Art and the Internet for Processes of Participation in

Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Art and the Internet for Processes of Participation in the Protest Actions:
Through Interviews and Twitter Messages Analysis
Takanori Tamura, Hôsei University
1. Introduction
This presentation mainly argues antinuke movements conducted in the Metropolitan area of Tokyo.
What brought them to be involved in the actions? What changes their attitude? We refer result of
religious studies because it studies “changing of attitude,” i.e., conversion. Recent religious studies
claimed that conversion was not like pouring water into a blank bottle. Conversion is a process to
obtain vocabulary and rhetoric of the religious organization (芳賀・菊池裕生 2006、秋庭・川端
2004). If a follower’s belief is developed he can get more involved vocabulary of the religious
organization and comes to use more sophisticated rhetoric of the organization(秋庭・川端 2004:
228-9).
In social actions, we observe similar things. Participants learn vocabulary of the actions
and share collective stories of actions and narrate as his own narrative of life. This is not a sudden
complete conversion, but a continuing of storytelling and rewriting.
We describe how do they get involved in a social movement like antinuke activism through two
artists and one business woman’s interviews and Twitter text analysis.
2. Roles of the Internet and arts for social actions after 3.11 in Japan
The Internet and social actions
Scholars emphasized the role of the Internet for social actions, mainly for spreading information
and organization(Costanza-Chock 2011, 五野井 2012:15, Tufekci & Wilson 2012,Wilson & Dunn
2011). However, they came to recognize limitations. They could reach fewer number of people than
they expected（小熊 2013:322）. Nobody can substitute core organizers’ role.
Besides the pros and cons of the Internet above, the Internet is a place to exchange their
self-narratives and explore interactions. They recognize themselves reflexively through those
language interactions. This presentation argues this aspect of the Internet that works for participation
of people to social actions. There are two cases for the role of internet intercourse. The first one is
the case where exchange of narratives works for agreement, “agreement based on narratives” (田村
2013a). The second one is the case where discussions work for disagreement, “disagreement based
on discussion” (Tamura 2013b).
This presentation is a case of “agreement based on narratives”
Participation of artist
After 90s, social science and social thought moved back forward and arts appeared like “sound
demo” in 2003(毛利
2009).
However there was a change after 3.11.
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
“Sound demo” was observed as a “cultural phenomenon” like a music festival. However, some
organizers wanted to make it purely political actions. According to an organizer Yasumichi Noma,
he found people’s feeling that
I agree to the message, but I hate this music.
Some music attracted a group of people, but at the same time, it excludes the other group of people.
The music they used in the “sound demo” was very leading ones. They were not popular among the
mass of the people 1.
However, at the same time, beginning with Misao Redwolf (Figure 1) a leader of Metropolitan
Coalition Against Nukes (MCAN), antinuke actions involve many artists. So, sense of art is
embedded inside the actions. Above mentioned purely political orientation are also products of
reflexive self-monitoring, stoic aesthetic sense and sense of self presentation. Not organizers but
participants also hold candle display, anti-nuke music fan gatherings, a guerrilla café offering
vegetarian food and drink. They are independent activities from MCAN and they create two-hour
asylum in the center of the national authority. Monju-kun (anit-nuke kawaii figure) cakes by Ms.
Nimuma are also available there (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Misao Redwolf , Design for Anna Sui, MCAN flag
1
MCAN staff, music writer Yasumichi Noma Talk session August 8, 2012, interview August 28, 2012
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Figure 2 Monju-kun (anit-nuke kawaii figure) cakes by Ms. Nimuma
3. ECD (Rapper)
ECD is a pioneer of Japanese rap who has started participate in social actions since anti-Iraqi war
demo in 2003 (Figure 3). His album Shitten in the Park (「失点 IN THE PARK」2003 ) includes
songs for anti-Iraqi war actions. His recent album The Bridge (「The Bridge-明日に架ける橋」
2013) includes a song for anti-racism. He keeps his attitude for years and keeps taking an
unyielding stand.
Figure 3.
