光泉 SPACE : FALL (TOKYO)

Celebrating the fall at her satellite in Tokyo, Lucie Fontaine and her two employees invited friends for a picnic. The picnic was supposed to be followed by moon watching, which in Japan is called Otsukimi (月見). This word, literally “moon viewing,” also refers to festivals honoring the autumn moon. The tradition dates to the Heian era, and is now so popular in Japan that some people repeat the activities for several evenings following the appearance of the full moon during the eighth lunisolar month. Following her love for domesticity, Lucie Fontaine and her two employees sent this invitation to an intimate group of guests:

お月見パーティー !
Otsukimi Party!

Since ancient times, Japanese people have described the eighth solar month (corresponding to September and October on the contemporary Gregorian calendar) as the best time for looking at the moon, since the relative positions of the earth, sun, and moon cause the moon to appear especially bright. It is thought that the waning humidity and the crisp air of early fall is the perfect time to witness the glories of this celestial body.

The Japanese claim to see a rabbit pounding rice cakes when they view the moon. An old Japanese folktale recounts that the moon was once inhabited by a very old man, who came down to Earth one day and presented himself in disguise as a beggar to three animals he had seen, in hopes of deciding who was the kindest. He asked them each to bring him some food. The monkey and the fox brought back fruit and a fish, respectively. The rabbit, however, couldn’t find any food so he gathered some firewood to build a fire and offered himself for the old man’s stew pot. The old man proclaimed him the kindest of all and, as a reward, brought him back to live with him on the moon. In years past, court nobles would gather together and compose lyrical poems while admiring the first of autumn’s moons. 

This year join us on the evening of October 8, from 8 pm at 光泉 Space, for enjoying together a full moon watching night.  During the night a mix of traditional Japanese dishes and Italian food we will be served and a professional telescope and a space scientist will be available for discovering all the secrets of the Earth’s only natural satellite. 

Unfortunately it rained the entire day and night and therefore Lucie Fontaine’s employees turned the picnic into a dinner; as an alternative to moon watching, they used the moon depicted in their picnic cloth – created by artist Alice Mandelli – as a surrogate. They placed it inside the tokonoma, next to telescope, which, now useless, became a fundamental part of the display. 光泉 Space, Lucie Fontaine’s Tokyo satellite, is located at 1-23-3 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tōkyō-to and is open by appointment only. For more details about the exhibition please contact info@luciefontaine.com