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CTV News
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
What happens when an octopus engages with art?
Shimabuku gifted small glass balls to the sea creatures to see how they would respond. (Courtesy the artist/Air de Paris, Romainville/Barbara Wien, Berlin via CNN Newsource) When the Japanese artist Shimabuku was 31 years old, he took an octopus on a tour of Tokyo. After catching it from the sea with the help of a local fisherman in Akashi, a coastal city over three hours away from the Japanese capital by train, he transported the live creature in a temperature-controlled tank of seawater to show it the sights of Tokyo before returning it safely to its home the same day. 'I thought it would be nice,' the artist, now 56, said about the experience, over a video call from his home in Naha, Japan. 'I started to travel when I was 20 years old. But octopuses, maybe they don't travel so much — and when they do, they are just going to be eaten. I wanted to take an octopus on a trip, but not to be eaten.' Documenting it on video, Shimabuku took the octopus to see the Tokyo Tower, before visiting the Tsukiji fish market, where the animal 'reacted very strongly' to seeing other octopuses on sale, the artist said. 'Octopuses are smart — maybe he told his experience to his octopus friends in the sea (after returning).' Octopus art Unlike some other animals, which spend their days eating, sleeping or mating, octopuses "have time to wander — time for hobbies," said the artist Shimabuku. (Shimabuku via CNN Newsource) The interspecies day trip, resulting in the 2000 video work 'Then, I Decided to Give a Tour of Tokyo to the Octopus from Akashi,' kickstarted a series of projects Shimabuku has undertaken over the decades that engage with octopuses in playful, inquisitive ways. A portion of this work is currently on show in the U.K., in two exhibitions that explore humanity's relationship with nature and animal life: 'More than Human' at the Design Museum in London (through October 5) and 'Sea Inside' at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich (through October 26). Fascinated by what the sea creatures might think, feel, or like, Shimabuku has documented their reactions to various experiences, from the city tour of Tokyo to being given specially crafted artworks. 'They have a curiosity,' he said. 'For some other animals, it's only about eating and making love. But I think octopuses have time to wander — time for hobbies.' When he lived in the Japanese city of Kobe, Shimabuku would go on fishing trips with local fisherman, taking the opportunity to learn about octopuses. 'Traditionally we catch octopuses in empty ceramic pots — that's my hometown custom,' he said. Fishermen would throw hundreds of pots into the sea, wait two days, then retrieve them — finding octopuses inside. 'Octopuses like narrow spaces so they just come into it,' explained Shimabuku. When he saw the animals within the pots, he discovered they were 'carrying things': shells, stones, even bits of broken beer bottles. He began to save the small objects the octopuses had gathered — 'a collection of a collection,' he said. Octopus art Octopuses are drawn to narrow spaces and can often be found in empty ceramic pots. (Courtesy the artist/Air de Paris, Romainville/Barbara Wien, Berlin via CNN Newsource) In light of the creatures' collecting habit, Shimabuku started to think, 'maybe I can make sculptures for them,' the artist recalled. In his 2010 work 'Sculpture for Octopuses: Exploring for Their Favorite Colours,' Shimabuku crafted a selection of small glass balls and vessels, in various colours. At first, he went out in a fishing boat and threw the sculptures in the sea, 'like a present to the octopuses.' But then he wanted to see how the animals were reacting to the objects. Collaborating with the now-closed Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe, he repeated the effort in a large water tank, where he could film the reaction of octopuses. 'They played with them, and sometimes they carried them,' said Shimabuku. Does he know why? 'Maybe they have too many hands — so they want to grab something,' the artist reflected. 'They keep touching, touching.' The resulting film, and photographs, show the octopuses wrapping their tentacles around some of the glass objects, grabbing and rolling them across the sand, and even holding them in their suckers as they move across the side of the tank. In 2024, Shimabuku had a landmark solo show at Centro Botín in Santander, Spain. Specially for the exhibition, he collected an assortment of glass and ceramic pots to offer to local octopuses. Some of the vessels were made by the artist and others were from 'second-hand shops and eBay.' Off the coast of the Spanish city, Shimabuku dropped the vessels on to the sea bed, subsequently diving down with a film camera to see how the octopuses there reacted to the vessels. As expected, some had climbed inside. Although octopuses are colourblind, Shimabuku wanted to see through these projects whether they were attracted to objects of certain colours. 'What I heard from fishermen is that octopuses like red,' he said. 'Long ago in Kobe, I found an octopus in a red pot, so I believe they like red.' Perhaps more so than the hue, Shimabuku is convinced that octopuses are drawn to very 'smooth, shiny' glass objects. He doesn't have evidence to back this up, but then again Shimabuku's projects are not intended as scientific experiments. Here, a man entranced by eight-legged mollusks is dedicating his time to engaging with them through art. By Francesca Perry, CNN
CNN
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
What happens when an octopus engages with art?
