Hi everyone. I am Yuiko Yamaguchi, a 2nd year masters student.
On this occasion I did a 3 month exchange program at the University of Art Linz. At IAMAS I focused on the field of communication, and within that field, I am researching the creation of acts that look at the relationship with others from a bird’s eye view, the ways in which we relate to each other that are borne in time and distance, and changes in communication.
I would like to speak to you all about the conditions and life there during my 3 month stay from April until June on the exchange program.

Linz, a city thriving in cultural exchange

Ever since arriving in Linz, the days made me think about “richness” a lot. Japan domestically is very abundant in not just the amount of materials but also in the entertainment it has. Of course Austria is also a very rich country but I got the sense that there was a different standard to its “richness.” One event where I felt this was the “STREAM CLUB” event held around the end of the Easter holidays. For this event the Linz Administrative AG, and radio stations are sponsors, and sound art, DJ, and VJ performances are organized in cafes, cultural facilities and churches in Linz.
I am from Sendai, Miyagi prefecture where there is a jazz festival held in the whole city, and I was accustomed to and familiar with the music events that were hosted by the city. However, I was extremely shocked by the music and expressions that were derived from the new cultures of DJ and VJ being organized by the city sponsors, and sound art being performed in churches and religious spaces. In addition, seeing the people of the city being receptive and enjoying the events was refreshing. It was an experience that let me understand just why the city of Linz where various expressions and music are accepted open-mindedly continues to act as a world-class center for media art.

The joint cafe to the university’s internal facilities being shaken by the music of children around elementary school age is a lovely memory I have.

Apart from STREAM CLUB, before the holidays at the Hauptplatz plaza, entertainment events were organized and the police musical band festival was hosted. It was really refreshing in such a short time frame for events to be hosted that allowed people to interact with music, arts and culture.

Austria has influences from the culture of southern Germany and christianity, and the shops close quite early. On Sundays basically all shops are closed, and I felt as though the entire city was wrapped in an air of relaxedness and leisure. When I initially came from Japan I felt a sense of anxiousness towards the leisureliness and I had a troubled time where I wondered if conversely I was being constrained by time. However, as I got more accustomed to this lifestyle and whilst connecting it to my communication research, I realized the importance of being generous with one’s time, taking a rest, and waiting. I noticed the element of “space” between people.
Additionally, in the meantime I probed into the differences between Europe and Japan. Whilst reconsidering the way I connect myself with other people, I grew to think that I want to take the events that I experienced in Linz and use them in an artwork.

The objective of the exchange, and changes in my research

Before making my journey overseas I had an interest in communication on SNS platforms and I created artworks related to that. More specifically, as a theme I heralded the discord brought about by the speed of communication due to the evolution of media and technology, and the psychological and societal effects produced as a result. I researched a method to reconsider and reflect on the circumstances.
The objective of my exchange was to research the types and usage of internet and SNS services in other countries. I also aimed to find new expressions by comparing how the speed of communication and the polarization of opinions differ to those in Japan.
However, in the three month period where I was living in Europe, I noticed that communication in the real world was more diverse as opposed to that of SNS services and on the internet. Due to Austria not being an anglophone country, having many immigrants as a result of being a continental state, and its historical background, a variety of elements were closely mixed in communication and the way people connect. In addition, whilst living there I reaffirmed the differences of the norm and culture that “I,” as a “Japanese” person have.
So, in order to incorporate the awareness I felt while living in Europe into my research, I went out to observe the city and its people as part of my fieldwork. Further, I played music on the riverbanks of the Danube river, cooked in the university kitchen, and took action myself. I researched how the reactions of my surroundings changed as a result of those actions.
Additionally, I recorded my experiences in the form of a 4 frame manga targeted towards my classmates and juniors in IAMAS, and albeit irregularly, the information was sent out on IAMAS’ SNS. When I made posts there were various responses and reactions, and new communication came to be. Being a relay point with Linz has been a delightful experience, making it possible to share different cultures and other national backgrounds within IAMAS, and to communicate from diverse perspectives.

My record from when I got on the plane to Linz until I finished the exchange

Now after returning to Japan, I exhibited an artwork at the IAMAS Open House based on this experience. Through the exhibition I noticed minor revisions, and I sometimes felt frustrated that I was still not able to express myself well in some areas. However, it is precisely because of the days that I had spent in Linz that I could change my direction towards this level of simple expression, and return to the expressions that I have always drawn.
The Interface Cultures students at the University of Art Linz, and the artists that I encountered at galleries and art museums listened unwaveringly to their own voice and expressions, and I felt that they were pursuing “expressions that they thought were good and want to do.” They had the power to create a worldview, the ability to put into words the things inside of them, and there was much to learn from them. Perhaps it was thanks to the fact that I was fortunate enough to spend 3 months in that environment that I was able to reflect on what I have and try to apply them in my expressions.

As the wind gradually gets colder and colder, I am feeling a sense of impatience as I feel the signs of autumn, but it would be great to grow even more with these learnings and discoveries in my heart. In the next report I would like to speak about the state of lectures at Interface Cultures and the exhibitions at the Lentos Art Gallery. Thank you for reading up until this point.
To conclude this report, I will see myself with an Interface Cultures-like address. Ciao ciao! Tschüss!

English translation: Eric Lupea