Excavation

Rasen is a performance cycle inspired by the natural phenomenon of the spiral, a pattern found all throughout the natural world. For Rasen, a single canvas is painted multiple times, creating an art object with layers of hidden paintings beneath the surface. The contours of each previous layer have unexpected effects upon the next.

Rasen has changed texture, shape and colors across several painting sessions, both public and private. In between sessions, Iwakawa leaves the canvas outside for months at a time, allowing the natural elements to leave their unpredictable mark on the work. Iwakawa video records each session and projects those recordings during his live performances on the very same canvas while painting it live , as a way to show the audience the history behind the painting. In this performance at Theaterlab, IKUE MORI composer and former drummer of the No Wave Band DNA, joins Iwakawa for the second time creating the original soundscape guiding Iwakawa’s mesmerizing uninhibited painting.