23 Nov 2011

Iki Aito Sisko

Sisko journey started from voice. Soundness of body and mind.
There was music in the air and it made its way to the photographs. 

Iki Aito Sisko exhibition is now opened and will stay after our departure from Akiyoshidai.
The essence of universal sisterhood among women from different ages and cultures will remain holding hands.

In the end of this journey there is clarity, space and gratitude. 
Two tombies, Japanese buzzards, gliding above our mountain said goodbye while we were singing our farewell song.

Dear readers, thank you for sharing these moments with us.

Love,
Heini & Aura









19 Nov 2011

November can look like this



They have their own peanuts



Ichika-baby inspecting the camelia



These tangerines are real!



Can you imagine how this smells?



Kaki abundance


This is how we feel in Kuyshu
















17 Nov 2011

Lotus root

Renkon, the lotus root, is one of the most mythic Japanese vegetables. As luck would have it, the Siskos got to know the story of this fantastic root vegetable by visiting the Shoojima family in northern Kuyshu.
Harvesting renkon is a muddy hard work but seems to make you addicted. The over 80 year-old grandfather of the family can't stop himself from digging into the wet soil. The root comes in many longish shapes and a holey insides. The story goes that if you peek through the holes you can see into the future.
At home by the Shoojimas the mother is showing us how to prepare the ultimate crunchy slices of the magnificent root. When returning to our residence in Akiyoshidai our bentoboxes are filled with it.











13 Nov 2011

Hagi will always remain...

Sisko had dreamtime in Hagi, an old Samurai town on the north coast of Honshu.
The older Sisko was excited to share her love for this place with the younger Sisko.

In Hagi you can let time go by and dive into a scenic nostalgia. Dressed in house kimonos, drinking tea in a tatami room at the Hagi Hama Hotel. The balcony is facing the sea and the whole night through we hear the soft rolling waves caressing the beach.





At the foot of the Hagi castle ruins there is a garden dedicated to the old Samurai clan.
A mossy abode of the souls is standing by the pond.
A perfect pine stands by the entrance and remembers its former masters.






11 Nov 2011

The crystal mission

For three weeks the Siskos have been connecting with two individual and special rock crystals. Every morning we have held them in our hands and hearts, loading them with love and our heartbeat. This Tuesday it was time to depart from the crystals and take them to the Sea of Japan, where they now continue to emanate love and help purify the waters around Japan and the whole world.

This crystal mission was initiated by a Native American shaman who asked his apprentice in Germany to spread the message. Our stones are part of the family of five unique rock crystals. The other three stones will soon be taken to the Baltic Sea by our friends in Germany.

If you would like to take part in this purifying mission for the sake of our universal waters, please find a special rock crystal, load it with love for about three weeks and then take it to an open sea, a free flowing river or a big lake.





7 Nov 2011

To see the ocean

For the next four days the Sisko will be on a crystalline mission. Stay tuned, we'll be back on Friday with stories from Nagato, Hagi and Fukuoka - and we'll tell you about the crystals...

5 Nov 2011

Bamboo grove

Every other day we enter the bamboo grove behind our studio. The path up to the mountain goes through it as well. Being inside the grove makes us very alert and awake. The greenish blueish light and the cool air tones the body and clears the mind. We notice that we are constantly drawn there. Maybe it is the feeling of mystery as the wind plays around the bamboos making their stems creek as they bend towards each other, the leaves rustle and our voices echo between.





As you can see, the grove has inspired us to experiment with our fleeting forms as energy amidst the bamboos. We have also recorded the specific acoustic environment and improvised voice into it. Sometimes our voices resemble the sound of a bamboo flute, sometimes they crack and squeak like old and forgotten forest ghosts.

2 Nov 2011

Autumn euphory at the Akiyoshidai plateau

Being on the plateau is like being by the sea as the wind is making waves on the meadow.
Sisko likes to put her body into this landscape and play a dance with the wind.
A small cloud joins in and finds the perfect place. A big heart is harvested in half.
In ancient times this was the bottom of the sea.







                                      "Come to the edge, he said.
                                       We are afraid.
                                       Come to the edge, he said.
                                       They came, and they flew."