Kickstarter

I am temporarily cancelling this project as I retool it and relaunch, hopefully next week. Please read the updates for a full explanation. Thank you so much!

Jason

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Hi, my name is Jason Sho and I’m going to Leipzig, Germany for three months to build an interactive art installation. I want it to expand the connections between the studio, gallery, and internet communities.

THE STORY

I was born in Sendai, Japan while my dad worked at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. Last year's earthquake and tsunami reminded us of the complex relationship between people, technology, and the earth. This July I have the opportunity to return to Sendai for the first time in 13 years to collect stories, draw, and begin to design these constructions. I need characters to inhabit these scenes, and I'd like to build you into the story.

THE WORK

Each piece looks something like a shrine, which describes a scene. Together, they create a landscape of those stories. They are three-dimensional collages built from drawings, sculptures, robotics, LED lights, and hacked toys that create a link between nature and our modern world. The interactive installation will respond to the studio/gallery environment and internet visitors. With multiple cameras embedded in the landscape, it flips your perspective and turns the wall into a world that you can explore online.

THE PROJECT (AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER)

I've been accepted into the One Sided Story residency in Leipzig, Germany to build and exhibit this work. I'll be working alongside a rotating group of artists at the Spinnerei under the sponsorship of the nonprofit international art organization Halle 14.

The funding will go to travel costs, art materials, technology, residency fees, tools, shipping, and accommodations. My estimated budget for the project is around $12,000, so anything over the goal will be put to good use and result in more opportunity to experiment with technology and materials.

EXHIBITIONS

• SEPT 15-16: Spinnerei Rundgang. Leipzig. 10 weeks into the residency, 15,000 visitors and collectors come to the Spinnerei Rundgang to visit the galleries.

• EARLY OCTOBER: Akademie Schloss Solitude. Leipzig. I've been invited to participate in an exhibition to show the robotic works at this truly inspiring institution that mixes Art and Science.

• LATE OCTOBER: Akademie Schloss Solitude. Stuttgart. A second group exhibition with at Schloss Solitude.

• 2013: Meštrovićev Paviljon. Zagreb, Croatia. Selected pieces from residency artists will be sent to Zagreb for a Museum Exhibition alongside the work of some Leipzig artists.

Other places to see my work this summer

JUNE: My studio in Brooklyn. Feel free to stop by my studio in June to see what I’m working on. 56 Bogart St, Unit 1C. Just off the Morgan L stop.

JUNE/JULY: Morton Fine Art. Washington DC. Morton Fine Art will be showing some of my paintings in the early summer.
JULY: Flowers Gallery. Chelsea, Manhattan. I'll have a village sculpture in the NYAA Summer Group Exhibition.

SEPTEMBER: Field Projects. Chelsea, Manhattan. A group show entitled "Young Man Reclining" that teams up writers with artists.

REWARD DETAILS 
All rewards will be delivered in November 2012.
Basically the rewards consist of:

• Booklets and copies of drawings ($10 - $30)
• Portraits or avatars that put you inside the installation ($75+)
• Carved or sculpted pieces from the installation ($200+)
• Original drawings ($500+)
• Entire assemblages, approx 30"x20" ($2500)

$10 : Your choice of the Germany or Japan sketchbooklet. Get all 3 for $25. 8.5x5.5”. 24-32 pages.

$15 : Book of larger drawings from the exhibition. 11x8.5”. Get this plus 2 sketchbooks for $30.

$75 : 3.5x5.5" pencil portrait. You are a part of the colony, in the installation. I'll send it to you after the exhibitions. Larger drawings are a bit more.

$100 : Small painted wooden avatar portrait of you to be included in a colony installation, then shipped to you after the exhibitions.

$200+ : Select a piece from the installation. This includes everything from small sculptures and carvings to painted characters to illuminated houses (like lamps) to animatronic creatures. Choose from already made pieces (in the video) or from the work to be made in Germany. Most will go for $200 to $300, with complicated pieces a bit higher. I will build a webpage with every piece and it's price level and send updates when new pieces are available.

$200 : Full body action figure sculpture to be included in a colony assemblage, then shipped to you. 8"-12" tall.

$250 : 8"x12" Mixed media portrait of you to be included in the installation, then shipped to you.

$400+ : Combinations of small pieces. I’ll work with you to put together an assemblage of 2 or more pieces.

$500+ : Original drawings from the installation.

$2500 : A large construction. (approx 30”x20”).
I will be building the first this month and have a photo by the end of June.

A huge thank you goes out to Yair aka Big Spider's Back, who is letting me use his music in this video and other parts of the project. Please think about pre-ordering his new album! He's a super talent.

Even if you can't make a pledge, you can help out by sharing the project by word of mouth, on Twitter, or Facebook. Kickstarter is an all or nothing funding platform, so if I don't raise the full amount of $8000, I don’t receive any funding.

Please follow jasonsho.tumblr.com for frequent updates.

Thank you so much for your support!