10 sides of Japan: Exhibition “Beyond the dream”

These romantic days we invite you to travel through magic pages of Japanese culture, art and traditions – we welcome you to the Centre of Eastern Development and Culture “Sakura Matsuri”! And this time we celebrate St. Valentine’s in a special way – together with the Birthday of the Centre of international friendship and cooperation, oasis of Eastern culture!

The exhibition “10 sides of Japan” will take place in Warsaw and last from 12th of February till 1st of June.

Each event will be the only and will never repeat! Welcome to the wonderful and mysterious world of Eastern countries!

Just for you, just this February we prepared the most romantic, spicy and outstanding adventure!

10 sides of Japan: love.

12-14 February, 2016

Since February, 12 till February, 14 Warsaw will be crowded with people being in love, those who are in search for their love and those who really enjoy Japanese culture! In the picture will be the legendary exhibition of the most outstanding art in the world – art techniques of painting on the surface of water born in Turkey and Japan – “ebru” and “suminagashi” with a romantic name – “Beyond the dream”, as well as lectures, master classes in Eastern art (origami, calligraphy, painting and other arts), cooking master classes, Japanese souvenir fair, tea ceremonies, Japanese sweets, Japanese and Chinese games. All visitors will enjoy this adventure and will learn how to make Japanese dolls, Valentine cards, paper cranes for luck, decorate Japanese fans and many other things!

Exhibition aspects:

Japanese tree of wishes – Tanzaku

Tanzaku is a nice ancient tradition of Japan, obvious for each festival! There are extreme quantities of Japanese Festivals! People take colorful pieces of paper, write their wishes and hang on the tree! Japanese think that if we together make wishes there will be more chances for our wishes to come true. And these days we devote our wishes to love! Let the love last forever, let the relationships be filled with understanding and warmth!

LOVE WALL for those who look for love!

This magic love days put your love search message on the “Love wall” and let love be with you!

- Lectures about Eastern culture, love, traditions, romantic stories, legends.

- Wedding dressing of a bride – see with your own eyes the mystique Japanese ritual.

- Cooking master classes of Eastern cuisine will be also filled with love and romance.

- Costume corner – try on Japanese kimono, become Geisha or Samurai and let the photos remind you about the most outstanding St. Valentine’s Day!

Gift Fair

Exhibition of the most surprising art – painting on the surface of water – “Beyond the dream”

Artists: Semenova Ekaterina, Semenov Viktor, Guziy Natalia.

Dreams are looking for a way to us, seeking to become the material embodiment of our imagination, and, one day, like Aphrodite from the foam, become the reality and tell us: "Hello!"

Artists, whose creative legacy are on display, namely Victor Semenov, Semenov Ekaterina, Guziy Natalia despite their differences are united by one quality. The very thing told by the founder. The ability to dream, to translate the results of their dreams on paper (silk, linen, parchment, etc.), in order to present them to the court of a benevolent spectator.

One way, which is given the power to see our dreams and embody in shape, is the Japanese art of "suminagashi."

This amazing art is represented by three masters: Viktor Semyonov, Ekaterina Semenova, Natalia Guziy.

And if the artist draws the world as his eyes can see, the suminagashi shows him the way his soul sees. The term means "floating ink tanks." In the bowl of water small circles are put - inkwells, with a slight movement the paint is applied to them, an amazing feature is that it rests on the surface of the water, like between heaven and earth, between dream and reality. And the miracles begin! Figures are being created. Water reacts to the slightest touch, changing the image in its own way. In suminagashi not only the artist draws! Even the paint becomes "alive", showing his character! Each of them has its own space, choosing the location and volume. Each work is unique and different, and if art is reminiscent of how unique each moment.

Another art of dreams comes from sunny Turkey - Ebru, also known as the "Turkish marbling."

The style of marbling "ebru" is presented by Guziy Natalia and Semenova Ekaterina.

Initially, the image is created on the water, and then transferred to the canvas, paper, or fabric, may also be used the following: wood, glass and ceramics. This art is so ancient that to this day there are disputes about the place of his birth. One thing is for sure - Ebru has oriental roots. Still there is not fully knowledge about the origin of the name "Ebru". There are several versions to explain the etymology of the word. Some suggest that the name comes from the Arabic «ab-ru», which translates as "water for the face”. Others argue that name comes from the Chagatai «ebre», meaning "wave-like". Most converge on the fact that the name comes from the Persian «ebri», which translated from Farsi as "cloud".

So, about the technology: The surface of specially prepared water (about preparing written below) is applied with a drop of paint with brushes or sewing. Drops, lying on top of the other, start to cause ink to move, but do not mix. Ebru is known as a dance of color and music in color.

Ebru and suminagashi are quite related technologies, but it is only at first glance. In ebru we need a special "water" canvas, suminagashi - to fit any water from a well or from the tap. Paints also differ. Suminagashi is considered to be elder than ebru, but the main thing is: in spite of the differences, suminagashi and ebru as dreams of different people are united by one thing - the two arts are to make dreams come true!

ARTISTS

Guziy Natalia, 25.11.1981

I get acquainted with the art being a child: graduated from music school, and then attended acting classes, workshops on sand animation. This year, I got acquainted with Japanese art (calligraphy, Temari, suminagashi) and Turkish (ebru).

I like to learn about the world through travelling, I like theater, books, music.

I am inspired by nature, its beauty, strength and wisdom; people - their actions and achievements.

Semenova Ekaterina

Acquaintance with Japanese arts taught me a lot. The first is to understand myself. We are used to think that the things are the way we study arts… But it is they that study us, inviting to an incredible journey.

Viktor Semenov

Master of all kinds of paper – kirigami and origami

Spicy events 18+

The most delicious. The most forbidden. The most secret.

