CROWN English Communication III

no :: Super Clone Cultural Properties
Important cultural artifacts have been reproduced/and put on display in a series of exhibits/called “Super Clone Cultural Properties.”// The exhibits feature clones of important cultural artifacts,/created by Professor Miyasako Masaaki/in a project he directs at Tokyo University of the Arts.// What does it mean to “clone” a work of art?// What is the purpose?//
　　Professor Miyasako talks with Rie Davidson,/host of the popular podcast,/“Rie’s Gallery.”//
Rie (R) :: Welcome to “Rie’s Gallery,”/Professor Miyasako.//
Miyasako (M) :: I’m delighted to be here,/Ms. Davidson.// May I call you “Rie-san”?//
R :: Please do!// Most of my guests just call me Rie.//
M :: I know.// I’m a regular listener.//
R :: Your “Super Clone Cultural Properties” exhibits/have been a great success.// Congratulations!// Now,/my first question for you is:/What made you decide to create cloned cultural assets?//
M :: The short answer is:/To keep great art safe/and, at the same time,/to make it accessible to as many people as possible.//
R :: And the long answer?//
M :: Museums face a dilemma.// We need to preserve cultural properties.// At the same time,/we want to make them available to the public.// Unfortunately,/for reasons of security and preservation,/people have only limited access to them.//
R :: An impossible dilemma!// But you have a solution?//
M :: We are challenging the impossible.// With our clone technology,/we can exhibit the clone and keep the original safe,/all at the same time.//
R :: That’s ingenious.// But I have a question.// Why do you call these reproductions “clones”?// Are they any different from ordinary replicas?//
M :: Good question!// The term “clone” is usually used to refer to living things,/as in the case of Dolly the sheep.// So we are not using “clone” in the original sense.// But I couldn’t think of anything more accurate/to describe our creations.// They really are “clones.”//
no :: Shaka Triad Statue//
R :: Could you say a little more about that?//
M :: Sure.// Let’s talk about the Shaka Triad statue in Horyuji.// It’s very old.// The metal is deteriorating/and some parts are missing.// We could make a reproduction of it/as it looks today.// However,/we wanted to restore the statue/to exactly the same condition it was in/when it was created in 623.// You might say/we wanted to retain the original “genes.”//
R :: So if we compare the actual statue in Horyuji/with its clone,/we’ll notice some differences,/right?//
M :: That’s right.// For one thing,/look at the central figure.// It has curls of hair on its head.// Some of these were missing in the original,/but they have been restored in the clone.// We also restored the flying heavenly maidens/around the halo behind the figures.//
R :: Very impressive!// But how could you reproduce something you’ve never seen?//
M :: That’s the tricky part.// First of all,/we learned everything we could/about Buddhist statues.// Then we supplemented that knowledge/with 3-D measurements of the statues.// We also consulted academic references and records/in order to reproduce colors faithfully.// The bronze we used/was as close to the original as possible.//
R :: That must have taken a lot of time.// And people.//
M :: Lots and lots of people.// Art history professors,/material analysis experts,/painters,/sculptors,/and traditional craftsmen.// Specialists in Takaoka copperware and Inami wood carving/helped us make the castings.// Without the partnership of cutting-edge technology/and traditional craftsmanship,/we couldn’t have completed our project.//
no :: Transcend the Original//
R :: The Shaka statue was only one of many clones.// You also cloned modern art.// My favorite was Manet’s The Fifer .// You not only cloned the painting,/you also brought the boy/—and his flute!/—right off the canvas/and into the audience in full 3-D.// I could touch him!//
M :: One of the features of clones/is that we don’t have to worry so much about security or deterioration.// You can touch them with your own hands.// Currently,/we’re developing a clone boy/who will actually play the flute live for you.//
R :: I can’t wait!//
M :: We are also making ukiyo-e clones.// Of course,/you know Utagawa Hiroshige’s blooming plum tree.// What’s amazing about our clone/is that you can smell the blossoms.// We soaked the clone in fragrance.// You can touch it/and feel the subtle irregularities of the surface.// In fact,/this kind of clone transcends the original/and even expands the possibilities of art.// That’s why we call them “super” clones.//
no :: Build Peace through Art//
R :: Super clones!// Transcending the original!// Is there any limit/to what you can do with technology?// But now I have to ask you:/What is your goal?// It’s fun,/but do you have a higher purpose?//
M :: Well,/I’d say my main goal/is to protect our cultural heritage/and pass it on to the next generation.// Much of the world’s great art is endangered.// It is being lost to natural disasters,/destroyed by conflict,/damaged during restoration,/displaced by history,/or discolored by age.// May I read you a few sentences from the exhibit catalog?//
R :: Of course.// Please do.//
M(reading) :: “With our clone project,/we hope to restore damaged cultural properties/and allow people all over the world,/especially young people,/to appreciate great human accomplishments.// Cultural properties lead people/to appreciate not just the individual artwork’s ingenuity/but also the diversity of cultures/which is instrumental in creating great art.// The greater your access to artworks,/the greater your respect for different cultures.// We hope that will contribute to making a peaceful world.”// In short,/our mission is to build peace through art.//
R :: Build peace through art.// That’s a very appropriate closing thought.// Professor Miyasako,/thank you very much.// I’m looking forward/to the next exhibit of “Super Clone Cultural Properties.”// And I hope you’ll join me again on Rie’s Gallery.//
M :: It’s been a pleasure,/Rie-san.//
R :: Just call me Rie.//

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