LAUREN IIDA
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Inspiration at Bokor Mountain, Cambodia

8/27/2014

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One of the most amazing places I've visited in Cambodia I recently discovered near the coastal town of Kampot. 


Bokor is a gorgeous national park and rare jungle wilderness area. Apparently there are still wild elephants and a tiger or two living there. 

The abandoned casino at the top of Bokor was built in 1925 during colonization for the elite French.


It was also frequented by Chinese gamblers who apparently threw themselves to their deaths, over the nearby cliff, upon losing their fortunes to the gambling tables. 
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The weather drew people up to the top of Bokor Mountain because the weather is considerably cooler at that altitude. 

The fog rolls in and out so rapidly the landscape is ever-changing. One second the casino is completely covered in a cloud of white and the next you can see the entire Gulf of Thailand below. 
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Castle Rock is for Lovers

8/11/2014

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PictureJohn & Suzy Fukuyama (2014) 8" x 10" hand cut paper, Sumi ink
"Tule Lake opened May 26, 1942, detaining persons of Japanese descent removed from western Washington, Oregon and Northern California. With a peak population of 18,700, Tule Lake was the largest of the camps - the only one converted into a maximum-security segregation center, ruled under martial law and occupied by the Army." (excerpt from the DENSHO website) 

The inspiration for my newest exhibition comes from my longing to learn about my Japanese American heritage. 


My great grandparents and grandparents on my father's side were incarcerated at Tule Lake Internment Camp for the duration of WWII. 



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Tule Lake barracks with Castle Rock in background image from DENSHO archives
PictureImage courtesy of Clara Hattori
Recently, I discovered a collection of photo albums my grandmother's older sister, Clara, began collecting in the 1930s. The photos tell Clara's story as a young woman working as a tour guide through the Japanese Pavillion's silk-making exhibition at the 1939 World's Fair in San Francisco. 


Later, they show a life lived behind bars at Tule Lake Camp. Despite the hardships many of her photos from this time depict young couples, posing and smiling as they seem to try to make the best of their situation.

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Image courtesy of Clara Hattori
Drawing on these photos for inspiration, I combined my usual paper cutting techniques with Sumi ink to create a new type of paper cutaway. This new collection of pieces will be on display in the Cornish College of the Arts Alumni Gallery October 15- December 10, 2014. 



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Mother, Asa (2014) Hand Cut Paper, Sumi Ink 20" x 30"
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  • Home
  • Bio
  • Series
    • Memory Net
    • Anticipation/Paris
    • Citizen's Indefinite Leave
    • 32 Aspects of Daily Life
    • 100 Aspects of the Moon
  • Projects
    • Meta Paper Cut Mural
    • Contemporary Cambodian Art
    • Burke Museum Residency
    • Denver Night Lights/Ukraine
    • Redmond Sound Transit
    • Seattle Storm Signal Box
    • Nuclear Sculpture
    • Densho Memory Net of Remembrance
    • Plymouth Housing Mural, Seattle
    • Federal Way Sound Transit Mural
    • Denver Billboard
    • 2nd Ave Sign Project
    • Factory Phnom Penh
    • Densho Artist-in-Residence
    • Oneness for Cornish
    • Tsuru for Solidarity
    • City of Bellevue Portable Art Collection
    • Washington State Arts Commission
    • Siem Reap, Cambodia Public Installation
    • "Public Art Comes to Your Front Yard"
    • "Shoreline Banners" Public Art
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Press