Takuro Hashitaka was Born in Kanazawa, Japan and is currently living in San Francisco, Ca. In 2005 he became involved with the Burning Man fire & metal artists community. After an introduction from Chris Simonini, Takuro taught himself, or rather, found his own lessons from the experienced metal workers through the projects for Burning Man ‘06, and '07, respectively called "Leaping Giants" and "Crude Awakening". Fascinated by the material, industrial tools and equipments, he learned to see them as one would see a pencil and notebook, which were his favorite drawing toys to avoid falling asleep during classes in his childhood. "Art is not what we make nor what we do, but what we are in the moment. Until the day I find out how to always be, I am, I don't consider myself an artist." However, the product of his effort is indeed Art.
STOKE TAK'S FIRE! ... DONATE TO SUPPORT TOOLS 4 TAK!.......
FIRE DESTROYED THE WORKSHOP & TOOLS TAK USED TO CREATE THE WORK YOU'LL FIND HERE... And temporarily took away his means to a very modest living.......
DONATIONS IN SUPPORT OF TOOLS 4 TAK!
@ THERE & see Tak's Metal Canvas work up close and live!
Email for mailing address, to arrange drop-offs or 4
inquiries into commissioning Tak when he's got tools once again
Still Lost? ....... Then click Tak's head!
I mean, how can you miss that head, right?
Let the TakHead be your access point into this moment
To where you know you want to be...
Feel it from within, as it were...
Now... here comes a TakHead.
Go on, Now...
Shhhhhh... quietly Now...
Don't be nervous...
Just give him one, nice, gentle click...;-)
Ahhh! THERE you go.......;-)
Not so bad Now was it?
Enjoy the rest of your ride through Takland!
FIRE, IRONY & DUALITY.......
Seven warehouses in SF burned down last week,
including one where
Takuro "Tak" Hashitaka
conjured up beautiful metallic magic that took form as Canvases of Metal
EVERYTHING was destroyed
His workspace, his tools, his materials.
And his ability to earn a living through
art forms forged in metal
KIND REQUEST FOR HELP IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
Paypal Donations
STOKE TAK'S FIRE!
TOOLS 4 TAK!
Tools and Materials Donations
A partial list of tools reclaimed by the fire can be found below. Tak estimates it'll cost ~$15,000 to replace them, assuming he can be as thrifty in locating them as he was the first time around. Thus, tool donations would be super, of course.
Email Tak if you've got tool.
Time and Energy Spent Getting the Word Out THERE
Email lists (especially Burning Man affiliated in light of Tak's major work the past few years), blogs, social networks, etc. If you can help in this way, email who, when, what details to Jp so that we can follow up while not overlapping efforts.
Deposits on Future Commissioned Artwork by Tak
Obviously, until Tak acquires the tools he needs, he'll have to extend rainchecks, however a suitable workspace for the new metal shop is already in the works, so tool acquisition would seem to be the most limiting factor as far as getting to artwork.
I know the interest is THERE to commission Tak. NOW's a great moment to take that step - put down a deposit and submit a high-resolution image from which Tak can work and the process of metal canvas art begins. Just like that.
If you'd like to see some of Tak's work in person, email Jp or Tak and we'll set it up.
Further ideas on getting Tak back into a beautiful confluence with fire and metal
TAK AND HIS ART FORMS
I know of no 'other' who produces such phenomenal work without the faintest hint of ego, such as the way Tak plays this game of life.
Tak's consciousness and humility are equally inspiring
as the fruits of his confluence with metal and fire.
If you're a Burning Man participant, you've likely seen Tak's metal work in two large-scale art installations which have since reached iconic status; arguably a solid 3rd on the list of symbols most associated with the playa experience. David Best's temples Nbr. 2 and the man himself at Nbr. 1.
Leaping Giants (2006)
and
Crude Awakening (2007)
These massive collaborations manifested in the third eye of artists Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito were built by upwards of 180 artists over roughly 2 years.
Two of these giants now grace the grounds of the Solar Living Institute in Hopland, CA, since fossil fuel worship went out of style in 2007 after The Crude Awakening.
Tak and I played a small part in the giants' relocation to Hopland due to a chance encounter on the playa with the president of the SLI, John Schaeffer.
Alternating between quiet, jaw-dropped states of awe and chatterbox, mind-spinning states of curiosity, I relentlessly plowed through question after question, imploring Tak for more data in regards to his involvement in "Crude Awakening." I vaguely recall questions such as, "OK, did you weld this joint? How about that one? Is that the mark of your welding torch? Leave any Easter eggs?"
Mr. Schaeffer overheard my barrage of words, politely introduced himself, and joined in on the crude-side, playa inquisition asking Tak if the giants had made any post-playa plans because he knew of a nice little spot up North where they could get away from the hectic crude-oil-worship racket if interested. Fortunately at least one of us was familiar with the institute and recognized the possibilities behind getting Mr. Schaeffer's card into Dan Das Mann's hands.
A few weeks after BM2007, Tak, accompanied by a group of close friends, paid his first visit to the Solar Living Institute. The giants would not arrive for many months later, however.
WHAT I LEARNED OF TAK AND GIANTS
To help these 8-ton behemoths come alive, Tak wore two hats:
Machinist
Tak built small scale models from which he measured, calculated, milled, cut, grinded, drilled, turned, lathed, beveled... preparing each of the giant's bones to be fitted.
