Here are the details of our opening event, which took place towards the end of December 2007. It was a cold rainy evening, but we were encouraged by the turnout- about 50 people came through the door despite the awful weather. Jetvell couldn't make it as he was suffering from a cold, but I managed to find some video footage from a PMP event in Hikone circa 1999, and it was with this footage that the event opened. Jeff agreed to perform at our next event in Feb, and he's on the bill, so if you missed him live last December, you can see him in February. Following the video, we had Sean Roe's installation/performance with 60 alarm clocks all set to go off at 9.00pm.
As most of the clocks were bought from the local 100 yen shop, they had a pretty relaxed attitude to time keeping, with some going off before the performance started at 8.50pm. Still the amplified and processed sound of these clocks ticking and sounding off, created a subtle metronomic soundscape that was enlivened by some 60 bpm percussion samples also brought into the mix as the performance progressed. Mariko Tajiri performed next, a very simple and understated performance using a video camera connected in live relay to a monitor, she manipulated objects (a leaf? a glass of water, pieces of paper..) very close to the camera lens on macro setting, which were viewable to the audience on the tv monitor.This created a kind of digital shadow theatre, the images drifting in and out of focus. Overlaid was the soundtrack of garden sounds,wind,birds calls playing in the background playing through the PA system.The condensation on the front window behind the stage created an interesting backdrop to the performance.And then a bit of fun from Akira, 5 year old Crayon Shinchan fan up next, treated us to his song Onara Burri Burri with strange references to terrorist poo, and (you got it... smelly farts...) The kids of today eh...
Cell 63 performed next- Nick and JP (wearing cool headband) abusing their gameboys, creating out of customised, processed and looped 8 bit music samples a sound that was at times almost dub like- bass patterns repeated with some comical plinky plonk synth sound overlays. Both performers looked extremely relaxed, like they were playing in their own living room. Hiromi Shirai, a performance artist from Kobe performed next, kneeling on a stool centre stage, she proceeded to eat a very fine sheet of pastry, pale skin like, that was draped over her face. 
Without the use of her hands the thin sheet was drawn into her mouth by her tongue, quite a strange and unsettling performance to view up close. Next up some guests On Furukawa, Reiko Kiyama and Taka did some dance improv, managing to get up close and personal with an unsuspecting audience, dancing on the counter and literally climbing the walls.Donald the Nut, performed Avi (Freeform Hybridized Idiosyncratic Performance Art) in a Santa Suit- not so easy to forget its Christmas in Japan....
Donald is consistently creating the craziest performances I've seen here in Kyoto, at times heartfelt and then lurching into something altogether more primal and deranged. Donald is from Three Day Stubble, try get some of their recordings if you can, or do a search on Youtube.The final work was a video piece by Ritsuko Hidaka, a simple one minute video text piece titled "colours". DJ AFRIphoniCAAAA played between the performances and after. The crowd departed into the rain with some of us staying back to drink 200 yen whisky and finish the Oden.After hanging out I was hung over.Junkroom Vol 1
Sat 22nd December 2007
12／22（土）８pm start 500yen (1drink)
Live performance and Video
ライヴパフォーマンス＆ビデオ
参加アーティスト
Ritsuko Hidaka 日高理都子
Jetvell
Cell 63
Donald the Nut performs AVI
Hiromi Shirai 白井ひろみ
Mariko Tajiri 田尻まりこ
Sean Roe
Plus Surprise Guests
music by DJ AFRIphoniCAAAA...
Junkroom address
葵リサイクルショップ 2階
京都市左京区下鴨東本町11−３ 葵ビル
