Have you picked up a copy of "ONE HUNDRED EIGHT CLUB," a collection of works recently released? What kind of thoughts and feelings were put into this book, which took three years to produce and was the work of two people who put their hearts into it? What kind of thoughts were put into this book, which they worked on for three years with great care? Let's dig deeper into the story of the book and the episodes leading up to its completion.
Photo_Hideaki Nagata
Text_Kana Yoshioka
Edit_Amame Yasuda
PROFILE
In addition to interior design as the representative of "TRIPSTER INC," he is also active as an editor, writer, designer, and radio personality. He is a creative director active worldwide in various cultural fields.
Instagram:@kunichi_nomura
PROFILE
Tokyo-based artist. He creates various works such as illustrations, collages, and animals. He also collaborates with the Beastie Boys on official goods and official posters for foreign films. In addition to solo exhibitions in Japan, he has held exhibitions throughout Asia, North America, and Europe. He also collaborates with global companies such as Adidas Originals, New Balance, Undercover, and other apparel and lifestyle brands.
Instagram:@naigelgraph
The mutual respect for each other resonated in this book.
What was the impetus for this project?
Nomura:It all started when I worked on the interior design of "Eyewear Tokyo Gallery. The store was long and narrow and had no facade, which I thought would be difficult to create, but I thought it would be better to have a gallery in addition to selling eyeglasses. So, I wanted to exhibit pictures related to glasses, so I decided to have Nigel draw them for me.
Nigel:Yes, it was.
Nomura:When I asked him to do it, he agreed with two words. I wanted him to draw portraits of celebrities wearing sunglasses or glasses, but there were so many of them that I couldn't narrow it down to just one. At first, I lined up a variety of people, and we agreed that this would be a good way to continue the project.
Why did you choose Nigel as the partner for this project?
Nomura:I guess it's because I like his style. It may be rude to put it this way, but it's a bit like being a bad-ass. It's like he looks like me, but he doesn't look like me. But if you look for similar pictures on the Internet, you can find a lot of them. Besides, even AI can draw pictures nowadays. So I think it is difficult to draw from one's own point of view. But Nigel has done it. I also feel his love for what he draws, and his tastes and interests are clearly expressed in his drawings, which is wonderful for an artist. I think that is wonderful as an artist.
Nigel:Thank you very much for your kind words.
Nomura:Spike Lee, for example, looks the least like any of them (laughs). (Laughs.) But Nigel's perspective has captured the characteristics of the character, so he looks exactly like Spike Lee.
Nigel:If we were to realize this project, I wanted to portray a large number of people, and it was I who first proposed the idea of creating a book.
Nomura:Nigel said, "If we are going to do this, let's draw a lot of people. If you do it, let's draw a lot of people and I'll make a book. I'll make a book out of it. At first I thought, "Really? I thought, "Really?
Do you have a reason for sticking to that number?
Nomura:Gus Van Sant took Polaroid portraits of the people he cast. He printed them all and published a book called "108 PORTRAITS. I chose 108 because I personally liked the portraits of River Phoenix in "My Private Idaho," Keanu Reeves, and Free of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and because they are linked to the number of human afflictions.
Nigel:Hearing that story, even more so, I thought, "We need 108 people!" I thought, "We must have 108 people!
Nomura:It was tedious to come up with 108 people (laughs).
Nigel:That's right (laughs).
Nomura:I wanted to choose 108 people from various fields, including entrepreneurs, architects, etc., as well as artists. The 108 people we selected had to be people who had influenced us in some way. But the list is endless, so we focused on people who wear iconic glasses. It was very difficult because we had to come up with a lot of ideas. When I asked Nigel, "What do you think of this person? Nigel would only say, "I like him! but all he would say was, "I like him!
Nigel:Because it's really nice!
Nomura:So I threw my ideas to Nigel, and he came up with this picture of 108 people.
Nigel:It took me a long time to draw the first seven or so, but it gradually got faster. I felt that I had made them wait so long that I felt I had to put a lot of energy into the work when I could, so I finished them all at once.
Who was the first to complete the project?
Nomura:Bill Evans, Aretha Franklin, Audrey Hepburn, Tom Waits, Chet Baker, and Miles Davis. When I hear the word "glasses," I may be the first person who comes to mind.
I see. It's hard to narrow it down to a person who is iconic for wearing glasses and who everyone can identify with.
Nomura:That's right. There are certainly people who wear glasses. Steve Jobs and Keith Haring, for example. Nigel, you have never drawn so many pictures of people wearing glasses, have you?
Nigel:I don't think so. Kunichi-san never said anything about my drawings, which made me worried. I wondered if it would be all right.
