text as image - a japanese cinematic interpretation

As always an exciting and provocative discussion in class today.

I offer an additional screening and reading relating to the presentation today of PILLOW BOOK and Greenaway's approach to text, the book, cultural difference and multimedia:

1. KWAIDAN, 1964, Japanese film directed by Masaki Kobayashi, especially the section "Hoichi". A horror film of sorts but not in the sense of gore. Rather more suspense and a bit of horror. Bodies protected by word/images of Buddhist prayers written on them. Interesting conceptual and visual dynamic with PILLOW BOOK. (This film is in OCAD library, not on reserve.)

2. "Atomic Light (Shadow Optics)", a book by Akira Mizuta Lipsett, especially chapter 5, Exscription/Antigraphy. In this chapter Lipsett deals with Kwaidan and text as image inscribed on body but from the perspective of the racialized/othered japanese body, a body constructed/inscribed/medicalized/experimented/transparented/ destroyed by atomic weapons/particles, which render archives/memory impossible, except as bodily experience. Amazing philosophical range in his writing.

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David Mc