Artist Profile: Goh Harada
Mia Parnall
Claudia Siefen Leitich
Many of the artists supported by CCJ worked across national lines, making and exhibiting between Japan and other countries such as the US. CCJ’s Meander platform aims to further expand the bounds of CCJ’s engagement geographically as well as historically, and here we offer a profile on filmmaker Goh Harada. Harada began his career in Frankfurt, Germany, where he studied before returning to Tokyo and continuing to produce works of film.
Despite the transnational locus of his practice, many of Harada’s recent works are highly particular to Tokyo, his current home. He has produced countless film portraits of specific locations in the city: the Meguro river, Rinshi-no-Mori Park, Shibuya Station, the recreational area of Tennozu Isle, and many more. Images of these locations are often combined with audio tracks from different places altogether. The series is almost cartographic in its exhaustiveness, and Harada becomes an interface linking various spaces and times within the city - exploring the relationship of direct experience to transpersonal understandings of community and place. These more recent of Harada’s works, but also several of his earlier works on film, can be viewed on his YouTube channel.
Writer and researcher Claudia Siefen-Leitich gives us an overview of Harada’s varied filmography - from his earlier structural works on film, to his later digital experiments.
Goh Harada, Lampenschwarz (2003)
Goh Harada, 97/98 (1998)
Since the 1970s, cultural ties between Japan and Germany have remained strong - thanks in part to the branches of the Goethe-Institut and the German Society for the Study of Nature and Ethnology of East Asia in Tokyo, and through such efforts as bilateral university cooperation and town twinning. Goh Harada, a filmmaker whose practice traverses these two locations, was born in Tokyo in 1963, and initially studied electrical engineering at Keiō University before moving to Frankfurt. He studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts from 1993 to 1999, under Austrian filmmaker Peter Kubelka, a period in which guest professors included Robert Breer, Ken Jacobs, Ernie Gehr, Morgan Fischer, Karl Kels and Martin Arnold. In 2018, a selection of Harada's 16mm works, curated by myself, were presented for the first time in the city of Vienna in cooperation with the Austrian-Japanese Society.
Harada is an independent filmmaker producing both narrative and experimental films that are equally accessible to audiences interested in theory and practice alike. Harada does not focus on human beings as privileged actors or performers, but rather on the network of relationships between the world of technology and that of living things. Harada's 16mm works and their techniques demonstrate a commitment to craftsmanship without a sacrifice of lyricism. For example, in Lampenschwarz (2003), when a black image surface meets a white one, he brings the materials onto the transparent film with his fingertips, image by image, and the result is a film that chases 17,000 black and white images through the projector, generating feverish movements. Another example is 96/97, in which Harada documents an afternoon in Tokyo in the 2000's: cooking a favourite soup, washing dishes, listening to the radio and strolling through the park. His current video works combine images with sounds that are at first glance unaffiliated with them, but whose relationship gradually synchronizes within the montage.
In terms of inspiration or influence, Harada speaks of the filmmakers who have affected him in a lasting way: Peter Kubelka (in image and sound), Michael Snow (in the possibilities of the single take), Stan Brakhage (in his handmade films), Jack Smith (in the shock of his Flaming Creatures), and Akira Kurosawa (in the structure of his sequences). As Harada is fluent in German, German or German-speaking influences can also be discerned. There is that of Werner Herzog - to quote Harada: "I like his films." That of Wim Wenders, although "maybe not so much now." On Thorsten Fleisch - "He's a very good friend of mine; we studied together." Not to forget Roland Krüger, on whom Harada notes: "He was an assistant in the film class when I started studying film at the Städel. And he made beautiful films with the Einzelbildaufnahme (single-frame shooting), which influenced me in my work then, on Super 8, and also now, in photo-collage."
Harada describes the beginnings of his filmmaking career: "At first, I learned German as a second language during my time at university in Japan. At that time I did theatre (acting, directing, writing) in a small group and at some point I wanted to make feature films myself. By the way, my first feature film was difficult to understand and very bad - Kubelka called it "nothing" on the entrance exam. I then wanted to study film in Germany, at that time due to the influence of Wim Wenders, and took the entrance exam twice at the HFF in Munich. Of course, I failed twice, too difficult for an arrogant Japanese without good ideas. The second time I took the entrance exam at the Städel at the same time, because a woman at the Film Museum in Frankfurt am Main simply gave me information that you can also study film nearby. So I didn't know at all who Kubelka or Kasper König was, or what kind of school the Städelschule was. Kubelka found one Super 8 film acceptable, and I, almost 30 years old at the time, was initially accepted as a guest student. Kubelka told me to improve my German so I could understand what he was saying. That's how it all started."
