School children at the Vancouver Japanese Language School at work on their Things (November, 2015). | Photo by Sara Sampson

Memory and a child’s perspective are the focus of the Things on the Shoreline exhibit (Feb. 13–Apr. 16) presented by artist Cindy Mochizuki, the Access Gallery, the students of Lord Strathcona Elementary School and the Vancouver Japanese Language School.

Mochizuki is a local Vancouver visual artist, and a large contributor to the collaborative project.

“I’m interested in different aspects of performance,” says Mochizuki, about how we tell stories.

A historical influence

Growing up in East Vancouver, Mochizuki’s family has a vast history that is connected to being Japanese‐Canadian.

“As a generation that is affected by a past history, you always have a curiosity to want to know more or dig more into things,” says Mochizuki, on her family’s past influencing her upbringing and her art.

Growing up in a bilingual household, her mother would tell stories linked to Japanese folklore. The stories teased her imagination, says Mochizuki.

Once older and after traveling to Japan, Mochizuki was able to connect the myths and stories she had heard from her family to places.

“There’s that interesting relationship to place, and what home means to both my parents,” says Mochizuki. “I think that as a child that kind of mind grew a lot of different kinds of memories and stories.”

‘Memory’ is a concept often tackled by Mochizuki: many times her work being based off of memories in a variation of ways.

“Some are factual, and to some there is a definite element of fiction,” says Mochizuki.

The childhood lens

Many of Mochizuki’s artistic choices have been influenced by the way her mind as a child held memories. That in turn influenced the way in which she tells stories.

“As a child, you have a different kind of palette or language that you use together,” says Mochizuki. She is also interested in many ‘real world’ elements that don’t necessarily have a language, or aren’t necessarily talked about. She has a similar interest in areas such as ghost stories.

“How do you bring those stories out? And how can you listen to them?” says Mochizuki, touching on this task of hers through her artwork.

The common thread through Mochizuki’s work is all about the ‘image’ found in story.

“The way we tell stories and the way we build stories. I think that through line is throughout all the different kinds of projects I do,” says Mochizuki.

Finding the right time

Timing is everything and is a huge factor when it comes to the telling of these stories.

“A story appears at a certain time,” says Mochizuki. “You could be the keeper of a story, but it’s not the right time to talk about it or say it; and something happens in life where that story kind of tumbles out.”

Mochizuki is interested in building her art from stories that may already be there, or that pop up, then deciding on the right time to create that piece.

“When I arrive at the ideas, there’s always some element of chance,” she says.

A new experience

Having only done one‐off workshop with youth in the past, the workshops in preparation for the Things on the Shoreline exhibit was something new to Mochizuki.

It was a first for Mochizuki to spend any length of time with students and she was interested to watch their evolution.

“There were always quieter aspects in the classroom that were blossoming and growing, and that was really rewarding and I wasn’t anticipating that,” says Mochizuki. “I definitely would do it again.”

Working in this way with children only added to the child’s perspective that appears in Mochizuki’s art: a perspective she believes to be an important one.

“To the work there is a playful and a whimsical quality, a light side and a dark side, and I think that’s important to let the audience into,” says Mochizuki.

Mochizuki also connects the idea of memory to the inner child in all of us.

“The thing about age is that no matter how old we get, we all can say we still have aspects of a child,” she says.

For more information, please visit www.accessgallery.ca and www.cindymochizuki.com