The event C.P. CAVAFY IN TOKYO is part of the ACN Culture Night and of "Athens 2018 World Book Capital" - City of Athens, of which major donor is Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

On Friday, October 5th, 2018, at 20:00, at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology Kostas Kotsanas (6 Pindarou str., Kolonaki, Athens) the European Animation Center will screen animation films by students of Musashino Art University in Tokyo based on C.P. Cavafy's poetry. The project has been held during 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2018 academic years. His poems will be read in Greek and Japanese by the attendees, and a pοwer point of sketches and poems in Japanese will be screened.

Mr. Stylianos Papalexandropoulos*, a professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and a knowledgeable Japanese language and culture, will be referring to Poetry and Poets of Japan.

 

The event is under the auspices of the Embassy of Japan in Greece

 

Αdmission free.

 

 

— Head of the project is Dino Sato, animator.

These animations based on the Cavafy's poems were produced as the assignments in my classroom in the Musashino Art University. The program as creating the animations has been for 4th since the proposal from Mr. Vassilis Boutos (European Animation Center) in 2013.

Cavafy is the representative poet in Greece, but he and his poem are almost unknown in Japan. The book translated to Japanese¹ was published about 30 years ago but it has been already discontinued now. So, most students didn't know him and his poems until the assignment. But then students can try to create animations without the prejudice. As you can see these works, the students produced the animations with many various styles and expressions freely.

Making animation based on Cavafy's poem, we can interact with Greece. The students could have the more motivation through this screening in Greek.

In my classroom, I aim to produce the languageless animation. It is expressed with image, motion, and music only. I am pleased if you have the interest in the comparison between the verbal poem and the nonverbal animation.

We needed the book translated in Japanese, not in Greek or English, to make the animations. It is explained about the background and the thought in his poems. So, we could read many poems quickly, understand them deeply, and make unique animations with the native language.

Now English is the common language practically in the world. On the one hand English is very useful language, but on the other hand, there are such worries for the linguistic diversity loss. In this time, because I felt the significance of translating into the native language, I could re-consider the importance of local languages. But there are international students from Korea and Thai in my classroom. I express great respect for their linguistic ability.

I think this program C. P. Cavafy in Tokyo is valuable and suitable for the 'Athens 2018 World Book Capital' City of Athens from the perspective about languages, books, and animations.

At last, I someday hope to watch the animations that Greek students create about the Japanese poems that contemporaries of Cavafy wrote. It will be the good culture comparison and interest us very much.

Dino Sato, 6th Sep. 2018, Tokyo

 

1. Hisao Nakai, “Cavafy, C.P., C.P. Cavafy Complete Poems”, Misuzu Shobo, 1991. 

 

 

The movies 

 

2013

 

01. Title: In the Street

Poem: In the Street (1916)

Direction: Kai KATO

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 25sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

“He drifts aimlessly down the street”, this sentence is included in the poem “In the Street”. It was very impressive for me. So, I made an animation that young man floats around streets.

 

 

 

02. Title: Monotony

Poem: Monotony (1908)

Direction: Takamura KAWASAKI

Sex: Male

Duration Time: 30sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

For this exhibition, I decide to make an animation which is based on “Monotony”, a poem written by C.P. Cavafy, because I think “Monotony” has topics which still stands to reason to the present day and not a mere historical story. I read the boring days which repeat the same day and weary feelings from this poem, so I tried expressing the repeating of the days and the passage of time by repetition of the same image and tearing off a sheet of a calendar. I want this animation to serve as a warning not to spend monotonous days.

 

 

 

03. Title: Salome

Poem: Salome (1896)

Direction: Sae MATSUMURA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 30sec.

Quicktime MPEG-4 / Audio Stereo

 

Since the story has been already completed in the poem, it was difficult how I should tell effectively. I was worried about the expression of the last scene. The contrast with the quiet and intense love by Salome, and the cool indifference by Sophist. I think Salome wanted Sophist to notice the existence of love. Therefore, her sacrificed head is nobly beautiful. I hope him to feel uncomfortable with the lack at least. Love, Salome.

 

 

 

04. Title: Gray

Poem: Gray (1917)

Direction: Haruka NARITA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 27sec.

