A circle of friends connected by gut touch! The “FIST BUMP” corner of the radio program “GRAND MARQUEE” features people who live and enjoy Tokyo in a relay format.
On August 28, ARUMANA, a designer whose mashups and sampling designs are a hot topic on SNS, will appear. We asked him about the roots of his unique style, known for his designs for DENKI GROOVE’s goods, and about his work.
INDEX
Unparalleled drawing ability and outlandish style
Takano (MC): Today, I am wearing a T-shirt designed by ARUMANA.
ARUMANA: It’s cool.
Takano: Is this the correct Pomeranian Heavy Metal T-shirt?
ARUMANA: Yes, it is. It’s pome-metal.
Celeina (MC): Pometal!
Takano: I’ve been wearing it for quite a while. I’ve been using it as a live costume.
Celeina: It has an edge to it.
Takano: It was a coincidence that ARUMANA was our guest today. The staff didn’t know I was wearing ARUMANA’s T-shirt.
Celeina: It’s fate, isn’t it? Let me introduce you to ARUMANA’s profile. After graduating from an art college, she has been active as a designer and painter, and is currently designing official goods for DENKI GROOVE and collaborating with Seiichi Amaku, as well as freely presenting her personal works on social networking services. Takano: I have been working on AR for quite a while.
Takano: I have been following ARUMANA for quite some time and have always wondered what kind of person she is.
ARUMANA: You do it in a way that I can’t imagine at all (laughs).
Takano: You wear large T-shirts and hip-hop-like fashion.
Celeina: The chain necklace is also very cool.
ARUMANA: Thank you very much.
Takano: I want everyone to check out ARUMANA’s SNS. The destructive power of his style is so great that I was nervous that we would get someone who is not a free spirit, but he seems very approachable.
Celeina: Let’s talk about various things, but first, the official goods collaboration with Denki Groove. They brought us some of their goods. First of all, clear files.
Takano: How should I explain it? It has Pierre Taki’s face with Takkyu Ishino’s face growing all over it (laughs).
ARUMANA: That’s right (laughs).
Celeina: Is this one a Pomeranian? (laughter)
Takano: Mr. Takubo, whose upper body is naked, is holding a dog with Mr. Taki’s face.
ARUMANA: That’s right.
Takano: It has a lot of electrodes on its head. …… Anyway, the drawing is amazing. The creature-like designed goods with a face full of faces that I mentioned earlier have sandals, and they are very nice.
Celeina: These are numbing.
Takano: You would definitely be popular if you wore these.
ARUMANA: I think they are cool. They may still be in stock, so please check the official Denki Groove website.
Celeina: By the way, what do you use to draw these?
Takano: I’m curious about a lot of things.
ARUMANA: Right now I draw on my iPad, though sometimes I draw on my PC.
Takano: If you look closely, you can see how detailed it is.
Celeina: Yes, it is. Even on this clear file, you can clearly see the very fine lines.
ARUMANA: They are beautifully printed.
INDEX
Style influenced by hip-hop
Takano: Has this been your style since you were in art school?
ARUMANA: In the beginning, I painted with oils, but I started using a PC when I was in my second year of college. At that time, my style was a little more art-oriented, sampling old classical paintings in the context of art, rather than the way it is now. However, this humanoid dog by DENKI GROOVE can be found at …….
Celeina: Human face dog (laughs).
ARUMANA: This commission came to me about a little after I graduated from college. I remixed it with a drawing I had done myself at the time, and changed the faces to Taki-san and Takkyu-san. I drew them as if they were Leonardo da Vinci.
Takano: You mentioned the words “sampling” and “remix” earlier. It seems to have a musical or hip-hop feel to it.
Celeina: What kind of culture has influenced you?
ARUMANA: It’s hip-hop, as you can see on this T-shirt.
Celeina: Did you get into hip-pop from music? Or from fashion?
ARUMANA: From music. I first listened to Japanese rap, and from there I started digging old works and listening to US hip-hop. I found the culture of sampling and mashups interesting, and I began to use them often in my own expression.
Takano: Speaking of mash-ups, the posts on social networking sites are really edgy. For example, “Hammer x Kammer,” in which Hollywood Zakoshisho is drawn in the style of the cover of “HUNTER x HUNTER. That was quite a buzz, wasn’t it?
ARUMANA: That one got a lot of buzz. The first post got about 100,000 likes.
Takano: Then there was “AKIRA” × Pierre Taki, “TAKIRA.
Takano: Where did you get this idea?
ARUMANA: It’s a pun. I often start with a word, imagine how it would be interesting to visualize it, and then create a picture. It depends on the object.
INDEX
Respect is important in mashups.
Takano: Do you also like comedy?
