Inter-View
インター・ビュー Inter-View
キネティックナレッジ（動的知）
– KINETIC KNOWLEDGE –
このインタビューシリーズは、個人がそれぞれどのように動的知を実践しているのかを共有すると共に、私たちの身近にいる素晴らしい人々を紹介し、彼らの存在と芸術を世界に発信できることを目指しています。
This is a series of interviews to study how individuals practice kinetic knowledge on their terms while proudly introducing some of the loveliest humans around us to help the world spot the existence and art that they bring.
Louis
Q1. Who are you?
I am Louis. I was born in Melbourne. I am 30, and I have lived in Tokyo for the last 7 years.
Q2. What do you like the most in the world?
I like new things, new experiences. First time experiences. New information; stimulus.
Q3. What do you hate the most?
I hate mindless repetition. I hate being made to do something without any purpose.
Art
Q4. Why do you make art?
Do I make art? The purpose of art is to translate an idea/concept/information into a non-linguistic form. So, to describe something or convey something that cannot be or doesn’t need to be conveyed by language. So, I think, for me, it’s a way to express ideas that I couldn’t necessarily convey with language.
Q5. What kind of art do you make?
I haven’t made a lot of progress in my art in quite some time, but I make laser-cut acrylic panels, and in the near future, I plan to use these in an installation. I want to create an afterimage using a flashing acrylic panel. An afterimage — the image you see when you close your eyes, is the work itself.
Q6. How do you make your art?
I just do it. When it feels right. To be more specific, with the laser-cut acrylic panels, I would design those on my PC, which could be anywhere, and they usually come from photos, which could be from anywhere, but it’s usually something I’ve taken on my phone or on a digital camera or a film camera. The panels themselves are usually created in an atelier. There are a few ateliers in Tokyo where you can use 3D printers and laser cutters and other equipment. A lab, basically.
Fitness
Q7. Why do you engage in fitness?
Anyone who knows me would say that I don’t really have the personality of a sports guy. And I absolutely agree. I hated sports most of my life and through school, but around the beginning of university, I realised that I could enjoy it for myself, and I could throw away the elements of sports culture I didn’t really enjoy. In that I found self-betterment and self-improvement. Also, the viewpoint that the physical body is an extension of your brain, this also really impacted me. It made me feel like just because I’m committing to lifting a weight or doing a sport or something doesn’t mean I am sacrificing the time that could be used for something intellectually engaging. In fact, they are one and the same, just different outlets.
Q8. What kind of sports/exercises do you like?
The only sport I’ve really seriously engaged with is fencing, which I’ve been doing for the last 10 years or so. So that’s the sport I definitely love the most. I really like lifting weights in the gym. I don’t have a specific program but I find it the most direct way to impact your body in terms of exercise. There is nothing more direct than using physical resistance for the sake of it. You encounter physical resistance in other sports, but in the gym it’s as direct as it gets. I like bouldering recently, I find it kind of meditative and a good social sport. I think that is a sport I can enjoy culturally, because you can do it alongside other people without any stress or with any will for others to fail, I suppose. For me, at least, it’s non-competitive. I love cycling. I’m not sure if I should consider it as a sport because of the way I do it, but it’s a form of exercise, and I really enjoy it. It’s like walking but really fast. You get to see a lot of stuff and it feels good.
Q9. How do you stay fit?
All of the above. I do not have any diet or program or whatsoever. It’s all quite intuitive. I would say I am fairly in tune with my body, I think I eat pretty well. I know when I’ve eaten enough, or not enough. The things I feel I want to consume are pretty healthy, and I enjoy the rewarding sensation of self-improvement and feeling mobile and energetic. Having said that, using a program is definitely a smart idea. Maybe I’ll try one day.
Books
Q10. If you read, why do you read?
New information, new ideas. Something I read a long time ago in a web article was that movies, which functionally are the same as books in this context, allow you to experience the perspective of another. I think it really generates empathy and understanding. It’s intellectually stimulating, too.
Q11. What do you read?
I’m going to have to say I do not read that often. As a child, I was an insatiable, voracious reader. When I pick up a book, I’m going to really attack it. I read a lot of sci-fi last year. I quite enjoy sci-fi when it’s good. The last thing I read was a biography of Haruki Murakami, an author I really like. I read most of his books, I think. I like fiction. In general, I like to experience a lot of different moods in fiction.
Q12. How do you read?
If I’m reading, the book is going everywhere with me. I’ll flip it open on the train, or at an appointment, or when I’m eating at lunch if I can. I like to sit in this very spot right here (Bear Pond, Shimokitazawa), and drink a coffee and read for a bit. I just started using Kindle like two, three days ago. So, I’ll give that a try as well.
But I like to have a book anywhere with me. I like to have minimal preparation. I like to read even on a really packed train. It helps me relax in some way.
Time & Space
Q13. Why did you come to Japan?
Oh, boy. There’s a really long answer to this one, but I’ll give you the short answer. I came here for new experiences, a new language, new people, new food, stimulation like what I said at the start.
And also, I came here once when I was ten, and it left a really significant mark on my memory. The rest of the story, I’m not giving you today.
Q14. Why Shimokita?
The answer to that is a bit underwhelming. My ex-partner, a Japanese girl, took me here a long time ago when I was visiting, before I was living here. I just had a good time here, it was a good vibe and we ended up living here together for a few years. I became really familiar with the area, and I came to appreciate a lot of its aspects. It has great access to the rest of the city. It has good food, the best coffee, it has record stores and all sorts of things that used to entertain me quite a bit, but these days, those are kind of peripheral. But I like the location, I like the vibe. I like how it’s got some energy to it but it’s not as filthy as Shibuya or something. It’s comfortable for me.
Q15. Where are you going (in general)?
Shit, I have no idea. That’s probably the question that I am least able to answer right now. I really don’t know. I’m probably going to be living here, though. Well, I’m going to be living here, yeah. I expect to be traveling more and more over the next few years. I hope to do more work overseas. I hope to add a third language to my skillset. I’m growing independently. I hope to remain somewhat unemployed…I hope to remain self-employed.
Connect
Q16. Where can we find you?
You can find me on Instagram. My main account @prizzawhocares, I have a few sub-accounts for various activities. I’m not shy about it. Just message me if you’re interested in chatting about anything. I’m doing a million different things these days. I’m doing styling, marketing, direction, production, whatever. If you have any ideas or if you want to make something, just ask me.
Q17. Show us your art.
I would love to show you my art. I can show you some from a while ago. But, for the work I really want to show you, you will have to wait a bit – hopefully it will be exhibited somewhere this year.
Q18. To whom do you recommend your webshop?
Anyone with good style. If you buy from my shop, you’ve got great style.
Q19. Any event coming up?
There is my Tokyo Film Club, every month, on the last Tuesday of the month. So, it should be on the 25th this month. And, stay tuned, I am going to launch a Life Drawing Class, it’ll be really fun. There’ll be a test event coming up next month, probably. Stay tuned.
Tankyu 