Fitter
Tak performed final calculations, detailed and laid out the machined bones, rigged them into position, and after more detailing to ensure a perfect fit, welded each joint together at 4-6 points, effectively sealing them permanently into position so that Darrel, a master structural welder with over 30 years of union welding experience under his belt, could come in to place the final touch - one solid structural bead of metal, beautifully rung around Tak's fitted joints.
When complete, the Leaping Giant was ready to be "skinned."
This is quite extraordinary so let me rephrase to be clear.
Tak
singlehandedly machined and fitted
each and every joint
of all 8 giants of
"Leaping Giants" and "Crude Awakening."
You'd be hard pressed to hear this from him - it took years for me to get it out of him - and I say this to you because, Now especially, it's a feat that should be known!
Now, if you were to engage Tak in actual "Project Talk" - an engineer's daydream, modifying a short-bus into a double decker green machine, mid-week playa dialogue about lagniappe to put next year over-the-top, etc. - or even basic "how to" dialogue on mundane day-to-day reverse engineering tasks such as fixing a clothes washer, getting a Sham-Wow to work, or shaking up the ruts of one's own thought patterns and behaviors to allow for greater understanding of oneself and deeper communion with others - you can be sure of ONE thing. Tak's full attention will bask in deep consideration, bringing with it the feeling of experiencing something truly new as if it were being done "by the book", just as it should be. Tak diffuses the seriousness of importance, encouraging exploration as a lark that just so happens to reconcile the duality of "yes" and "no", and of ONE and "others."
Tak's genuine interest in broadening untethered perspectives and a deeper understanding of Oneself flows through each step of every project. His "role" becomes exactly what it is - no more than the words used to describe what he's done after the fact, coupled with the notion that he'll be repeating the process enough so as to be named. And on the level of words, names can be used such as "artist", "metal worker", "Japanese wizard with permed hair," or simply "Tak." But for Tak, his attention focused on "how" in this moment, and not so much on the "what" of the last one, he transcends the patterned behavior requirement of labels and while exuding a quiet, ever-changing quality of something which is better described in terms of what it is Not. But if you insist on a name, Tak would surely brainstorm with you over some cold, canned beers and good music...
I'd say Check Out what Tak Does Here to get a sense of Tak from within, and a sense of the worthiness of Stoking the Fire Inside so that the fire that destroyed his workshop and tools pales in comparison and becomes just another station along the way.......
TOOLS 4 TAK!
One Incredible Presence, Tak Is.
To be his Lorax for a while
is a true honor & a worthy cause, indeed!
We seek to replace the following tools that were lost to the fire. Feel free to email Tak if you have questions about tools.
- mig welder
- inverter tig welder
- plasma cutter and table
- twin cylinder compressor
- coded drill
- jig saw
- circular saw
- heat gun
- orbital sander
- oxy-acetyline torch and bottles
- welding gas bottles
- hplv spray gun
- palm nailer
- rivet gun
- regulators
- clamps
- 1 1/4" inch tube bender
- dyna torch 10' x 6'
- portable band saw
Plus any other hand tools and metal scraps you can imagine Tak would put to good use.
A list of additional tools a machinist would use is included at the end of this since the list above is only a partial list.
THANK YOU for your attention and patience if you made it this far...
Jp
Measuring Tools
o Comparison tools such as adjustable parallels and plain calipers,
o Direct reading tools such as rules, scales, and vernier calipers,
o Micrometer tools based on screw threads,
o Indicator tools based on clockwork gear movements,
o Electronic measuring tools based on tranducers.
Hand Tools
The hand tools are the usual complement of tools found in a complete auto mechanic's set except that auto specialty tools would be absent and some outsized tools would likely be present, such as 1 1/2" (38 mm) open end wrench.
Machine Tools
The machine tools have undergone a dramatic shift in the last 20 years. Manual machines have given way to computer numerically controlled machines (CNCs). In the past, the most common machine tools fall into 4 categories:
o Drilling machines, bench, floor, radial, and horizontal
o Milling machines, horizontal, vertical, and boring mills
o Turning machines, engine lathe, turret lathe, vertical turret lathe, vertical boring mill
o Grinding machines, surface, cylindrical, centerless, universal
Workholders
The workholders may include vises, chucks, indexing accessories, pallets, specialty jigs or fixtures, and faceplates
Toolholders
The toolholders may include chucks, cutter adapters, cutter extension, tool posts, indexable turrets, box tools, quick change adapters, arbors, and collets.
Cutting tools
Cutting tools include various milling cutters such as face mills, shell mills, endmills, and form cutters; various drills, reamers, taps, countersinks, counterbores, and core drills; various turning tools, form tools, and threading tools; various grinding wheels distinguished by their geometry, bond, grit size, and compound.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Tak's auto-bio...
Takuro Hashitaka
I was born and raised in Japan, and found San Francisco as the last stop of backpacking days. I learned metal work as I continued to travel through a life in this 46.7 square mile city and meeting people. For me, art making is just another form of being in a present moment. Connecting my mind and my body, and expanding that connection to everything around me, to the point that myself becomes nothing but I am everything. If the product of that experience, a piece of steel artificially modified by me called art, manages to connect at least with other people, then I cannot be happier, for that helps me remain free from a jail of my own ego. I am a little philosophical when I am drunk…
Thursday, September 10, 2009
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