What were your inspirations and intentions for the exhibit?

Namaiki: Inspirations; The place and space to make a mess. A recurrent obsession with animals and their role played in the world today. Sketchbooks from our recent european tour. Mischeviousness. Intentions; To confirm a hunch that collaborative process should be allowed to follow its own logic – and will produce interesting and intriguing work that will surprise both collaborators and audience. To work with drawing in a way usually associated with music. (esp. improvisation.)

Keiji Ito: Animals, fruits and music, drawing and improvisation, suddenness and accident, are our inspiration. The tape drawings in the venue were very from these.

You are often working in different media, please comment on how you feel about creative freedom and your range of art projects.

Namaiki: Creative freedom is something you give to yourself. The greater range of things we can imbue with our own sense of fun (nonsense?), the more meaningful our lives become.

Keiji Ito: To create something is the same as to breath, eat, and sleep. I think that to create balances our body, brain and soul.

What are your current and future projects?

Namaiki: Unit_bath live and dvd. Strange kinoko’s 2002 performances. ‘technique and picnic’ at Parco. The Namaiki submarino for Yamaha Motorycles. A new media library rescource for people in need (us). Maybe something with ecosystems.

Keiji Ito: The publication and exhibition for the new portfolio ‘Super Cassette Sounds’, and Versus Exhibition at Parco Square 7. I think I did more but I have just forgot.

Any message to Shift readers and viewers?

Namaiki: Command option control & escape.

Keiji Ito: Do you want to eat something?

VERSUS 02: Keiji Ito vs. Namaiki
Date: August 20th – September 1st, 2001
Place: DEPOT
Address: 2-43-6 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 (0)3 5773 5502
https://www.namaiki.com