A gorgeous world created by fuco:'s circle. Necessary art in a life stripped of all unnecessary things. "Listening Museum #17"

"HERALBONY TONE FROM MUSEUM ~Listening Museum~" is a podcast that started this spring and focuses on the artists signed to the welfare experiment Heralbony.

Sara Ogawa, an actor, filmmaker, and writer, and Takaya Matsuda, CEO of HERALBONY, will be the interviewers. As they listen carefully to the art, they will touch upon the personality and life story of this "unique artist" that can be seen beyond his work.

Our guests this time are fuco:, an artist who draws a world of gorgeous shapes, and her mother Yasuko. We will tell you about the source of her work, which many people enjoy as dresses and bags at HERALBONY, along with her diverse charms.

# A confusing world, an easy to understand world

Ogawa: I went to the "Isai Department Store" (※)! It was amazing!

(* Pop-up store held at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store from July 26th (Wed) to August 8th (Tue) )

Takaya: Thank you very much! And you even got the original artwork. This is your debut as an art collector.

Ogawa: It was my first time purchasing art, and I was so glad that it was from Heralbony.

Takaya: Thank you. I also had a book signing this morning, and there were people there who said, "I listen to every single podcast." I'm sure they'll listen to today's recording too, so I'm looking forward to it.

Ogawa: Each time, this podcast focuses on one unique artist and allows you to enjoy the museum by hearing about the artist and the appeal of their work. Who is our guest today?

Takaya: Today we are welcoming fuco:, an artist from Kitakyushu who lives in Saga Prefecture. She is a really popular artist; when she released her Heralbony tote bags, they instantly sold out.

fuco: "Happy Pink"

Ogawa: The moment I saw this design, I thought, "I've seen this before in Heralbony!" They also have some great dresses and other designs.

Takaya: That's right. Recently, freelance announcer Mika Horii has been wearing one of your dresses, and you've really been getting attention. You're an artist who creates colorful textiles.

Ogawa: The moment you see it, it makes you feel like your heart is instantly lifted.

Takaya: That's exactly right! Today, it seems that she's taking a nap with her mother, but fuco: herself is also here with us.

Ogawa: So, this is fuco: and your mother, Yasuko. Nice to meet you.

Yasuko: Thank you very much.

Takaya: fuco: Right now, you're lying on the sofa with your hands raised, as if you're sunbathing, and you look so happy. You look so relaxed. When I visited you at your home in Saga once, you were sitting in exactly the same position. I wonder if the sofa is your regular spot? You look so relaxed, thank you!

Ogawa: Mom, is this always your usual spot, fuco:?

Yasuko: Yes, that's true. If other family members are sitting there, they tell me to move out of the way (laughs).

Ogawa: I see! It's become an important place for you.

Takaya: My older brother is the same! He also sits right in front of the stove.

Ogawa: This is Iwate, after all. Stoves are important.

Takaya: So, that was a place where no one was allowed to sit except for my brother, and whenever my 4-year-old daughter sat down, he got really angry and said, "Get out of the way!" It's not often that someone tells her to "get out of the way" like that, so she was pretty surprised at first.

Ogawa: Ah, fuco: has woken up. Ah, he's lying down again... Ahh!

Takaya: You're doing abdominal exercises.

Ogawa: You're full of energy! fuco: Your work is so beautiful, but when did you start drawing?

Yasuko: When I couldn't go to school and I was so bored, I gave him some paper and a pen and asked him to draw a circle. It all started when I was a first-year high school student, so about seven years ago.

Ogawa: I see. Have you always had the style of drawing circles and squares like you do now?

Yasuko: I was not good at having free time, so I needed to fill up my schedule, but when I was at home, thinking or solving puzzles was not enough. But I was able to continue "drawing" for hours, so I continued drawing circles for two or three years.

Takaya: Really? When I went to your house, there was already a scroll? A long piece of paper with circles, triangles, and squares drawn all over it. Hmm, how long is it?

Yasuko: The longest one is 10m.

Ogawa: Amazing!

Takaya: I wonder where they get that kind of paper. It's a carpet. A carpet that is a complete work of art.

Yasuko: I usually draw on about 1m of paper, but it takes about 2 hours to finish. I ordered the largest paper, 10m, and had someone draw on it. But I finished that too. And there was no gap at all, the whole thing was drawn.