Quicktime MPEG-4 / Audio Stereo

 

The character in the animation is an elderly man. When he saw an opal, he remembered his former lover with the eyes like opal. The present his loneliness, the fading memories, the impressive eyes of the former lover, I tried to express these three points intensively.

 

 

 

05. Title: Candles

Poem: Candles (1899)

Direction: Yuuna SHIBATA

Sex: Female

Music: KK

Duration Time: 1min. 35sec.

Quicktime H.264 / Audio Stereo

 

"There is an old man here. He remembers his life and his beloved family, when he is about to die. He looks back on the past and feels old days, and accepts his death with his happy memories. He didn't think a death is fear. "I tried to make a work that can sense my own story straight. The warmth and loneliness of the old man. An encounter and a separation. I express his different death that Cavafy thought.

 

 

 

06. Title: Chaldean Image

Poem: Chaldean Image (1896)

Direction: Sawa SHIRATORI

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 20sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

Sometimes, unreasonable things happen in lives. Some people call it fate. Some people call as the mischiefs of God. But if these are the working of nature to be repeated in a very long time, what do you think? We must have a life as wonderful one at such time. Would it be silly? It is very natural for me. Hatred and awe, the those who govern, the those who decline. There is nothing to be sad.

 

 

 

07. Title: Sipping tea

Poem: An Old Man (1897)

Direction: Kenta SUZUKI

Sex: Male

Music, Sound Effects: SUZUKI Kenta

Duration Time: 45sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

Occasionally your scenes at the bottom of your heart for a long time, come to your mind gradually. Drinking tea, these will go down into the bottom of your heart again.

 

 

 

08. Title: Long ago

Poem: Long ago (1914)

Direction: Syuzo YAMAGUCHI

Sex: Male

Duration Time: 39sec.

Quicktime MPEG-4 / No Sound

 

I draw a vague memory of his precious as a rotoscope animation. It's based on "Long ago".

 

 

 

09. Title: A Prince from Western Libya

Poem: A Prince from Western Libya (1928)

Direction: Jinichi ITO

Sex: Male

Duration Time: 20sec.

Quicktime MPEG-4 / Audio Stereo

 

When a prince from the western Libya came back his room, he took off his outside used in a town. Then he stretched and relaxed his solid body and breathes a weak sigh. I wanted to express these as comical animations. I made a dusty image on the whole, because I represented that he is very tired.

 

 

 

10. Title: ITHAKA

Poem: ITHAKA (1911)

Direction: Rio IWATSUBO

Sex: Female

Music: BANRI

Duration Time: 17sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

I visualized the poem "Ithaka" as a short movie. The poem said that if Odysseus had a strong mind on the way to Ithaka, he didn't run across cyclopes, Laestrygones and Poseidon. A hero ran on the sea in special boots. She was attacked by Giants and Poseidon, but she could ride out the crisis with strong mind and the boots. At last she came back Ithaka. I had my friend make the music for this movie.

 

 

 

 

11. Title: Walls

Poem: Wall (1896)

Direction: SHIBATA Oju

Music, Sound Effects: MusMus

Sex: Male

Duration Time: 46sec.

Quicktime MPEG-4 / Audio Stereo

 

I expressed a poem as a typo motion. It is not a reading aloud or to express pictures. I tried to represent a vision with texts and motions. I felt “delicate” blockades in the poem, when I read it. I hope to visualize "delicate" that I can't describe.

 

 

 

 

2016

 

01. Title: Blink of Rose

Poem: For the Shop (1913)

Direction: Natsuna KIMURA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 1min. 05sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

This animation was focused on the softness of flowers and lights. I represented the soft roses as human's movement. I am glad if you feel the images like glittering treasure.

 

 

 

02. Title: Chandelier

Poem: Chandelier (1914)

Direction: Kaori TSUNODA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 48sec. 07f

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

"Chandelier" is the story about a man. There was a room in his body. It was small and without windows. The chandelier was burning there. The chandelier of flames. Any light can't go near that is burning quietly. And this love cannot go anywhere.

 

 

 

03. Title: Rain

Poem: Rain (1894)

Direction: Taku HAMAMOTO

Sex: Male

Duration Time: 1min. 30sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

This video work is the expression of a raining scene composed of stop-motion and movie. I used only paper as material, only circle shape as water representation. The colors it contains is only paper-white and gradation of shadows. Elements are limited, so mainly the motions make it looks rain, that's what I tried to do. Also, I synchronized sound and video to make the pleasant rhythm of the rain.

