Polkadot Stingray -- Sakasama（逆様）

 

As I mentioned last night in the latest Oricon Singles list article, I had been outside for a good chunk of the day yesterday and that was because I went down to the Art Gallery of Ontario. Now, I'm not a huge art guy but this was only my second time there and the last time I was at the AGO was 50 years ago back in 1976 when I was an elementary school student. So I figured that it was time for another visit.

I took my congenial walk through the various rooms and spaces and I also encountered good ol' Henry Moore's sculptures. For me, the AGO is Moore and Moore is the AGO since one of his bronze works once greeted anyone who arrived at the gallery. One of the few things that I remember from the field trip with my school over to the AGO was being separated into pairs with each pair given a huge dark fabric bag for which one partner would enter and make some sort of Henry Moore-esque shape under the direction of the other partner. Considering my partner's name was Nancy, I was VERY careful about not touching her in the wrong places but luckily, she was a good sport. Not sure if such an activity would be allowed today but those were the 70s for you.

The one exhibit I was keen on seeing was famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room. She's the artist who's had the real big thing for polka dots and I was a little disappointed that the room was the only example of her works that I could experience aside from one other large mural around the corner. Regardless, I had to leave my coat and bag outside of the IMR but I could take my camera in there and I was given one minute alone to contemplate the environment. Nope, no polka dots but there were plenty of shiny round things to see.

Speaking of polka dots...and yes, there is a song here...I have Polkadot Stingray's latest which happens to be another snazzy jazzy number titled "Sakasama" (Upside Down). For some reason, this anime season has been filling up with these danceable (at least, in one's room) theme tunes. I just wrote about Penthouse's "Ichi, Ni, San"（一二三）for the show "Mairimashita! Iruma-kun"（魔入りました!入間くん...Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun）, and now this is "Sakasama" which ends each episode of the anime adaptation of the manga "Koori no Jouheki"（氷の城壁...The Ramparts of Ice） which seems to be another show about a student slowly coming out of one's shell. I will never turn my head away from an intrepid Big Band swing thing. There are a few more Polkdadot Stingray songs on KKP starting with T-cat's article on "Telecaster Stripe" (テレキャスター･ストライプ) from about nine years ago.

Just one last thing about my trip to the art gallery. My lunch happened to be a refrigerated turkey-and-havarti croissant. With the chai latte, the whole thing cost me almost as much as my general admission to the AGO! Well, at least, it was good and filling. And the visit was also a pleasant one. If any of my art-inclined friends ever came to Toronto, I would take them there.