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The following
photograph-rich article is about the behind-the-stage story
of a photo shoot produced by the Village Voice newspaper on
November 2, 2006. This article features unused, but truly high
quality photographs taken by the photographer Leslie Van
Stelten. The manuscript was produced by Dr. Eriko N. Bond,
noted art critic and author in New York City, as told by Takeshi
Yamada. Photographs featured in this article were provided by
Leslie Van Stelten.
Leslie Van Stelten’s
Photographs of
Takeshi Yamada
On
November 2, 2006, professional photographer Leslie Van Stelten
visited Takeshi Yamada at his 2-story museum/art production
studio/office complex in Coney Island to photograph him. She was
sent by the Village
Voice weekly newspaper to take a photograph to accompany a full
page article by Silke Tudor about Takeshi Yamada. (The in-depth
interview sessions were conducted on October 30 and 31, 2006.)
The photograph and article were featured in the November 15-21,
2006 issue of the newspaper. In the course of the session nearly
90 large-format digital photographs were taken at three
locations in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.
Yamada believes today’s artists should not hide
behind their art studios and the small community of the art
world. He has been personally photographed (Yamada calls it
“Media Art Performance) and featured in dozens of TV news,
magazines, books, newspapers, art catalogues, and websites.
Regarding his media coverage, Yamada says, “Visual art is a
specialized form of visual communication. The job of visual
artists is to inspire, inform, educate, and motivate people
around us to improve the quality of life. In order to be
effective in today’s society and geopolitical cultural
background, artists must involve more media & public performance
to reach a wider audience.”
Yamada considers his recent series of works as
‘creative super realism’ art that simulates sideshow taxidermy
artworks. Yamada says, “The very definition of taxidermy has
been changing over the last few decades because of the rise of
the Super Realism movement in the mainstream art community in
the 1970’s, and because of the new, economical art materials and
equipment that have been introduced into the traditional
taxidermy industry. Some of Yamada’s works were constructed
completely from animal body parts; others are made of 100%
manmade, synthetic materials; some are a combination of both.
Yamada’s work pays homage to the history and culture surrounding
the time honored tradition of the ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ of
Europe in the early 1600’s. His work also harks back to the
modern American Dime Shows and sideshows that helped popularize
the culture of the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Yamada at Takeshi Yamada’s Museum of World
Wonders
Based
on the tradition of “Cabinet of Curiosities” created in the
early 1500’s in Italy and popularized in the 1600’s in the
Netherlands, Yamada created his private curiosity museum, which
has continued to grow for nearly five decades. “Takeshi Yamada’s
Museum of World Wonders” located in Coney Island, Brooklyn,
offers a collection of unique, odd, and curious specimens and
artifacts from around the world and other planets for the
pleasure of his guests.
Yamada at the Coney Island Canal
The
Coney Island canal was once a major fisherman’s village and the
ribcage –shaped skeletons of many disowned and decomposing large
wooden ships call to mind a graveyard for woolly mammoths.
Yamada found the largest spawning ground of the horseshoe crab
in New York City in this area of beach in 2002. Yamada created a
series of “Japanese Samurai warriors reincarnation masks” using
the carcasses of horseshoe crabs collected there. Yamada sits on
the advisory board of directors of the Delaware Horseshoe Crab
Research Institute (museum). He also serves on the advisory
board of directors of the Ecological Research & Development
Group, Inc. which strives to conserve the world’s remaining four
species of horseshoe crabs.
(www.horseshoecrab.org)
Yamada at the Coney Island Beach
Coney
Island and its unique history inspired Yamada to create a series
of mer-creatures (furry mermaid animals) such as Sea Rabbit,
Tiger Sea Rabbit, Sea Gerbil, Sea Squirrel, Sea Ferret, Sea
Raccoon and others. Yamada takes his Sea Rabbits for a beach
walk regularly.
A Short Moment with Van Stelten
When and how did you become interested in
photography?
Back in 1994, I was living in Central America
working with the Peace Corps. I brought a camera and really
enjoyed photographing the people.
Who is your favorite photographer?
I'm "old school" and think Irving Penn's work is
amazing.
Coney Island was once the center of
amusement park and sideshow entertainment culture. What do you
think of this unique area of New York City?
There is nothing like Coney Island with the freak
show and all the concerts, burlesque festivals, mermaid parades,
and people-watching. I try to visit as often as possible during
the summer.
What do you think of Yamada and
his (taxidermy/super realism) artworks?
I think Yamada is an extremely talented artist
with a unique aesthetic and sense of humor.
Coney Island is facing big changes now.
The Astroland amusement park will be completely destroyed by the
end of this year to make space for a new amusement park. Are you
planning to photograph more about Coney Island, sideshow
performers, and artists?
It is so-oo sad that these changes are going to
occur. I haven't scheduled anything and no work has come my way
on this subject, but yes I hope to photograph more performers
and artists
What kind of photographs you would like
to take in the future?
I often take photos of people in various
countercultures. I hope to continue with that work.
Yamada, Seara (Sea Rabbit), and Van Stelten
TV News Coverage
WNBC
TV news 6:45am, December 9, 2006. (Channel 4 in NYC)
Yamada’s art exhibition at the Coney Island Library was
featured.
Reference:
The
photograph-rich full-page article of Takeshi Yamada in the
Village Voice was featured in the following website.
Village Voice
END
All
rights reserved by Takeshi Yamada, June 2007. All photograph
rights reserved by Leslie Van Stelten.
Takeshi Yamada’s Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island. USA
E-mail: yamada108@aol.com
Special thanks to Eriko N. Bond, Maremi Kakushina, Lauren D.
Travis, Leslie Van Stelten, and Deborah Zingale
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Takeshi Yamada
© 2007
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property of Sideshow World & their respective authors.
Any republication in part or in whole is strictly
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