Shiro Masuyama
Regular time of life
The residency at Cow House Studios was on a farm in a very isolated rural location. Frank, one of the program’s directors, prepares regular meals for resident artists everyday. I found it was necessary for my schedule to coincide with the daily routine of the residency. This need has made me aware that since becoming an artist my daily schedule has been quite irregular. Even after four weeks I have found it difficult for my body to adjust. As an aid to help me deal with the imperatives of time I recorded three sounds on a recordable alarm clock. For the morning I recorded a cow’s cry “Moo, Moo”, and for the daytime I recorded program Co Director Rosie’s voice saying ,”The lunch is ready!” and Frank’s voice saying, “The dinner is ready!”.
Removing obstacles of relationships
On occasion my partner and I are invited to stay as guests with friends, family or acquaintances. It is not uncommon for the guest room to have two single beds as opposed to a double full sized bed. In these circumstances I am always unsure what might be the most comfortable way for us to
sleep, not only as guests in someone else’s home, but as a couple as well. When staying with my partner’s parents, her mother kindly connects the two single beds so we may be together, but in spite of her effort the gap between the two beds gradually spreads throughout the night.
I often find myself falling into this space between the beds creating a small obstacle in our relationship. My accommodation at Cow House Studios has two bunk beds in a small private room. Since my partner planned to visit during my stay, this situation presented the same obstacle we have confronted in the past. I decided to figure out a way my partner and I could sleep together more comfortably. Because the two huge bunk beds occupied most of space in the room, it was difficult to change the layout. My struggle was to transform the two bunk beds into a proper full sized bed regulated by the of size of my room, using readily available materials, careful not to break anything. This simple action was like working out a room sized puzzle.
Building Blocks
When I first visited the countryside surrounding the farm in Ireland, I was impressed by the beautiful landscape, and found the bales of straw situated in the fields resemble dynamic land art. I was curious about how these bales were made as they were all the same exact shape and size, and later discovered they were made by a machine. I set out to make by hand a series of bales in shapes that people had never seen before.