ARUMANA: I like comedy too.
Takano: Do you combine what you like?
ARUMANA: Yes, I do. I look for words in my head that are similar to “HUNTER x HUNTER,” like “hammer x hammer.
Celeina: Isn’t that very musical? When I write lyrics, if I have a word I want to rhyme, I try to come up with a number of rhyming stomps that click with it.
ARUMANA: That is also very hip-hop-like, and I think rhyming and double-meaning is very interesting. I think a lot of it comes from that.
Takano: It’s the same with mash-ups and sampling, but basically, you have to like it all.
ARUMANA: Yes. I think respect is really important. I think it is interesting not only to simply put a name on a piece, but also to include small details that people who like the piece can understand. I am also conscious of the fact that people who know from the sampling will enjoy knowing the original work.
Takano: That is why ARUMANA’s work functions like a catalog filled with ARUMANA’s favorite things.
ARUMANA: It’s like a manifestation of what I have ingested since I was a child.
Takano: That’s interesting. I would love to hear more, but I would like to interject one song: I asked ARUMANA to choose a song that you would like to listen to together on the radio at this time, what song would it be?
ARUMANA: It’s my anthem, “Still D.R.E. ft. Snoop Dogg” by Dr. Dre.
Takano: So this song is your anthem.
ARUMANA: I like it so much that I listen to the instrumental version as well. When I think of US hip-hop, I think of this song.
Celeina: When do you listen to it?
ARUMANA: I listen to it when I want to get pumped up, or when I’m on my way to work.
Celeina: Did you listen to it before going to the studio today?
ARUMANA: I listened to it. I came here with a lot of tension.
INDEX
I’m happy to have a lot of faces, “Face Mania.
Takano: What I was wondering is that when I look at DENKI GROOVE’s goods, they are very detailed. How long does it take you to draw one piece?
ARUMANA: I think it’s in the tens of hours, but I don’t think it’s more than 100 hours.
Takano: This one with a face growing out of it.
ARUMANA: Yes, it is. The dog with a human face took even longer.
Celeina: It takes longer when you think about it from the idea coming into your mind.
ARUMANA: Yes, it is. But I was excited by Denki Groove, so I drew a rough sketch in no time.
Takano: The one with the face growing out of the face is not the original, is it?
ARUMANA: There is no original source. I am a face fanatic, so I was happy to see so many faces.
Takano: You get excited?
ARUMANA: Yes (laughs).
Celeina: What do you mean by “face mania”? (laughs)
ARUMANA: Many of my T-shirts also have people’s faces printed on them.
Takano: What do you find attractive about them?
ARUMANA: I don’t know, but I really enjoy drawing faces. Maybe it is because I was made to draw a lot of self-portraits when I took the art school entrance exam. I enjoy drawing faces as sculptures.
Takano: There are many facial expressions. The depths of Mr. Taki’s eyes are a bit sad. It is interesting to discover various things when looking at the faces.
Celeina: When you draw the faces, do you use photographs as references?
ARUMANA: Yes. I draw realistically, so I find a photo that I think has a good face and draw it.
Takano: These are also available for purchase on the official Denki Groove website, right?
ARUMANA: I think there are clear files. I think sandals are also available except for some sizes.
Celeina: Please check it out. And you will be participating in Seiichi Amaku’s exhibit from September 12, right?
ARUMANA: I am going to participate in a pop-up exhibition of Seiichi Amaku’s brand Raimuraito at TOKYO CULTuART in BEAMS JAPAN, Shinjuku, from September 10 to October 1.
Takano: Is it a new one?
ARUMANA: There will be one new piece.
Takano: I’ll be there.
ARUMANA: I was thinking of going at the right time myself.
Takano: I would like to meet you.
Celeina: As part of the “FIST BUMP”, a circle of friends connected by goofing around, we are asking you to introduce us to some of your friends, what kind of people will ARUMANA introduce you to?
ARUMANA: Mr. Yasuyuki Kanazawa, a photographer and the president of “Oni” Inc.
Takano: “Oni” Corporation?
ARUMANA: Yes. The name sounds like a bad idea (laughs).
Celeina: In a word, what kind of person is he?
ARUMANA: He is like a Big Daddy.
Celeina: Big Daddy!
ARUMANA: He is very dependable and is like a leader for everyone.
Takano: Do you work together?
ARUMANA: We have worked together before, but we are friends.
Takano: I am also curious about the name Oni, so I would like to ask you a lot of questions. Tomorrow we welcome Yasuyuki Kanazawa, photographer and president of “Oni” Inc.
Celeina: “FIST BUMP”, today we welcome designer ARUMANA. Thank you very much.
ARUMANA: Thank you very much.
