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Twenty thousand leagues under the sea by Jules Verne (1825-1905). This book is the answer to my thoughts on travel. It certainly anticipated the saga...Read more
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Loading ...What meaning do you give to the word kaizen? Is there any link between your artistic work and this concept?
Kaizen means improvement, but as an artist I don’t pay much heed to this word, because of its industrial connotations. In this context, the word kaizen can be explained in terms of a succession of small changes, designed to simplify and improve a production line. The term relates to a practical, pragmatic dimension and has no connection to the unfathomable spiritual aspects which form the basis for artistic expression.
But what about the growing phenomenon in which art is supported by quasi-industrial operations, which might be compatible with the concept of kaizen.
I believe you are referring to the work of Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Murakami. If we think of these names, we think of artists who regularly use quasi-industrial processes to produce their works. This is an aspect that should be linked to Marcel Duchamp’s fundamental lesson, in which everyday, mass-produced objects were taken out of their context and reinterpreted as works of art. In this case, and also as far as Warhol, Koons and Murakami are concerned, the artistic aspect lies in the new way of presenting these objects, not in their intrinsic nature, which, as such, might have connections with kaizen.
Do you believe that the western use of the word kaizen is a superficial interpretation of its original meaning?
I don’t think so, because the meaning is very similar to the original one. However, there is a difference in the way it is used. Japan has always demonstrated a great capacity to apply the concept in real terms — for example, televisions and even cars were invented in Europe, but it was the Japanese, after working out how they were built, who developed and improved them. This is because kaizen is based on the idea of managing to observe and “borrow” existing situations in order to improve on them.
Does the word have environmental implications?
Kaizen means producing the same thing in less time, hence with fewer costs. Obviously, this is a purely capitalist concept, which presupposes a constant growth in production – hence the direct consequence of this attitude is that our planet’s natural resources will be continually impoverished. It is common knowledge that this exploitation and the growth of industrial production must be curbed, otherwise we run the real risk of destroying our environment.
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