Workshops Archives - studio YUKA OYAMA

Raumklasse – UDK Berlin

admin — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 01:00:34 +0000

WORKSHOP: LIVING ARCHITECTURE

UDK BERLIN

In various stages of creative process we collect—rather accumulate—enormous amount of information. Which information is ‘useful’; how do we find out the true core of our passion? In the workshop “Living Architecture”, I sought to introduce three methods that help answer the questions above. They are, creative writing, group work, and building wearable sculptures that resemble three dimensional billboards, which display stories about the students’ on-going project, Pariser Platz. I gave an artist talk and a brief lecture on wearable sculptures in the morning on the first day. In the afternoon, we worked on a free-writing exercise. Later, the students worked in small groups to share ideas about their free writings. On the second day, the students transformed their written and discussed ideas into wearable sculptures using cardboard either alone or in groups. At first, we experienced a precious hick-up: Unlearn head-thinking! In order to give forms and shapes to ideas, we must learn to play. Be in dialogue with self and materials, build, wear, feel, and perform.

Raumklasse – UDK Berlin

zora hünermann

emir timur tokdemir

sandra stiehler

anna osterberg, jason kittner, moritz kreul

paulina höffner

alex mümmle, lukas graf, wiebke von bremen

meret schmiese

melissa lücking

maxime wijnant

lara nelke

jil schuberth

Photo Credits:
Prof.Gabi Schillig
Jil Schuberth
Ruven Wiegert

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Picasso Elementary school, Berlin

studioyukaoyama — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:11:52 +0000

HOMES

PICASSO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, BERLIN, 2019

8 – 11 YEARS OLD

DURATION OF THE WORKSHOP: 5 DAYS

At the Picasso Elementary School in Berlin, Oyama gave a one-week-workshop to students age 8 – 11 years old. Oyama wanted to find out how children of this age group would define what home means to them, which objects make their home, and what kind of narratives they would create based on these domestic objects.

STAGE 01: FIVE SPECIAL PERSONAL OBJECTS THAT HELP MAKE A PLACE MY HOME

Oyama asked the students to think of their five most special belongings that make a place their ‘home.’
They then drew their objects with emotional expressions and also made paper puppets of their objects.

STAGE 02: PAPER PUPPET OBJECT THEATRE

Oyama instructed the students to work in pairs. Each group should make a three-minute puppet show that develops with the following plot: a problem arises, magical solutions are found, and concludes with a happy or an unhappy end.

STAGE 03: MASKS MADE WITH RATTAN

The students chose one of their five objects and made a mask of it using rattan, textile, and sponges. The students and Oyama tried to make a performance wearing the masks and enacting their narratives, but they realized they had worked hard enough. They danced and made their photographs instead.

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 01 FIVE SPECIAL PERSONAL OBJECTS THAT HELP MAKE A PLACE MY HOME:
Teddy bear, sister, mama, cat

“The place where my mum and younger sister are, that is my home. It is located on Hansa Street in Berlin. My special Teddy also needs to be there at home.”

Created Story: “Horror Bear”
“Mum, there was a horror bear!” screamed little Emma.
“You have got quite a fantasy!” said her mum. Maybe that was really Emma’s fantasy. Or maybe there was a horror bear.
“Oh, well,” said Emma’s older sister Line. “I want to play hide-and-seek with you. But only if you want to,” she continued.
“Sure! Hee, hee, hee,” Emma replied. They played until dinner.

Mum cooked spaghetti for dinner. Mothers all think that children love spaghetti with tomato sauce. Line and Emma actually don’t like pasta. After dinner, they all went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, Emma screamed again, “Horror bear!”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 02
FIVE SPECIAL PERSONAL OBJECTS THAT HELP MAKE A PLACE MY HOME:
Two stuffed toys, Question Mark Block and Super Mario Bomber

“The Question Mark Block makes an exploding sound, but I love them both.
Home is a place, where I always return and play with my brother.”

Created Story: “The Craziest Story” Question Mark Block Stuffed Toy

Once upon a time, there was a family named Bunzel. In Family Bunzel there was a mum, a dad, and two children. The older brother was 8 years old, and the younger one was 4 years old.