ECD
Rapper, Shitten in the Park「失点 IN THE PARK」
Yoshitaka Mouri (2009) called ECD as a” philosopher on the street.” He talked about “the sound
demo.” 2
Actually, they played music in “the sound demo.” So, people paid attention on music. But I feel
that it is important that those fellows who did not commit politics has started it with “sense for
the society” nurtured with music. That was the “sound demo.” After 3.11, the same member
gathered again.
2
ECD
Interview
May 30, 2013
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
ECD mentioned “the network he belongs” and “sense for the society” there.
People’s old
network plays an important role for social actions (保坂 2011:34). However, he also mentioned that
he does not get new member from music world. Participation is not easy for artists.
From his teenage, he was familiar with counter culture and thought that he must change everything
radically. However, he got to know that number of fans for rap music and punk music are limited.
“I seriously want to stop the nuke. Something like revolution is not a matter anymore.” When he saw
the big “collapse” on June 2012 (Figure 4), he thought, “Things are moving beyond something like
subculture.” However, he said that he definitely learned sense of presentation. He pays much
attention on how people respond to his “call.”
Figure 4. Collapse in front of the prime minister's residence
4. Ruiko Kozuka ( Illustrator)
An illustrator, also a mother, Ruiko Kozuka works for antinuke actions. She participates in demo
(Figure 5 Figure 6) and provides designs (Figure 7). After 3.11, she has started her actions. She
went to her first demo with her old friends. She has started a zine published by a group named Okan
Do-Zine. It is a parody of a famous magazine, Kurashi no Techo (Hand note for lives), and named
Genshiryoku no Nai Kurashi no Techo (Hand note for lives without nukes) (Figure 8). She has good
existing network but she said it was difficult to find followers. Illustrators are working under
pressure of clients. She said that I was working for people who basically understood the situation to
encourage them because social actions were offer suffering. She also said it was difficult to get
consent of people who did not understand the situation. Arts are not appropriate for it. Sometimes
she was accepted with enthusiasm and criticized at the same time because of satirical design like
Figure 9, which is a parody of advertisement by a sexual industry. She often uses method of
differentiation of daily lives because she knew daily lives are unbearable.
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Figure 5 Participation in a demo in Shufuren costume
Figure 6. Participation in a demo in Chiai Keiko costume
Figure 7. Antinuke post card
Figure 8. Ruiko Kozuka and Genshiryoku no Nai Kurashi no Techo
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Figure 9. Advertising tissue paper to invite calling TEPCO for protest.
5. @tatangarani’s beautiful dining table and antinuke actions
Artists have difficulties to participate in social actions. How common working people do? We look at
a case of a business woman, @tatangarani (Twitter account), through her story 3 and Twitter
messages 4 analyzed by text mining analysis.
Before 3.11
@tatangarani is a business woman who works on some famous company and a loved daughter
who send chocolate to her father on every St. Valentine's Day. She had never thought about
participating in a social action. Figure 10 is a Twitter message analyzed by software and visualized
as a network of frequent words. It indicates cheerful life of a young woman in Tokyo, with friends,
good restaurant, fancy designed goods, etc. So, she was not person who has lots of frustration
against the society.
@tatangarani’s last message before 3.11 earthquake is as follows. It was sent at 15 minutes before
the earthquake. After this message, the earthquake happened which has changed whole Japanese
lives and the world.
When I found weeds sprouting from a stone wall, I feel it is spring, too. #Twitpict (Figure 11)
3
4
Interview @tatangarani April 13, 2013
From August 11 , 2010, to August 4, 2013 (50,563 messages)
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Figure 10
Twitter Messages before 3.11
Figure 11 weeds sprouting from a stone wall
After 3.11
Nuke accident, radiation, no information
After 3.11 @tatangarani received a lot of email from abroad which has links to BBC and CNN
movies. She got to know that they broadcasted seriousness of nuclear power plant accident which
was not appeared in Japanese journalism. She has started to study about radiation exposure via the
Internet. She sent and re-tweeted messages on it. That brought many followers for her.