When the Japanese artist Shimabuku was 31 years old, he took an octopus on a tour of Tokyo. After catching it from the sea with the help of a local fisherman in Akashi, a coastal city over 3 hours away from the Japanese capital by train, he transported the live creature in a temperature-controlled tank of seawater to show it the sights of Tokyo before returning it safely to its home the same day. 'I thought it would be nice,' the artist, now 56, said about the experience, over a video call from his home in Naha, Japan. 'I started to travel when I was 20 years old. But octopuses, maybe they don't travel so much — and when they do, they are just going to be eaten. I wanted to take an octopus on a trip, but not to be eaten.' Documenting it on video, Shimabuku took the octopus to see the Tokyo Tower, before visiting the Tsukiji fish market, where the animal 'reacted very strongly' to seeing other octopuses on sale, the artist said. 'Octopuses are smart — maybe he told his experience to his octopus friends in the sea (after returning).' The interspecies day trip, resulting in the 2000 video work 'Then, I Decided to Give a Tour of Tokyo to the Octopus from Akashi,' kickstarted a series of projects Shimabuku has undertaken over the decades that engage with octopuses in playful, inquisitive ways. A portion of this work is currently on show in the UK, in two exhibitions that explore humanity's relationship with nature and animal life: 'More than Human' at the Design Museum in London (through October 5) and 'Sea Inside' at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich (through October 26). Fascinated by what the sea creatures might think, feel, or like, Shimabuku has documented their reactions to various experiences, from the city tour of Tokyo to being given specially crafted artworks. 'They have a curiosity,' he said. 'For some other animals, it's only about eating and making love. But I think octopuses have time to wander — time for hobbies.' When he lived in the Japanese city of Kobe, Shimabuku would go on fishing trips with local fisherman, taking the opportunity to learn about octopuses. 'Traditionally we catch octopuses in empty ceramic pots — that's my hometown custom,' he said. Fishermen would throw hundreds of pots into the sea, wait two days, then retrieve them — finding octopuses inside. 'Octopuses like narrow spaces so they just come into it,' explained Shimabuku. When he saw the animals within the pots, he discovered they were 'carrying things': shells, stones, even bits of broken beer bottles. He began to save the small objects the octopuses had gathered — 'a collection of a collection,' he said. In light of the creatures' collecting habit, Shimabuku started to think, 'maybe I can make sculptures for them,' the artist recalled. In his 2010 work 'Sculpture for Octopuses: Exploring for Their Favorite Colors,' Shimabuku crafted a selection of small glass balls and vessels, in various colors. At first, he went out in a fishing boat and threw the sculptures in the sea, 'like a present to the octopuses.' But then he wanted to see how the animals were reacting to the objects. Collaborating with the now-closed Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe, he repeated the effort in a large water tank, where he could film the reaction of octopuses. 'They played with them, and sometimes they carried them,' said Shimabuku. Does he know why? 'Maybe they have too many hands — so they want to grab something,' the artist reflected. 'They keep touching, touching.' The resulting film, and photographs, show the octopuses wrapping their tentacles around some of the glass objects, grabbing and rolling them across the sand, and even holding them in their suckers as they move across the side of the tank. In 2024, Shimabuku had a landmark solo show at Centro Botín in Santander, Spain. Specially for the exhibition, he collected an assortment of glass and ceramic pots to offer to local octopuses. Some of the vessels were made by the artist and others were from 'second-hand shops and eBay.' Off the coast of the Spanish city, Shimabuku dropped the vessels on to the sea bed, subsequently diving down with a film camera to see how the octopuses there reacted to the vessels. As expected, some had climbed inside. Although octopuses are colorblind, Shimabuku wanted to see through these projects whether they were attracted to objects of certain colors. 'What I heard from fishermen is that octopuses like red,' he said. 'Long ago in Kobe, I found an octopus in a red pot, so I believe they like red.' Perhaps more so than the hue, Shimabuku is convinced that octopuses are drawn to very 'smooth, shiny' glass objects. He doesn't have evidence to back this up, but then again Shimabuku's projects are not intended as scientific experiments. Here, a man entranced by eight-legged mollusks is dedicating his time to engaging with them through art.
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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Japan's troubled automaker Nissan banks on hybrid e-power technology
To achieve a turnaround, Nissan is working on reducing costs, strengthening business partnerships and redefining its lineup. That's where e-Power fits in, according to Akashi AP Yokosuka (Japan) Money-losing Japanese automaker Nissan is banking on its latest e-Power technology for a turnaround. A kind of hybrid, e-Power comes equipped with both an electric motor and gasoline engine, much like the Toyota Motor Corp. Prius. It's different from a Prius in that it doesn't switch back and forth between the motor and engine during the drive. That means the car always is running on its EV battery, ensuring a quiet, smooth ride. Nissan has a proud history of pioneering innovative technology that set us apart, Chief Technology Officer Eiichi Akashi told reporters on the sidelines of a test drive at its Grandrive course outside Tokyo. The advantage of e-Power vehicles is that they never need to be charged like EVs do. The owner just fuels up at a gas station and the car never runs out of a charge. Nissan Motor Corp., which racked up a USD 4.5 billion loss for the fiscal year through March, sorely needs a hot-seller, especially in the lucrative North American market. But the US market is proving a big headache for all the Japanese automakers because of President Donald Trump's tariff policies. To achieve a turnaround, Nissan is working on reducing costs, strengthening business partnerships and redefining its lineup. That's where e-Power fits in, according to Akashi. Yokohama-based Nissan announced earlier this month that it's slashing about 15 per cent of its global work force, or about 20,000 employees, and reducing the number of its auto plants to 10 from 17, under an ambitious recovery plan led by its new Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa. Nissan officials did not give a price for the upcoming e-Power models. The only other automaker offers a similar technology is kei, or tiny car manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corp. E-Power is already offered on the Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail model in Europe, and the Note in Japan. The upgraded version will be offered in the new Rogue in the US. Nissan, a pioneer in EVs with its Leaf, which went on sale in 2010, is also preparing beefed up EV models. It's also working on a solid-state battery which is expected to replace the lithium-ion batteries now widely used in hybrids, EVs and e-Power models. Analysts say Nissan is in danger of running out of cash and needs a partner. Speculation is rife its Yokohama headquarters building will get sold, or one of its Japan plants will be turned into a casino. Nissan started talks last year with Japanese rival Honda Motor Co. for a business integration but announced in February that it was dropping the talks. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