I present here an introduction to several of Harada's 16mm films. For me, Harada's work is always in search of the absolute that the avant-garde has arrived at: the "abstract" or "nonobjective" in art. His films offer an exciting sociological look at how private space can be distinguished from public space, for example in language, clothing and, not least, food.
24.12.1996 SCHWARZFILM MIT LICHTTON (1997)
A conversation between the filmmaker and his mother in the purest form; cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, about the Japanese Embassy hostage crisis in Peru. Calling for a delivery of noodles for lunch, but the delivery service is closed. Starting to cook udon noodles. A telephone dialling, a car ride. The noodles are cooked and people talk about Germany. The sound of the cooking appliances: rattling and sizzling. A pure focus on the conversations.
FRÜHSTÜCK (1996)
A man and a woman. It is early morning. They are not quite awake yet. She eats a little. He smokes.
96/97 (1997)
Harada's first sound film examining the connection between sound and image and the possibilities of sound film. Its images were taken without looking through the viewfinder of the camera. This material was used to compose the structure, scene by scene - before the actual filming and of course before the editing of the film, Harada deliberately refused to produce any kind of concrete plan, wanting instead to feel a sense of what was created in the act of putting the images together. Pictures and sound in the film are from his private life: shopping, cooking, eating, washing up, walking.
97/98 (1998)
A sequel to Harada's first sound film 96/97, in which he examined the possibility of colour expression and the possibility of sound film. But 97/98 is not only about his private life, it shows also how he thinks and works cinematically. The unplanned working method of this film is intentionally the same as in 96/97, so that Harada could also feel from the process the answer to what the exact content of 97/98 would be.
SCHWARZFILM (1995)
Dark Edding pen was applied to the 16mm blank film, pressed directly onto the blank film and lubricated with the fingers. A few fingerprints can still be seen. Then, a dupe-negative of this blank film was produced in the film laboratory. So, no camera was used, and the film was not reworked.
WEISSFILM (1996)
Here the production method was similar to SCHWARZFILM, but white silicone (joint sealant) was applied to the 16mm blank film with the fingers instead. Again, no camera was used, and the film was not reworked.
NATURFILM (2007)
In this film everything is in constant motion: the water, the light, waves and wind. The elements cross and confront each other here, and as this happens, the colours and sounds are set in motion too. This project started as an idea for a 'simple' film: frame, material and sound were designed as simply as possible.
BLAUFILM (2000)
This film was made by hand with materials 16mm blank film (100m), transparent silicon, and blue pigment (Prussian-Paris blue), without a camera. There are 14,000 continuous blue pictures in this film without cuts. The reality of this work is the continuity of emotion and feeling expressed by the colour blue - a highly spiritual colour, Harada shows its emotional significance. The deeper it is, he shows, the more it awakens a desire for the eternal. You can see it dotted poignantly about in this film, sometimes as part of a far-off backdrop, and often as the outline of a mysterious mountain settlement.
LAMPENSCHWARZ (2003)
Created by using 16mm blank film and black pigment, which has been manually rubbed into a layer of transparent silicone. In projection, it becomes a rapid and infinitely complex hypnagogic vision. Frame by frame, this film shows 17,000 of these different black and white images through the rapid speed of the projector. Black surface meets white surface, fabricated by the projection lamp.
Harada also continues to produce work in digital format, in the form of both photography and short works of film. Image and sound in these works at first glance often seem to have no relation to each other, until Harada links them and gives the viewer the opportunity to make his or her own connections. Harada publishes these digital works on his Youtube channel, goharadatokyo, in which the short works form an almost orchestral structure. I list a few of them here to give an insight into his approach:
NAKAMEGURO 28.11.2014
Image: cherry trees with blue lights along the Meguro river (Nakameguro) / Sound: several conversations and ladies photographing in the blue cave in Nakameguro (... yes, Lisa arrived at the restaurant, I call her ... somehow, I wish here, here to be lightend ... blue ... we are just in front of ... Nami-chan ... oh, is this ... to that way, to that big street ... all together now! (shutter sound) ... ah, light ... hahaha ... my eyes hurt me …).