Participation in actions
As mentioned before, she had no intention to participate in social actions. Far from that, she thought
she would be arrested if she went to a demo or got a blow by the riot police. In her imagination, a
demo was something illegal. However, @tatangarani participated in 4.10 Genpatsu Yamero
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Demo!!!!!!! (Stop Nukes Demo! 4.10 原発やめろデモ!!!!!!!」.) She hesitated much to go but a
popular Japanese singer Kazuyoshi Saito pushed her decisively. He uploaded a song Zutto Uso Datta
(They've always lied you「ずっとウソだった」) on YouTube, which was a variation of his song. The
Video was deleted soon, but somebody kept uploading it persistently. @tatangarani thought Saito
might have serious difficulties because of it. But he was fighting, nevertheless. She thought:
I have to answer this. If I don't answer it, what kind of person am I?
She consulted her friends and they said, “Stop doing that!” At this moment, she couldn't depend on
her existing network and suffered from it. She went to her fisrt demo with new friend she got to know
via Twitter. @tatangarani who could not depend on exiting network found new network via the
Internet.
She likes to go to TwitNoNukes demo. That is because the organizers pays much atteintion to
how to present themselves. Her buisnees is related to that kind of “appearance control.” She could
undertand their method easily. She wants to be recoginzed that the demo is a place ordinary people
can go. The organizers paid much attention to get more participants. So, they convienced people like
who wanted to fight with police man intentionally. Such violence makes demos impossible. She
was moved by that attitude. At first she was awkward in a demo. However, she was moved by
attitude of organizers and she got to behave like them and started to recruit members. That's a
process of attitude changing.
To be a bridge
Her old friends are not interested in demos or against demos.
I am afraid to be presumptuous, but I want to be a bridge of demos and others who are not
interested in. I keep send Twitter message on my daily life and talk about nukes, too.
Beautiful dining tables in her Tweet messages are also her ways to present herself (Figure 12).
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Bacon-cheese bagel from Shigekuniya 55
bakery, salad (organic tomatos from
Hokkaido, sweet!), pumpkin potage soup,
orange, grape, orange juice and Perrier.
September is starting! Have a nice day!
(September 2, 2013)
Late breakfast. I had peach Smoothie
when I got up. Kefir, a bowl of frozen
berries, orange juice, short bread. I love
this wooden spoon from Africa, via
"fair-trade." Artlessness. (August 31,
2013)
Figure 12 Photos of dinigng tables posted to Twitter
Network map
After 3.11, her Twitter messages have been drastically changed. The word <demo> has the
highest betweenness centrality and combined all subnet works. Figure 13 indicates Twitter messages
sent by a working woman who is participating in actions.
Figure 13 Twitter messages after 3.11
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Time series annalysis for categories
Her changing attitude appeared in Twitter messages. Figure 14 is time series annalysis for
categories of the messages. We set up a coding rule which clasfies messages accoding categories.
From April 2011 to July 2011, words for radiation exposure suddenly increased. This is her term to
learn about radiation and get new vocaburaries. Lately, she came to express it with her voice.
Somebody suggested that I should have two accounts for daily lives and antinuke issues. But,
both are truth and both are me. So, I don’t divide my account. Please resopond my daily
message like food feely even I post my anger to nukes. I appriciate it. (April, 28, 2011)
Aftre 3.11, lives of many Japanese have been changed. @tatangarani is one of them. She found her
ignorance, study and came to participate in demos. She was scared from demos but she is inviting
othres now. She accepted this change and thought that is truth of her. She learned from Twitter and
wrote message in Twitter and reconstruct her narratives reflexively.
Figure 14
Time series analysis for categories
6. Conclusive remarks
In this presentation, we argue relation of the Internet and arts to social actions. For two artists, the
art is soil to grow their “existing network” and “sense for the society.” Artists are sometimes
requested to restrict their artistic expression for their political goal. However, actions of artist give
influence to people like @tatangarani. The Internet is a place to exchange information, to make new
relationship and stage to reconstruct their self-images.
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Art and Activism in Post-Disaster Japan. Saturday 24 Aug. at University of Wollongong
Acknowledgments
This presentation is an output based on the Internet History in Australia and the Asia-Pacific, 2010 – 2013, ARC
Discovery Project ID: DP1092878.
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