O.R. Melling's Blog, page 2

TALK AT MEIJI UNIVERSITY, JAPAN

 

Flyer announcing my talk at Meiji 

University, May 14, 2024. It's 

getting nearer! Dashing about with 

last-minute preparations. I'll be doing 

some research as well as my talks on 

haiku, haibun and Kabuki Theatre. 

#Ireland #Japan #speakingtour

SPEAKING TOUR JAPAN, MAY 2024

It's getting nearer! My presentation is all green and gold, how Irish can ye get. The maps in my Japanese translations are, of course, in Japanese script and there will some in my text slides also: 日々旅にして、旅を栖とす "their journey is life, their journey is home" (Matsuo Basho, Oku no Hosomichi). Also some Irish: Is an turas i n-ailithre é an saol "life is a journey through a foreign land" (ancient Irish poem). And I'll be blathering away in three languages. #nihongo #gaeilge #Japan #Ireland  

  

JAPANESE SPEAKING TOUR, MAY 2024

Flyer for my talk at the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo. I'll be giving a PowerPoint presentation with lovely images of Ireland and some of Canada too! The 7 editions translated into Japanese by Kodansha Publishers are The Druid's Tune, The Singing Stone and the 4 books of The Chronicles of Faerie  series - The Hunter's Moon, The Summer King, The Light-Bearer's Daughter and The Book of Dreams (in 2 volumes). My books include Irish, Canadian and American characters and are set chiefly in Ireland but with Canadian mythology and magic highlighted in The Book of Dreams. I'll be in Japan to give talks but I'll also be doing research on haiku and haibun and the use of creative technology in Kabuki theatre. As I'm there a whole month, I'll do a spot of travelling and sight-seeing as well, lucky me! Working away on learning Japanese. The 3 scripts are difficult - hiragana, katakana and kanji - but otherwise I'd say it's easier than Irish. #Japanese #Japan #Ireland #Canada #nihongo *Supported by Cultúr Eireann/Culture Ireland*
 

Living in the Metaverse

This is my new home environment whenever I put on my VR headset and where I spend time in between exploring worlds and apps. I can move around in my space station apartment, sitting or standing. Recently spent some time relaxing on the sofa watching 3D TV on a big screen. Then I headed off to VR Animation to join a wild quantum race that dashed through dimensions. After linking my whatsapp to my headset, I was able to share photos I took with my Oculus camera. #Metaverse #VR #XR #Creativetechnology

 

RENDR FESTIVAL 2024, BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND

 It was a deep dive into gaming, animation, AI, XR/immersive tech and more, including a networking meet-up hosted by WiiT (Women in Immersive Tech) Europe, open to all.  As well as international speakers on two main stages, there were art installations and gaming arcades (indie and giants). Got AI'd by AIAIAI.AI: The Forgettable Art Machine by Amsterdam artist Matthias Oostrik. Stayed with a Fulbright Scholar pal in the Seamus Heaney Centre and wound up giving a talk on AI/XR/immersive tech to her 3rd year creative writing class at Queen's University. 

XR IMMERSIVE WORKSHOP IN GALWAY

Really looking forward to this workshop in Galway on Monday. I've been upskilling the past year into creative technology and loving every minute of it. XR (Extended Reality) tech is that magic door into other worlds that I've been searching for since childhood. In my Oculus headset I've been around the world and back again from a forest in Borneo (where I went once upon a time in real life, upriver in a longboat) to a fiery volcano in Iceland to a mountain Tibetan monastery in Sikkim to a boat upriver in China ... Also enjoying VR animation for stunning artistic work by visual artists and art studios. And the immersive experience of Anne Frank's house and the one on Martin Luther King ...    

 

Fare Thee Well, Dear Friend, on Your Journey Onward

Just heard today of the passing of dear friend and colleague, Herbie Brennan of Faerie Wars and many other books and series. Whenever I went to visit him and his wife, herbalist Jacquie Burgess, in their storybook house in Tullow, I always took the long road over the Wicklow Mountains to see 'Tom Bombadill and Goldberry'.  A magical couple. 

 

MY HAPPY MARRIAGE - WATASHI NO SHIAWASE NA KEKKON - A STUNNING JAPANESE FILM

The popularity of Japanese box office hit Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon (My Happy Marriage) is spreading like wildfire thanks to shorts on YouTube and Tik Tok. And deservedly so! The anime version on Netflix is good but nowhere near as brilliant as the live action which I watched on Daily Motion. The exquisite cinematography, the quirky complexities of the fantasy plot and depiction, and most of all the captivating Cinderella love story is a heart winner. All the actors from children to elders carry their roles beautifully but it's the subtle micro-expressions of the two leads that take your breath away, showing their character arcs from ice to warmth (Ren Meguro, J-pop idol with acting chops) and broken to whole (Mio Imada, former model and recent star). Can't wait for the sequel!

WHAT WILL WE CALL OUR CREATIONS IN XR/CREATIVE/IMMERSIVE TECH?

Designing a new business card to include my upskill to the new XR art medium/creative tech art genre/multimedia art form. What is the taxonomic term for creations in theatre, film, visual art, performance art, music & storytelling which are enhanced by or fully created in VR/AR/MR? "Digital" is dated & smacks of office work. I'm also using laser projection & holograms so "creative tech art form/genre/medium" appeals to me. Suggestions? (Images generated by Adobe Photoshop.)

LEARNING JAPANESE FOR 2024

Working away on Nihongo thanks to DuoLingo. Thought I wouldn't get caught up in the competitive game aspect but you can't escape your own character! I've passed the tipping point and no longer have to make notes as I undertand everything that is being said and most of my lessons are perfect. That said, while I can understand foreigners speaking Japanese, I have difficulty with the speed and accents of native Japanese speakers whom I listen to on Netflix and Youtube videos. My Happy Marriage is my favourite anime and Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories is my favourite drama series. I understand some of what they are saying but not all. Next step: a personal tutor.