehito dedicated a lot of his time engaging with Londoners and others he met, asking them to draw a straight line on a strip of paper. He provided participants with a choice between a blue or red pencil and requested that they draw a straight line (as straight as they can) on the thin strip. This activity was a research element connecting to his ongoing project focused on exploring human connections and collaboration. His goal was to compile these individual lines into an animated loop, symbolizing interconnectedness. The final animation was showcased at the start of the duo’s performance at Japan House London.

The artists experienced the river itself, kayaking from Chelsea to Kew. Yoichi stopped to record throughout various points on the Thames, including the Tower Bridge and the sounds of it’s mechanics.  Yoichi also drew from the sounds he recorded on his previous trips to Iceland and the Amazon Forest in Brazil — all sounds which were later embedded within the music at their final performance.

Takehito Koganezawa challenged participants to work together on a sequence of collective drawings, bringing together ideas around authorship and collaboration. Starting with exercises such as the ‘exquisite corpse’, participants had the chance to explore mark making and gained insight into the Koganezawa’s practice in the process of creating something memorable.

Yoichi Kamimura curated a music session where he played his soundscapes on Brixton Radio alongside other musicians he invited: Brién and Michael Chestnutt. This session provided listeners with an immersive auditory experience, showcasing Kamimura’s unique practice and ability to work with sound.

Have a listen here! →

“London is quite a special place for me, as I grew up with British music. London has always given me some new feelings about music and art.” 

– Yoichi Kamimura

‘Drift Ice on the River Thames’ was an immersive performance blending ambient soundscapes by Yoichi Kamimura and live drawing by Takehito Koganezawa. The performance is a reflection of the artists’ parallel research conducted during their residency.

The drawing forms that Takehito illustrated on paper were directly inspired by the flow and elements of the river Thames.

Find out more about this performance →

This residency was supported by Japan House London.