Ogawa: Amazing... I have a piece called "Happiness Pink" in front of me right now, and it's really beautiful with its colorful polka dots in pink and red, but is this also a fairly large piece?

Yasuko: Yes, most of them are big, but the blue piece is a bit small.

fuco: "Marmix!"

Ogawa: I see.

Yasuko: The size I draw most often is around 110cm, but the other sizes are unusual.

Ogawa: I see. Where does this sense of color come from? What do you think, Mom?

Takaya: After all, "Happiness Pink" is made up entirely of pink, slightly dull brown and red, isn't it? Your other works are also made up of blue, yellow and orange, and I imagine they all have a specific theme, but where do they come from?

Yasuko: I thought it didn't matter what color she used as long as she could draw a circle, but she chose it carefully. Is she drawing a color, a shape, or is she not even thinking about drawing anything and letting out some other energy? Every time she draws, I feel like I can see but can't see what she really wants to do. For example, even if she draws with a pencil, she still draws it the same way. But when I tried changing the size of the paper and bought some sliding door paper at a hardware store and drew on it, the width (of the circle) was different from usual.

Ogawa: Yes, yes.

Yasuko: When I make it, it turns out to be a circle or a triangle with a big gap, and then I wonder if she wants to draw this flow, or if she wants to draw color. Every time I draw something different, I have to think about what she wants to draw.

Ogawa: It really changes depending on the art materials.

Yasuko: Sometimes she draws with a pencil, but even when the lead runs out she still carries on. Because of this, I always wonder what she wants to do.

 Ogawa: Even though they live together, some of the mystery deepens.

Yasuko: That's right. For us, our work is about discovering her through her drawings. However, she is not very good at choosing for herself, "This art material is good today." We often choose things like, "Why don't you draw on this paper today?" or "Use this art material here today so it doesn't get dirty," but she actually has many more channels, and we create art with her through art, hoping to find things that she finds interesting and wants to try.

Ogawa: Is it not just art supplies that are difficult to choose, but also things in your daily life?

Yasuko: Yes, there are many in my daily life. For example, I like helping with housework, and I'm really good at folding towels.

Takaya: That looks good!

Yasuko: But when it comes time to bring in the laundry, I bring in even the ones that aren't dry when the time comes and put them in a drawer, and even my down jacket gets shoved in the washing machine.

Ogawa: That is certainly difficult to understand.
Yasuko: I think it's hard for her to understand what criteria to use to choose, and what to do. So when she started drawing circles, I discovered that she was so into them because they were easy to understand. Up until now, when I told her to draw a tree, she couldn't imagine it at all and it was hard to understand.

Takaya: I see.

Yasuko: There are so many things in everyday life that are difficult to understand, but art gives form to things and you can draw only things that you understand, so I think she became interested in art because of this ease of understanding.

Takaya: I see.

Ogawa: It's interesting. For you, they are easy to understand circles and squares, but if you look closely, you'll see that each one is a different shape, and although they are arranged in a random order, they are balanced. It's mysterious, isn't it?

Yasuko: For example, when I drew on a 10 meter piece of paper, it took me two months even if I drew every day.

Ogawa: Two months!

Yasuko: So, when I was calm, I drew a lot of detailed and careful drawings, but when I was rough, although not yet, the circles were bigger and the colors were different. It's like those two months connected by 10 meters of paper are vividly conveyed. It's not about whether it's pretty or not, but it really feels like the soul, the person, has been shaped as it is.

Ogawa: It's full of energy. By the way, what other art materials do you use besides pencils?

Yasuko: I tried pencils, watercolors, crayons, acrylic paints, and many other things, but the best thing for me was that he could draw whenever he wanted. I don't like having to wait for me to put the brush or paint on him. So, colored pencils require an extra sharpening process, which doesn't match the speed he wants to draw, and someone has to be there with him all the time. So I think pens are the way to go for now.

Ogawa: You tried out a variety of art materials before choosing them.

Yasuko: I think she is the type who wants to express her own energy, rather than drawing something beautiful in detail, so first I look for art materials that don't inhibit that energy. I think it's more exciting to be able to draw as much as you want, rather than saying, "I'm out of paper, so I'll stop here for today," so I try to look for things like that.