SHIBUYA 28.06.2008
Image: power pole (Ohashi, Meguro) / Sound: rhythm music from a small speaker and street bustle on Center Street in Shibuya.
KOBE 30.11. - 02.12.2018
Image: family trip to Kobe to see a football match and to eat Kobe beef (Hyogo Prefecture) / Sound: conversation between my mother and me on the trip (… well, then, you both come back … yeah … and we will go out soon? … no, no, well, because from two o’clock … after a little rest? … I wanna take a seat, seat, seat, already at one o’clock, half past one … yeah … so, one o’clock, we will arrive at the latest at one o’clock …).
OOKAYAMA 15.07.2019 SHIBUYA 31.03.2018
Image: rusty pedestrian overpass (Ookayama, Meguro) / Sound: noises at a building site beside a passage way (Shibuya) (... ahhh ... hahahaha ... it will be ... everyone, everyone has a bad head ... absolutely ... everybody ... twitter ... still ... after we went there, after we bought our tickets ...).
IKEBUKURO - Sunshine Aquarium 15.06.2019
Image: sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro / Sound: feeding show in the fish tank by a diving lady (... well, but, it is not only fish that live, sometimes a diving lady is underwater traveling, just a moment ago, maybe some of you have seen the lady, but at this timing, she is gone somewhere, first of all, let’s start by calling the lady and please take a good look at the inside of the watertank, nooow, oneeesaaan … wooow, yeees …).
NAKAMEGURO 28.04.2019 EBISU 01.09.2018
Image: Nakameguro area / Sound: conversation between a mother, a son and a daughter on a street in Ebisu (... from 6:45PM ... what, what? ... where are you going to, wait a second! wait a second! ... why mom, like that ... no, you should say it clearly to Randon-kun's mom, otherwise it will be confused ... it doesn’t matter ... no ... so, I'm going to play here ... what should we do? ... I'm going to play ... are you going to play? ...).
SHIBUYA 02.02.2019 SHIBUYA 17.06.2018
Image: Shibuya station under construction / Sound: an old lady talks on a cellphone and asks where she is in Shibuya (… now … well … I am at the exit number nine … well … I am outside … well, what can I say, here … haha … near to bus stops … yes? … hahaha … well, well … well, there is now, there is a Mizuho bank … Mizuho bank is there … Hachiko … Hachiko-mae square … shall go to the left … to the left … well …).
MEGURO 01.01. - 05.01.2019
Image: Harada's mother, sister and himself at New Year celebrations in Meguro / Sound: conversation between my mother, sister and me at dinner ( … you must not borrow money … oh, really? … yeah … let’s eat … yes, let’s eat, I am hungry … I didn’t eat much today … yes, you didn’t … yeah … here … it’s good, it looks delicious … uh-huh … it was the usual lady … uh-huh … eel looked delicious, but it takes too much time … yeah, I will buy it next time).
SHIBUYA HARAJUKU 16.09.2018 HARAJUKU 03.09.2017
Image: The Shibuya area (Konnou Hachimangu shrine during the Autumn Festival; Shibuya Stream along the Shibuya river; Shibuya station) and the Harajuku area (Cat street; Omotesando street; Harajuku station; Takeshita street) / Sound: cries of "Wasshoi wasshoi" by someone carrying a mikoshi, or portable shrine; voices of cicadas in Harajuku.
Sunshine 29.12.2018 MINAMIHAMA BEACH 15.04.2005
Image: Sunshine in Tokyo through a glass filled with red wine / Sound: waves at Minamihama Beach (Kujukuri, Chiba).
To me, Harada's work aims at the very bottom of consciousness. How does this fragile web of memories, ideas and sensual impressions come into being - a web which hardens, or even tears, as soon as one takes hold of it analytically, but which one is quite capable of showing cinematically? A sight or a feeling causes a wave in the mind long before one can formulate the images that go along with it. In Harada's work, this formulation happens not only in the creative process, but also in the audience, whom Harada draws dangerously close to the world he films - keeping a distance just remote enough to preserve a sense of safety.
Claudia Siefen-Leitich lives and works in Vienna as an author, editor and filmmaker. She writes & teaches on film theory, the Japanese avant-garde, and analogue film. She has produced various films of her own: Ludwig's Tape; Hab' so lang auf dich gewartet; GIBS AUF! A Commentary. Written Publications include ALICE IN ILLNESS: «Kranke» Frauen im Film (Marburg; 2022).