On one beautiful day, the two brothers fought over a Question Mark Block stuffed animal. A minute later, it ripped. The boys were very sad.
Super Mario Bomber said, “You can repair the Question Mark Block and be happy again.”

The boys asked, “How could we repair it?”
Bomber answered, “You need to clear a level.”
The boys said, “Sure.” Suddenly, they were in the world of video games.
Bomber said cheekily, “You have to win this game to get out of this world.”

The first round was easy. But the last round was too difficult for the brothers. They kept on losing. Finally, they won and returned home. At home, the Question Mark Block was no longer ripped. The brothers played with the Question Mark Block and all the other Super Mario stuffed toys together.

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 01 FIVE SPECIAL PERSONAL OBJECTS THAT HELP MAKE A PLACE MY HOME:
Dog, portal, mama, papa, teddy bear, 3 DSXL, house

“My dad is from El Salvador, and my mum is German. I was born in Berlin, lived in El Salvador for one year, and we came back to Berlin, when I was five.

My dog Sarah makes a place my home. I just love her. I also played the main character in a theatre once and I was a dog. At home I play with Sarah and Lego. If I bring Sarah and Lego to my grandma’s house, that’s also my home.”

Created Story: “Friendship Against the Power of Evil”

Once upon a time, there was a female dog, who was happy.
All of a sudden a portal appeared on the floor, and the dog fell into another world, where she met a dog. The two dogs became good friends.

The new friend said, “I have been locked into this space for seven years! Can you help me get out of this world?” The two dogs fought against the evil and finally came back to the real world again. They stayed best friends and lived happily ever after.

SPECIAL THANKS: Silke Kästner, Farbraum Project

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Norwegian Theatre Academy, Frederikstad

studioyukaoyama — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:12:25 +0000

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE WORKSHOP

NORWEGIAN THEATRE ACADEMY, FREDERIKSTAD

BA 03 SCENOGRAPHY, 2014

DURATION OF THE WORKSHOP: 5 DAYS

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE was a workshop Oyama facilitated together with Karen Kipphoff. Oyama instructed the students to pick one object that represented their notion of the home (or homes) where they grew up, and then to make this home into a wearable sculpture using white cardboard.

On the first three days, Oyama instructed the students how to construct wearable sculptures. On the following two days, Kipphoff taught basic techniques on how to choreograph a group wearing wearable sculptures.

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 01 Fishing boat

“A student shared memories with me of fishing with his father almost every weekend. The space he constructed with cardboard sheets represents a space between a pair of sails. He told me the his memories of waking up in darkness in the early morning, packing up the equipment, going on the sailboat, and listening to the sound of the wind. Sitting together with his father between the two sails was home for him.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 02 Apple toy

“A student told me the story of a big red apple made from plastic. When he was a child, this apple toy was at the hospital where he was staying. Because he loved it so much, his parents let him keep it.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 03 Matisse poster

“A student explained the story of a poster showing a blue woman, one of Matisse’s cut-outs that hung above the family dining table. While staring at this poster, she wondered why the legs and hands of this woman were so long.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 04 Scarf

“A student told the story of his mother buying him a cashmere scarf in a market in India where he grew up. His mother wanted him to stay warm in Norway.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 05 Sewing machine

“A student from Estonia told me the story of her grandmother’s sewing machine that created the ‘sound of home’.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 06 Books

“A student told me a story about the endless amount of books , as owned by her father, who is a biologist. Like her father, she cannot throw away any books.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 07 Ribbon bow

“A student had to wear an embarrassingly large ribbon bow on her head as a child. It is a Russian tradition for girls to wear ribbons in their hair. Her mother’s hobby was to make ridiculously large balls out of ribbons to wear on her head. The student showed me a photograph of herself as a young girl dressed in a large bow as big as her head—a testament to her embarrassment.”

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Alchimia Contemporary Florence, Florence

studioyukaoyama — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:12:08 +0000

Window

Clay

Working

Window02

Rattan

WORKSHOP: Large to Miniature

ALCHIMIA CONTEMPORARY JEWELLERY SCHOOL IN FLORENCE, 2019

DURATION OF THE WORKSHOP: 5 DAYS

The workshop “Large to Miniature” introduces how to incorporate creative writing, performing, making large-scaled sculptures in order to gather ideas to make earrings.