 

 

 

04. Title: Rain

Poem: Rain (1894)

Direction: Nao MISAWA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 47sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

This drawing animation expressed that sleeping trees in the dry soil sprout by raining. When I read this poem first, the joy and emotion that the dry soil gets wet came into my mind. I tried to represent these as human.

 

 

 

05. Title: In despair

Poem: In despair (1923)

Direction: Rei TAKANO

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 2min.30sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

"He lost her completely". This expression is repeated any time in this poem. He can't have forgotten HER truly, and he made love HER through a new woman. It is just a role play for him. SHE who cut fetters of sexual desires voluntary and was away from him. He who is looking for a substitute for HER and playing the dolls enthusiastic. The woman who is loved as the vestige in him. The red ribbons connect them, twin around them and are never cut.  Those are the grotesque ties, regret, love and despair.

 

 

 

06. Title: I want to rub a donkey.

Poem: The house with the garden (1917)

Direction: Haruka TAKI

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 43sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

There is the woman who is attracting by life in the countryside. In the movie, the time in the countryside passes slowly. Because I felt the love for a donkey strongly in the poem, I focused on it especially.

 

 

 

07. Title: Foreboding

Poem: But the Wise Perceive Things about to Happen (1915)

Direction: Kanako YAJIMA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 35sec. 09f

2016

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

"Ordinary people only know what’s happening now, but the gods know future things. The wise can foresee the sound of future because he is between the two. The blue butterfly let him know the footsteps of a war. But the old wise could only know it". I tried to express the coming war and the calm before the storm.

 

 

 

08. Title: GRAY

Poem: GRAY (1917)

Direction: Praiwattana SUPITTRA (Thailand)

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 30sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

A grayish opal ring on a hand brought back those dear gray eyes from a deep gray memory. Sadly, those beautiful gray eyes of his only exist in vague memories.

 

 

 

09. Title: Nowhere

Poem: In despair (1923)

Direction: Yukiko OTA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 24sec. 01f

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

He thought that he lost her completely. But he wanted to think each new lover is her. Today he also imagined the red lips that he could never touch.

 

 

 

10. Title: Light of life

Poem: Candles (1899)

Direction: Sonoka ONODA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 57sec. 09f

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

A life is like a candle, it is lighted up and burned out. I represented the life as drawing of flames. I want to tell that a life is beautiful wave flame and a sadness of death like disappearing suddenly.

 

 

 

 

2017

 

01. Title: In the Boring Village

Poem: In the Boring Village (1925)

Direction: Bomi KIM

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 1min. 22sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

In the poem, the working man in a boring village always seeks excitements.And the men of today spend a daily grind.I thought there are similarities between the two.The working man in the village wants to go to a city.But I want to go to the sea because I can take it easy there.A job is important, but rest is also more important.

 

 

 

02. Title: Fear

Poem: Fear (1894)

Direction: Kaori YAMAMOTO

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 42sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

I fear the night and the darkness.I worry that strange someone sneaks into my room.He will make me turn something different and cold.I can't stop thinking, once I imagine it.Then I am getting to see something invisible.The fear that expands in only myself, I represented it.

 

 

 

03. Title: Gray

Poem: Gray (1917)

Direction: Momo KIKUCHI

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 2min 03sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

I represented "Gray" in the Cavafy's poem as the animation.The jewel makes him remind the eyes of the lover.I tried to show this sad and beautiful memory with colors and movements.

 

 

 

04. Title: Blood

Poem: Come Back (1912)

Direction: Rio KUROSAKI

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 1min 30sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

Endless streams of our blood pulsate, wave and entangle.The invisible movements from surface gradually rule the space in the body in a rhythm."When an old longing again moves into the blood"I made the theme based on the sense of being alive in this phrase.And I represented the movement by the artery and the vein with music.

 

 

 

05. Title: To invite ghosts

Poem: To invite ghosts (1920)

Direction: Kanami SATO

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 2min 03sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

Cavafy who is the poet, he lighted candles and invited the ghosts of his friends.I tried to make a warm film like a silhouette with lighting plays.