#No pockets needed

Takaya: That's amazing. When I visited your house, I felt that you were very particular about things. You said that you remove the pockets from your clothes, right? None of your family members had pockets on their clothes...

Ogawa: What do you mean?

Yasuko: It's fine to remove the things you need, but you want to remove the things you don't need. For example, you want to remove all the tags. Like the tags next to the clothes.

Takaya: Brand tags, for example.

Yasuko: Yes. Your whole family will be taken away.

Ogawa: Amazing!

Yasuko: That's why I often wear clothes with holes on the sides (laughs). Gradually, my family stopped caring about it!

Takaya: Ahahaha!

Yasuko: And the worst thing is pajama pockets. Have you ever used pajama pockets?

Ogawa: Maybe not.

Takaya: I don't use it. I don't put anything in it.

Yasuko: Right. So that's why we take it.

Ogawa: Do you use scissors or something to remove the pockets?

Yasuko: You can pick it up skillfully with your hands.

Takaya: With your hands?!

Yasuko: He's extremely dexterous. He also said he didn't need the belt loops because he'd never used them before.

Takaya: I don't think it's necessary.

Ogawa: That's interesting.

Takaya: I don't get excited about things that I don't think are necessary in terms of functionality.

Yasuko: All the labels on the aroma oils have been removed, so I don't know what they smell like (laughs).

Takaya: That's funny.

Ogawa: Just as your artwork has become more simple, with circles and squares, is your lifestyle also becoming as minimalist or simple as possible?

Yasuko: What we need is not necessary for her, and conversely, we don't need to draw lots of circles, but if she decides that "this is a part of my life," she will continue to do it. I often say, "You never get bored," but that is what she needs. What is necessary for me is not necessarily necessary for her.

fuco: "The Beginning of the Beginning"

Ogawa: So, do you spend most of your day drawing? How do you spend your time?

Yasuko: I go to a welfare facility during the day, so I'm there from morning until evening.

Ogawa: What kind of things do you do there?

Yasuko: We work at a welfare facility, and our family's disability is classified as severe, so we provide daily care, and there are days when we take them for walks or to the pool.

Takaya: I heard rumors that he loves swimming pools so much that he sometimes goes there during recordings.

Yasuko: That's right. When she gets bored or feels like she's being forced to do something meaningless, she starts tearing her clothes and things like that. So, it's important for her to find out what she wants to do and what is meaningful to her. That's when art came into play.

Ogawa: I see.

Takaya: Your mother was standing behind you, looking up the whole time, with her eyes open, listening the whole time, and it seemed like fuco: was trying to understand what her mother was saying.

Yasuko: I've also heard stories about amazing people.

Takaya: I'm sure she's thinking, "Are they talking about me right now?"

Yasuko: (He's looking up) He's probably concentrating on listening and not looking at me.

Takaya: I see!

Yasuko: So we went to an orchestra concert together, and each member of the orchestra moves differently, and the conductor moves a lot, which is distracting. So she was looking in the opposite direction, but she was listening with extreme concentration.

Ogawa: When you listen to something, you just concentrate on listening. That's amazing. By the way, I heard that you're good at other things besides drawing. You have perfect pitch, right?

Takaya: That's right, I remember now! When I visited you at your home, you played for me.

Ogawa: Wow! Did you learn to play an instrument when you were little?

Yasuko: I've been learning since I was in the sixth grade, but when I was little I had hyperacusis, so I knew I could hear very well. But when I played music because I thought he liked it, he'd panic. I wondered why, and it turned out he couldn't stand it if the singer was different, or if the key was a little different, or the rhythm was a little different.

Ogawa: Ah.

Yasuko: I've always been sensitive to sounds, which can be a challenge in life, but when I thought about how I could make use of that, I started playing the piano. Then, because I'm also very sensitive to visual information, I was able to instantly understand the music score and play with both hands.

Takaya: Wow! That's interesting!

Ogawa: Your profile also says that you "performed on stage at a recital within three months."

Takaya: Also, there's something I wanted to ask you about fuco:. fuco:, you never talk to people yourself, but I get the feeling that you really like people. We've never had a conversation, but it seems like we'd have fun spending time together. But in your response to the questionnaire beforehand, you said that you "may talk when it's dangerous," so I was curious about when you would talk to me.

