TASJA KEETMAN
WAS RAISED TO SHAPE HER WORLD THROUGH A CAMERA'S VIEWFINDER BY HER FATHER JAN KEETMAN, ONE OF GERMANY'S MOST RECOGNIZED EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHERS.
AS A YOUNG ADULT, SHE SPENT MUCH OF HER TIME IN THE DARKROOM OF HER UNCLE PETER KEETMAN, THE EMINENT GERMAN ART PHOTOGRAPHER , WHOSE IMAGES CAN BE FOUND IN MUSEUMS AND NOTABLE COLLECTIONS WORLDWIDE,
FOREVER IMBUEING HER WITH THE PASSION TO BEHOLD THE WORLD THROUGH A CAMERA.
GROWING UP WITH HER GRANDAUNT GUNILD KEETMAN, A COMPOSER AND THE PRIMARY ORIGINATOR OF THE APPROACH TO TEACHING MUSIC KNOWN AS THE ORFF SCHULWERK,
EXPANDED HER OUTLOOK ON ART AND LIFE
AND GAVE HER A PROFOUND LOVE FOR MUSIC AND THE WRITTEN WORD.
HER PHOTOGRAPHS GENERATE THEIR OWN INHERENTLY NUMINOUS VIBRATIONS,
REMINISCENT OF PAINTING MORE THAN PHOTOGRAPHY.
WITH HER SENSIBILITY, ARTISTIC SPIRIT AND TECHNICAL FINESSE
SHE IMPLEMETS COMISSIONED WORK AS ENTHUSIASTICALLY AS HER ART PROJECTS.
BRANCHING OUT FROM THE 2- VIA THE 3-DIMENSIONAL TO THE MOVING IMAGE
TO THEN CONNECT IT ALL IN THE POETRY AND INSIGHTFULNESS OF HER WRITTEN WORD.
LIKE AN ALCHEMIST SHE TRANSFORMS THE MUNDANE TO THE PROFOUND.
MICHAEL MARCUS
HAS BEEN A POTTER FOR OVER 35 YEARS. HE APPRENTICED AS A POTTER IN JAPAN FOR FOUR YEARS, STUDYING WOOD-FIRED GLAZED AND UNGLAZED WARES, CHADO, THE JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY, AND LATER, JAPANESE SUSHI CUISINE.
HIS CERAMICS ARE COLLECTED INTERNATIONALLY, AND USED IN JAPANESE RESTAURANTS SUCH AS NOBUAND HATSUHANA IN NEW YORK CITY.
HIS SPECIAL FOCUS AND PASSION IS THE HARMONIZING OF HAND MADE TABLEWARE WITH FOOD PRESENTATION, OFTEN USING HIS OWN, WOOD-FIRED DISHES, NEW-BORN OUT OF THE KILN,
FOR SOME SUSHI DELICACY.
HE IS PROPRIETOR AND HEAD SUSHI CHEF OF BIZEN GOURMET JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND BIZEN KAISEKI IN THE BERKSHIRES, WHERE FOR 20 YEARS HIS HAND MADE CERAMICS HAVE BEEN THE FOCAL POINT OF HIS RESTAURANT INSPIRED AND DEDICATED TO JAPANESE TRADITIONAL ARTS AND CULTURE.
MICHAEL HAS A GIFT FOR SHARING HIS PROFOUND UNDERSTANDING OF JAPANESE CULTURE. HE SHARES THIS KNOWLEDGE BY TEACHING THE WAY OF SUSHI AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE AT THE KRIPALU, OMEGA AND KUSHI INSTITUTES.
AS A STUDENT OF MUSIC AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE MICHAEL ALSO HAS A PASSION FOR TRADITIONAL MUSICAL EXPRESSION AND WRITES WIDELY ABOUT OPERA AND ORCHESTRAL MUSIC USING HIS LITERARY BACKGROUND AND PERSONAL HISTORY TO PUT A UNIQUE INTERPRETATION ON WORKS THAT INSPIRE HIS INTEREST.
CURRENTLY HE IS WORKING ON AN ESSAY EXPLORING THE RELATION OF JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY AND THE WAGNER OPERA "TRISTAN AND ISOLDE."
