"New-Method" No. 35

"New-Method" No. 35

We introduce No. 35 of our email bulletin with our works and guest contributions. This issue features Yuki Harada for the contributor, an artist as well as the editor and a contributor of the book "Essays on works and reception of Lassen in Japan" published in June 2013.

[Contribution]

Something New-Method
Yuki Harada (Artist)

1. Exposition

"New-Methodicist Manifesto" declared in 2010 is the first manifesto by New-Methodicist. It asserts "New-Methodicist Manifesto is the manifesto of New-Methodicism," "New-Methodicism is what is declared here," and "We are the New-Methodicist." Also, their latest manifesto "New-Methodicist Rock-Paper-Scissors Manifesto" states that "Rock beats Scissors while beaten by Paper," "Paper beats Rock while beaten by Scissors," and "Scissors beats Paper while beaten by Rock."

Their thoroughly tautological manifestos seem to try distancing themselves from the reader as far as possible, but it is not really true. If I can tell my personal impression here, no doubt that I did sense a certain nuance in those manifestos when I met New-Method for the first time. It had long been the biggest mystery I found with New-Method.

The mystery lies inherently in what can be called "something New-Method" - a certain group of other meanings anticipated by and around a nonsense tautology "New-Method is New-Method." In reality, the letters "New-Method" and the sounds "new-method" suggest a certain kind of "something" out of these words "New/new" "-" "Method/method," and "New-method" is understood vaguely as "New-Method" including such "something."

In this sense, New-Method as defined in their manifestos appears in reality simultaneously as New-Method in its own definition and as what approximates to "something New-Method." Let's see its specific examples.

(Note: The full text is available on our website due to its length. Please visit the URL below.)
http://7x7whitebell.net/new-method/harada_e.html

[Web Works of the New-Methodicists]

[Information]

- "New-Method at GaietyTheater" Dec. 28, 2013, GaietyTheater, Kanagawa.  http://www.iwasaki.ac.jp/museum/ (Details are still to come.)

- "History of Bigakko"  http://7x7whitebell.net/new-method/history_e.html

- "New-Method" official webpage has been updated.  http://7x7whitebell.net/new-method/

- Takahiro Hirama has updated his website.  http://qwertyupoiu.archive661.com/

- Shogo Baba has updated his website.  http://7x7whitebell.net/

- Masaru Kaido has updated his website.  http://masarukaido.com/

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[Editor's Note]

The bulletin "New-Method" became bimonthly from the previous issue. The next issue will be published on February 4, 2014. With best wishes for a happy new year. (M)