The Japan Series2010
»To fully grasp Aelar d’fr Engels interpretations one has to be willing to straddle space and time, topple over routines, watch the song while listening. Get closer. Otherwise you might just skim the surface.«
Celina Lunsford
Birds Disappearing Again in Tottori
Celina Lunsford
From the book The Japan Series
2011
In ancient history the people of the Tottori Prefecture were known as “those who catch birds,” but this is now 2011 and bird catching has long been taboo. Communities along the coast have come to realize that the power and communication systems that thrive on tree poles are now the culprits causing the birds to flee. Searching for someone to bring back the birds is an extraordinary process. By placing a tray of shin-soba to the east and a plate of sliced nashi to the west of the reflection of Mount Daisen in an art museum, Tottorian officials commune with him. This is Aelar d’fr Engels. They are not even sure which planet he calls home. (Read more)
No Mast. A Stage Floor
Christoph Schaden
From the book The Japan Series
2011
There was once a photographer who visited a country he greatly admired, but which he did not know all that well and whose language he did not understand. As a precaution, his host asked an acquaintance to assist the photographer in finding locations for his motifs. When the photographer’s stay came to an end, the helpful man requested a photograph of his own dwelling as a small token of the photographer’s appreciation. It concerned a theater that he had been operating for years. The photographer looked somewhat embarrassedly at the ground when he was confronted with this modest request. Only then did he notice the stage floor, which had been worn down by countless performances and told of other stories. And he understood. (Read more)