Nomura:Because you don't like it when people say this and that about your work.
Nigel:Kunichi-san understands that part of the process, so I really enjoyed it.
108 people who have influenced my life.
Behind Mr. Kunichi, you can see a picture of Jay-Z and J. Dilla.
Nomura:J. Dilla has passed away, but I think I will continue to listen to him as I get older. I definitely wanted to include people like that. Aphex Twin, Talking Heads, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder, and so on. On the other hand, there are artists in this list that I really liked when I was younger, but I don't listen to them that much anymore. For example, Eazy-E of N.W.A. had a huge influence on me, but I haven't listened to them even once this year. But when I first heard of them, they had a huge impact on me.
Nigel:It really is true.
Who are some of the people that Nigel has a special place in his heart?
Nigel:I guess I am Lou Reed. Actually, the first time I got involved with Kunichi-san was on a radio program, and I sent him a message about Lou Reed as a listener when he had just started his program.
Nomura:Oh no! I didn't know that (laughs).
Nigel:At that time, I sent a message saying that I went to New York to see how I would feel if I heard Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" on the streets of New York City. I remember how happy I was when Mr. Kunichi happened to read it.
Nomura:Seriously. I hadn't noticed that at all (laughs).
Are there any other influences on you?
Nomura:Talking Heads is also like God. When I go to New York, I tend to hang out until morning, and sometimes a Talking Heads song called "This Must Be the Place" comes on at closing time. I love that time. Also, Aphex Twin is a genius, with a different sound every time they play a song. I think of them as the Jimi Hendrix of the techno world. Jimi Hendrix is said to be a genius on the level of Mozart, and Aphex Twin is also such a great techno genius.
It is more interesting to know the background of each artist.
Nigel:If you dig deeper, you will find that they are all people who cannot be talked about enough. How about you writing a book about them next? I would love to read it.
Nomura:I'm not a biographer (laughs). Of course, there are anti-heroes among these 108 people. But I don't think that "anti-hero" means that I absolutely hate him.
The inspiration came from "Weekly Shonen Jump," which I was crazy about back then.
ONE HUNDRED EIGHT CLUB ¥10,000
The format of this collection, "ONE HUNDRED EIGHT CLUB," is a bit special, isn't it?
Nigel:It is inspired by "Weekly Shonen Jump" that I used to read as a child. It is more common and sometimes cheaper to make hardcover books. Still, when I thought again about what I really wanted to make, it was something like "Jump," "Yanmaga," "Dragon Ball," or "Slam Dunk," which were my influences. That's why I chose thin paper for the cover and added posters. This book is like a comic book, where every time you turn the page, you think, "This is him! "Oh, this is it! I hope people will enjoy this book like a comic book.
Art Piece Set (art book, certificate of work, furoshiki, sticker sheet, white gloves, wooden box) ¥20,000
Nigel:This special edition was created with the image of a souvenir that a Japanese person would give while saying, "It's a trivial thing, but.... As I get older, I am becoming more and more attracted to the good old Japanese culture. That is why I choose furoshiki wrapping cloths and paulownia boxes like those that contain tea utensils. I also wanted to add a somewhat cheap feel by placing gloves, stickers, and certificates of artwork inside the box.
That's a very Nigel-like idea.
Nigel:I felt that it would be meaningless to create something that I was satisfied with, but also to have Kunichi-san satisfied with it. Because a book is something that will last a lifetime, I wanted to be honest about my feelings.
Please tell us what you two thought about through the production of this project.
Nomura:I don't think that glasses are the only thing that one should choose with concern for fashion trends. There are many factors such as face shape and nose height, so it is best to choose spectacles that suit the wearer's needs. I think there are many people who make their choice based on brand name alone, but once they have a certain idea of what they are looking for, I think the best glasses for them are the ones that are easy to wear. Even if you like Kurt Cobain and wear the same kind of glasses, they may not suit you, right? So it is important to understand yourself and find something that suits you, rather than trying to imitate him. In "ONE HUNDRED EIGHT CLUB," you will find many wonderful people who you would like to grow old like.
Nigel:The concept of this project is written in the back of the book. Kunichi-san did not just want to create a collection of works depicting people wearing glasses. Why do we consider the heroes in this book to be heroes? I strongly sympathize with Mr. Kunichi's idea of looking back at the greatness of great people in this age full of problems, and to pass it on to the next generation.
EYEVAN Tokyo Gallery
Dates: ~June 30 (Monday)
Address: 5-13-2 Minami Seiyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 11:00 - 20:00, closed Tuesdays
Content: Original artworks from collections, related goods (T-shirts, tote bags, postcards, etc.)
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