Stage 1: Interpret interviews in clay

Oyama shared two transcripts from her past interviews, and students worked on interpreting the interviews in clay.

Stage 2: Five morst important objects

Select five most important objects that help the students settle down in their new surroundings in Florence. Most of the students are international students and well-travelled. Afterwards we worked writing exercises about these objects.

Stage 3: A three-minute-puppet show

Work in pairs, where each couple was supposed to create paper puppets of their objects. Together, make a narrative of objects. Perform the result in a three-minute-puppet-show.

Stage 4: Rattan sculpture in the size of one cubic meter

Select one object, translate the sentimental feelings of the object into a one cubic meter sculpture made from rattan.

Stage 5: Earrings in 5 cm

Reduce size of the rattan sculptures to make a pair of earrings in metal wire.

Stage 6: Presentation

Make a presentation.

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Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Prague

studioyukaoyama — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 18:09:16 +0000

Clay

Working

WORKSHOP: OVERWHELMING OBJECTS

ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS IN PRAGUE

MA PROGRAM IN DIRECTING OF DEVISED AND OBJECT THEATRE

DURATION OF THE WORKSHOP: 2 DAYS

Commodities can evoke various types of emotionality in us and construct fictions. How can they become agents to develop costumes and performance? Oyama gave a two-day-workshop to at the MA program in Directing of Devised and Object Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, led by Prof. Sodja Lotker.

On the first day of this workshop, the students and Oyama discussed objects that they hold very close to us, but they feel in some way or other overwhelmed by them. Either their beauty, weight, personal meanings, value, personal history with the object, or all together these commodities are simply intense.

At first, the workshop examined narrative potential of these objects through working in pairs on paper puppet shows. Later, each person selected only one object, extracted the main characteristics of it, and constructed sculptural costumes made from rattan and textile. In the final stage, the students and Oyama examined how to enact the wearable sculptures in a group.

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 01 Wig “Berta”
“I love her, but I have an identity crisis with her. Hair, identity, and self are very intense personal, and complex topics as a black woman. I am still working through it. But she is amazing and I love her!”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 02 Dress
“This is a dress that my grandmother and then my mother wore before I received it. I made men cat-call me, when I was like 16.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 03 Box
“I need to organize my belongings. Otherwise they are just trash that annoy me. I spend lots of money buying boxes. A box is not an immediate object, but a concept itself, and it is a concrete material. Everything becomes useful after I put it in the box. It reduces my anxiety.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 04 Aquarel colours
“These are my aquarel colours that my grandfather gave me years ago. My grandfather and I don’t talk right now.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 05 Tarot card
“My Tarot cards. I like you, but please stop telling me out on my shit. Actually, don’t, wait… ah. I don’t know. Ugh.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 06 Sketchbook
“This is a note/sketchbook that I was using at the age of 16 – 18, so it has a lot of self-revelation inside.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 07 Backpack
“Every 2 years nomad.”

OBJECT STORY ARCHIVE 08 Laptop
“Please free me from you.”

Workshop view. In the evening Alissa Dillard rehearsed her production, “Marie Antoinette” with the sculptures.

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Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam

studioyukaoyama — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 21:23:28 +0000

Beat me up Gerrit!

JEWELLERY – LINKING BODIES, GERRIT RIETVELD ACADEMIE, AMSTERDAM
BA 1 and BA 2, 2018

DURATION OF THE WORKSHOP: 5 DAYS

Oyama gave the following assigment:

“Stage actions to communicate.
Set up an event.
Bring physical and emotional distance between people closer.
Use body, your body, someone else’s body and express your ideas.
Be honest. Be personal.”

‘Beat me up Gerrit’ was a one-week-workshop that Oyama gave to a group of BA students at the Jewellery – Linking Bodies Department at Gerrit Rietveld Academie. In 2018, the Academie celebrated the 50th anniversary at the Theatre Paradiso in Amsterdam.

Taking the birthday as a ballroom, the assignment of the workshop asked the students to construct costumes / wearable sculptures /adventurous suits that were worn by them at the party, where they were supposed to facilitate something ‘special’ to happen. The ‘special’ should have an impact to bring people unexpectedly closer.

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