Photo exhibition “Syunga – Japanese erotic in pictures”

Fortune cookies

Schedule of the events 12-14 February

The format of the exhibition is also unique as well as its content. The exhibition will be arrange in the sets of 25 visitors and will be something much bigger than just an exhibition – a friendly communication with each other and with Japan. One set is a journey to some certain part of Eastern culture! It is one page from an endless book about Eastern traditions! Let’s read it through!

12 February

Set 1. 15:00-18:00 The festival of 1000 of stars

15:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

16:00 Lecture “Tanabata - the festival of 1000 of stars and hearts”

Like Qixi and Chilseok, Tanabata was inspired by the famous Chinese folklore story, "The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd". Some versions were included in the Man'yōshū, the oldest extant collection of Japanese poetry.

The most popular version is as follows:

Orihime (織姫 Weaving Princess), daughter of the Tentei (天帝 Sky King, or the universe itself), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (天の川 Milky Way, lit. "heavenly river"). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星 Cow Herder Star) (also referred to as Kengyuu (牽牛) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly thereafter. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to meet.

In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes, sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku (短冊 tanzaku), small pieces of paper, and hanging them on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations (see also Wish Tree). The bamboo and decorations are often set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day. This resembles the custom of floating paper ships and candles on rivers during Obon. Many areas in Japan have their own Tanabata customs, which are mostly related to local Obon traditions.

17:00 Master class on origami – “Paper heart”

Have you ever known that the origami was the art not for everybody but just for grand people? And the best love confession was the message in the form of origami!

Set 2. 19:00-22:00 Tea ceremony

19:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

20:00 Lecture “Tea ceremony of Love”

At the lecture we will travel through places in Japan where best tea is cultivated. We will find out if we can tell about our feelings using tea and how Japanese people do this. Also we will get acquainted with different types of tea and learn how they differ.

21:00 Master class “Chinese tea ceremony for luck in love”

Chinese tea culture refers to how tea is prepared, what equipment is used to make and serve tea, as well as the occasions when people consume tea to celebrate in China. Tea culture in China differs from that in European countries like Britain and Asian countries like Japan in preparation methods, tasting methods, and occasions for which it is consumed. Even now, tea is consumed regularly in both casual and formal Chinese occasions. In addition to being a type of beverage, Chinese tea is used in traditional Chinese medicine, as well as in Chinese cuisine.

13 February

Set 1. 10:00 – 14:00 With love about Japan

10:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

11:00 With love about Japanese language

We will know how to declare love in Japanese, what Japanese language consist of and learn how to write our names!

We will find out why Japanese think that those who tell about their feeling are very brave and why Japanese celebrate St. Valentine’s Day twice.

12:00 Master-class “Japanese Valentine cards”

Impress your beloved ones with unique love confession!

13:00 Master class on Japanese calligraphy

This is the chance to see and to try the most delicate art in the world and know why it is so precious and high valued. We will learn about 4 treasures of Master of calligraphy and will write our feelings in Japanese characters!

Set 2. 15:00-18:00 Wedding Japan

15:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

16:00 Lecture “Wedding traditions of Japan: love with and without money”

Demonstration of putting on a wedding kimono.

17:00 Master class Midzuhiki – lucky knots

Midzuhiki is an ancient Japanese art of creating special cords and making knots. Such things were very popular and widely used from gifts and postcards to hairdressings and bags. Nowadays midzuhiki are widely used in gift industry for each occasion certain gift in a special package is requires, there should be a special knot with a certain meaning. There are a wide range of knots of all types and kinds and each of them has a certain meaning and wish – for luck, health, success and love.

Set 3. 19:00 – 22:00 Erotic Japan 18+

19:00-19:30 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

20:00 Lecture “Japanese kamasutra and shibari” 18+

Entrance just 18+. If you are under 18 the permission from parents are required. To enter the lecture you will be asked to prove your age.

21:00 Master class on shibari – Communication through the rope

For many people it is a problem to gain understanding. Japanese learn to communicate in a special way through esthetic and unique art – shibari. At the master class you will learn how to do this and feel as if you were in Japan.

Kinbaku (緊縛) means 'tight binding' Kinbaku-bi (緊縛美) which literally means 'the beauty of tight binding'. In Japanese, this natural-fibre rope is known as 'asanawa'; the Japanese vocabulary does not make a distinction between hemp and jute.

14 February

Set 1. Hidden under the silk of kimono

11:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

12:00 Lecture “Geisha: hidden under the kimono”

Do you know what the difference between love of the Emperor and a tailor is? What is hidden between the lines of the poems of Geisha? Where is the border of forbidden love? What is hidden under the kimono?

13:00 Master class “Japanese calligraphy”

Set 2. 15:00-18:00 Love cuisine

15:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

16:00 Lecture “Eastern cuisine of love”

Can you make someone fall in love with the help of food? What do geishas cook for saving beauty? What’s the secret of a long life? Why Japanese cuisine is so? And many other answers you will get at the lecture!

17:00 Master class – sushi for lovers!

You will learn how to make sushi and not just ordinary but special for a love supper!

Japanese people call such sushi as “Kadzari” and it is the real masterpiece! Tell about your feelings in a cooking art piece!

Set 3. 19:00-22:00 Spicy Japan 18+

19:00 Excursion with the guide

The guide will show you around and tell everything about Japan and Japanese arts.

20:00 Lecture “Cult of love and Japanese fetish”

Unusual festivals in Japan, strange couples, gay love and fetish in Japan. You have no idea what they are keen on.

21:00 Master class – tasting “Nyotaimori”

The tradition of Nyotaimori appeared in Japan more than 1,500 years ago. High-ranking people tried food served on beautiful bodies of young women. Later for gourmets and for women’s pleasure men’s nyotaimori appeared.