 

 

 

06. Title: Death of A General

Poem: Death of A General (1899)

Direction: Satomi ISHIKAWA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 1min.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

When General woke up, the uncanny hand was pointing to his brow.Even if he tried to remove, he couldn't move it at all.And he couldn't even wake up.But General noticed gradually that the hand was the existence to tell him his fate.The citizens with the mourning and tears were gathering.General realized his hand pointed to himself.It made him feel the fear.

 

 

 

07. Title: Fall asleep

Poem: Voices (1904)

Direction: Ai NOMURA

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 58sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

This film was inspired by those phrases in the poem, “in dreams”, “deep in thought”, and “like music at night, distant, fading away”. I expressed the weak anxiety which I sense when I fall asleep, the comfort like being held by the calm ocean, and that the morning filled with the light always come to me.

 

 

 

08. Title: An Old Man

Poem: An Old Man (1897)

Direction: Nanaka MIYOSHI

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 41sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

When a tired old man was taking a break in the cafe, he went into his dream. He danced with an unknown beautiful woman in the dream. Waking up, the woman in the dream was in the front of him.

 

 

 

 

2018

 

01. Title : Longings

Poem: Longings (1904)

Direction: Natsumi MURANO

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 1min.05sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

This poem is written about the dead body, but I feel it's very beautiful. Knowing that it may sound imprudent, recently at the funeral of my relative, I felt it's so beautiful. It seemed like that his face of the dead slept in peace with smiling in contrast with suffering from illness when he was alive. I produced the movie with my longing that a life ends while beautiful until the very end.

 

 

02. Title : The Windows

Poem: The Windows (1903)

Direction : Mako KOITABASHI

Sex : Female

Duration Time : 1min.10sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

She lives looking for the extraordinary door that is hidden in an ordinary life, but she can hardly find out it.

 

 

03. Title: Long ago

Poem: Long ago(1914)

Direction: Momoka UCHIDA

Sex: Female

Duration Time : 0min.55sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

Time passes so slowly in the world where I lost the person I love the most. I feel like the good old days were a long long time ago. Now that I am alone, "his" memories remind me of those days. The sweet and shimmered memories and the lonesome reality. I hope you to watch the comparison and the relationship between the past and the present.

 

 

04. Title : Wall

Poem: Wall(1896)

Direction: Kanechika SATO

Sex: Male

Duration Time : 1min.16sec.

Music: Masahiro ODAMAKI

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

I felt the anger for "those guys" who persecuted me when I read the poem "Wall". But I understood as the character shut his mind by the fear of the impersonal people and the outside world for me who lives in the present. I represented his mentality with this animation.

 

 

05. Title : Candles

Poem: Candles(1899)

Direction: Naoko NAGANE

Sex: Female

Duration Time : 0min.51sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

"The days to come" are lighted and golden candles, "The days gone" are cold, melt and bent. These metaphor are very impressed for me. I also don't want to watch the ugly candles that are the past time.

 

 

06. Title : Half asleep

Poem:To invite ghosts (1920)

Direction: Ayano SUTO

Sex: Female

Duration Time: 0min.55sec.

Quicktime H264 / Audio Stereo

 

I tried to draw my own worldview among the collection of poems that includes a lot of negative or aesthetic ones. I am glad if you watch the film like to read a picture book.

 

 

* Biography

Stylianos Papalexandropoulos is Professor of the History of Religions at the Theological School, of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He specializes in Japanese Religions, mainly in Japanese Buddhism (Dogen Zen). He has studied Theology at the University of Athens and done graduate studies in Switzerland and then at Tokyo University (Japanese Buddhist Philosophy - Nishida Kitaro). PhD University of Athens 1994 with a thesis on "The Japanese Philosopher Nishida Kitaro - Prolegomena to the Problem of his Buddhist Identity". He has kept on doing research in Japan cooperating with various Japanese Universities and Centres of Study. His books include True Reality in the Work of Dogen, Deities and the World in the Mythology of Kojiki, Eastern Religions e.t.c.

 

 

— Athens 2018 World Book Capital - City of Athens is made possible thanks to its donors and contributors. Major Donor is Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Gold Donors are John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation and Core SA. Donors are Onassis Foundation, Welfare Foundation for Social & Cultural Affairs, Laskaridis Foundation and Greek Collecting Society for Literary Works (OSDEL). Valuable contributors are Aegean Airlines, Athens International Airport, and Urban Rail Transport SA (STASY).