Bulletin "New-Method" No. 50 - New-Method

"New-Method" No. 50

We introduce the email bulletin "New-Method" with our works and guest contributions. This issue No. 50 features Seiichi Tsuchiya for the contributor, the art critic.

[Contribution]

On Traditions (Congratulations on No. 50!)
Seiichi Tsuchiya (Art Critic)

Most of what we call tradition is nothing other than "invented traditions," as Eric J. E. Hobswarm argues, but I recently understood such [artificial] traditions are actually quite important even if they are imitation. I have read through books revolving topics like this, clearly motivated by an attempt to place modernity in a certain perspective, thus, no need to say, not by curiosity about roots of something, through which I try to understand thrilling sparks that happen between forward and backward movements that respectively drive modernity ahead and bring it back to the past.
Method, the precursor of New-Method, was a group of suspicious people. Nakazawa always talks in terms of fundamentalism, Matsui of the same age as me hardly sounds young, Adachi reportedly looks down on me like "Tsuchiya is such a dumb idiot, isn't it?" (Alas, I rather respect him...), and Miwa, of all the members, makes very appalling works despite his reputation as a veteran composer. I deepened my suspicion when I knew some people, younger than I, even started activity under the name of "New-Method." However, my take on their activities is likely to change drastically once I see them through the idea of "tradition" above. Also, New-Method happens to appear more thrilling if I think of their forefather Method as still holding a twisted attitude to "avant-garde" and behaving in very typical post-modernist fashion under the modernist face, all the more for the successor's straightforwardness and lack of the twist.
People start bringing up words like "traditions" without any hesitation (or pretending so) when a society is going mad (suppose how Japan entered the arena of world politics and advanced to the WWII), and I expect New-Method to take such an extremist role. In the first place, if one discusses an oxymoron like "contemporary art and traditionalism," it is nothing but perversion. However, in our insane times, it is more perverted to struggle for sane attitude as though being a normal person, which many people have not recognized yet. Therefore, New-Method, by not hesitating to succeed the traditions of Method right away, they can behave as thoroughgoing "art conservatives." Of course, this is a risky gamble. But it also indicates a sort of anarchism when I imagine how the attitude develops when pushed to its limit.

[Web Works of the New-Methodicists]

- Takahiro Hirama

Work No One Can Create

http://hrmtkhr.web.fc2.com/new-method/050_e.html

No description.

- Shogo Baba

Binary Data Display No. 5

http://7x7whitebell.net/new-method/shogobaba/050_e.html

This work displays hexadecimal (base 16) values of the binary data of New-Methodicist Shift_JIS Manifesto main body, treating it as color information. Since the manifesto has a regular data pattern, its color appearance also follows the regularity.
(cf.) "New-Methodicist Shift_JIS Manifesto" http://7x7whitebell.net/new-method/manifesto_sjis.html

- Masaru Kaido

SNS Advertising

http://masarukaido.com/newmethod/b050_e.html

For a certain period, I submit requests to SNS sites like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, for an add banner titled "Masaru Kaido's web work celebrating New-Method Bulletin No. 50" with a link to my [web] work. Audience (those who will see this work) are regulated by my arbitrary segmentation setting, such as "42 year old women who enjoy gardening in Saitama prefecture" or "men who only follow cat-picture bots." On the linked page, I upload my recent self-portrait, as a work with no specific meaning. Incidentally, this work becomes incomplete if SNS companies reject my requests.

[Information]

- "New-Method" official webpage has been updated. http://7x7whitebell.net/new-method/

- Takahiro Hirama has updated his website. http://qwertyupoiu.archive661.com/

- Shogo Baba has updated his website. http://7x7whitebell.net/

- Masaru Kaido has updated his website. http://masarukaido.com/

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[Editor's Note]

On 1 May, Hideki Nakazawa, an ex-member of New-Method, launched "Artificial Intelligence Art and Aesthetics Research Group" as the representative founder. Hirama, Baba and Kaido of New-Method also participate in it as co-founders. "Artificial Intelligence Art and Aesthetics Research Group" https://www.facebook.com/groups/1155307841158207/ (New-Method)