Yasuko: When they want something, they say it one-sidedly. Like, "Turn on the air conditioner!" In the end, I think they only talk when they need to. When we need something, if they ask, "Which do you want?" they answer, "This one." So I think they have a conversation without talking.

Takaya: A conversation without talking. That's deep.

Ogawa: Do you usually speak very few words?

Yasuko: Not many. But we don't always mean what we say.

Takaya: They've surpassed the Maasai!

Yasuko: They're like insects (laughs). They're trying hard to read the words that the staff are writing on the blackboard in the distance. So, these people have that kind of sensitivity, but also that kind of superiority, and it's really interesting for me to feel that from what they draw, "Maybe that's what it means?" This is true for music and painting, and I also do embroidery, which is interesting.

Ogawa: Do you also do embroidery?

Yasuko: I was originally doing sashiko, which my teacher taught me in elementary school. But then one day I was given a huge amount of thread. It was so much that I wanted to say, "Is this a craft store?" (laughs). I wanted to do something with it, but the sashiko I had been doing only sews where there are lines. So I bought the biggest square wooden frame I could, handed over the thread and fabric, and after thinking for a while, I neatly filled the frame. It was packed tight.

Ogawa: So you buried it.

Yasuko: I think she probably felt like she was drawing lots of circles and filling up a piece of paper. Once she'd finished filling it in, she shifted the fabric and started filling it in again.

Takaya: That's amazing.

Takaya: Yes, exactly.

Yasuko: So, actually, she is the one who is more likely to pay attention to what the other person really thinks. Likes this person, dislikes that person, etc.

Ogawa: I've heard a lot of interesting stories. He's also good at puzzles, and apparently he completed 1,000 pieces in three hours.

Takaya: That's amazing!

Yasuko: A lot of kids with autism love puzzles.

Ogawa: Do you have an incredible ability to concentrate?

Yasuko: Yeah. I think my eyesight is really like 8.0 (laughs).

Takaya: They've surpassed the Maasai!

Yasuko: They're like insects (laughs). They're trying hard to read the words that the staff are writing on the blackboard in the distance. So, these people have that kind of sensitivity, but also that kind of superiority, and it's really interesting for me to feel that from what they draw, "Maybe that's what it means?" This is true for music and painting, and I also do embroidery, which is interesting.

Ogawa: Do you also do embroidery?

Yasuko: I was originally doing sashiko, which my teacher taught me in elementary school. But then one day I was given a huge amount of thread. It was so much that I wanted to say, "Is this a craft store?" (laughs). I wanted to do something with it, but the sashiko I had been doing only sews where there are lines. So I bought the biggest square wooden frame I could, handed over the thread and fabric, and after thinking for a while, I neatly filled the frame. It was packed tight.

Ogawa: So you buried it.

Yasuko: I think she probably felt like she was drawing lots of circles and filling up a piece of paper. Once she'd finished filling it in, she shifted the fabric and started filling it in again.

Takaya: That's amazing.

Someday across the sea

Ogawa: You seem to excel in many areas, from music to painting to embroidery. By the way, when did you first encounter HERALBONY?

Takaya: Was that a contest? I wonder if it started when you applied.

Yasuko: That's right.

Takaya: Previously, there was a contest to make handkerchiefs using Heralbony, and the work submitted by fuco: was so beautiful that I thought I wanted to work with her on something. Since then, I've been making one-piece dresses and other gowns, and so many people are wearing them. fuco: herself wears them all the time, too! They really suit her!

Ogawa: What was your reaction when you saw your work turned into clothing, fuco:?

Yasuko: I think the first time you saw it was in a store in Shibuya, right?

Takaya: That's right! When we held a pop-up at Shibuya Scramble Square, fuco: and her family came as guests for the main event.

Yasuko: At that time, all the staff were wearing them too, and it was really impressive.

Takaya: It was beautiful!

Yasuko: What's more, it matched the sales floor really well, and it looked very bright and lit up.

Takaya: It was kind of like a play. That's true.

Yasuko: It was really beautiful. I don't know if she realized it was her own work or if she just thought it was a glamorous place, but it was so beautiful that I'll never forget it.