Translation-Retranslation
TAKEDA Ayari

Natan DIACON-FURTADO sees his work as a visual trans-lation device, engaging with projects that address the issues of race, identity and diverse communities.
　　In such projects, Diacon-Furtado usually uses motifs and steric structures based on geometric patterns. The geometric patterns are inspired by streets and townscapes in Brazil, his native country. Using familiar objects, such as eraser stamps, he reproduces the regularly arranged tile patterns, then rotates and reverses single motifs, repeating the process to form patterns like those of a beautiful cityscape. The completed pattern, how-ever, does not connote the end of his work. Diacon-Furtado says that, for him, these objects function as translation devices through the involvement of people and their imaginations.
Diacon-Furtado decided to participate in the Art-ist-in-Residence program remotely, with everything related to the project discussed through online exchanges via Zoom and email.
　　Gallery B at ACAC, the venue for the project, was named Fieldwork at ACAC: Collaborative Exhibition Lab by the artist. At the center of the exhibition space, structures were installed, with reflecting patterns projected from the projector light. Moving closer, one realized each structure had been cut from a piece of cardboard and folded. These structures, referred to as “modules” by Diacon-Furtado, were designed into three shapes – arches, staircases, and arrow feathers – and visitors were free to reposition them.
　　No clear function can be discerned from these modules, but the ambiguous shapes allow room for imagination. For example, the semi-circular modules remind those familiar with ACAC of horseshoe-shaped architecture, while the staircase and arrow feather shapes also provide an opportunity for view-ers to think about the resemblance to some landscapes. At the Collaborative Exhibition Lab, visitors reflected various forms through the modules.
　　As part of this activity, pattern-making workshops were also held during the project period. These workshops were designed to experience the artist’s production process, as when he is creating patterns, he often takes inspiration from familiar shapes, such as the tiles seen in the cityscape. The materials used were simple – just newsprint and other paper. Using the papers as a base material, participants found patterns they were interested in, and developed them to create new patterns. The use of materials in ways different from their usual usage left the participants scratching their heads, but a few instructionsgiven by Diacon-Furtado triggered their imagination, and they seemed able to translate their ideas.
　　On review, the word “module” has a connotation closer to the nuance of being a component of something, rather than being independent. Indeed, a translation machine becomes necessary only when two or more people are involved.
　　Almost all components of the project, including the drawings of the modules, images to be projected in the venue, and the videos from the workshops, were sent via Diacon-Furtado’s emails or uploaded to the cloud service as URL files. These were then translated. For example, during the exhibition, modules were assembled from drawings at ACAC and then reflected in the exhibition space by visitors, therefore, by involving people who did not necessarily share the same circumstances or background in this process, Diacon-Furtado’s project was repeatedly translated and re-translated.

[Translator: KATO Kumiko (Penguin Translation)]