Stephen Wiltshire Draws Tokyo
Another video I thought I would share for you. This time it is a documentary piece about British artist Stephen Wiltshire. The video shows him drawing Tokyo from memory whilst at the Mori Gallery in Roppongi.
The video is interesting both for Wiltshire’s prodigious feat of memory – the entire drawing was done from memory after a half hour flight over Tokyo, and also for the uncanny fashion with which he captures the alien landscape of Tokyo, the mass confusion of buildings and humanity interspersed with the odd remnant of nature.
Also it brought back strong memories of the two years we lived in Tokyo. Tokyo in many ways is a machine that draws one in like a magical beast. After a while one forgets that there are mountains and forests in Japan, that there are rice fields and bear tracks in the snow.
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Stephen Wiltshire Draws Tokyo
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From The Stephen Wiltshire Gallery Website:
Stephen Wiltshire was born in London to West Indian parents on 24th April, 1974. His mother, Geneva Wiltshire had come from St Lucia and his father, Colvin, from Barbados. Colvin was killed in a motorcycle accident when Stephen was three years of age. His sister, Annette, is two years older than her brother. He lives with his mother in West London.
As a child, Stephen was mute and did not relate to other human beings. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language, uncontrolled tantrums and lived entirely in his own world.
At the age of five, Stephen was sent to Queensmill School in London, a school for children with special needs, where it was noticed that the only pastime he enjoyed was drawing. It soon became apparent he communicated with the world through the language of drawing; first animals, then London buses, and finally buildings. These drawings show a masterful perspective, a whimsical line and reveal a natural innate artistry.
One Comment, Comment or Ping
ray
That was beautiful. I love the fact that he didn’t have an ounce of that “genius at work” intensity about him–he seemed to float through the whole process with a smile on his face.
Feb 24th, 2007
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