USHIROSHOJI MASAHIRO: Mr. Tang Da Wu, congratulations on receiving the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize. First of all, I'd like to ask you to comment on receiving the prize.

TANG DA WU: Very happy, of course. It's been a few months having this. The thinking about this prize until now, I must say this is a meeting point and sharing of something in common. I feel that somebody saying to me that "Hey. Can I shake hands? We are part of the same team. Would you like to work together?" That is the meaning of the prize to me. And the Arts and Culture Prize like this, it has got a lot of meaning to me. The meaning is in front of me. It is in the future. I am responding to the meaning of the prize receiving. From the day I heard about the news until now and tomorrow and next many month I am responding to the prize. I hesitate to think about prize and the words winning, I don't like to think about winning. To me they are not about I have won something. It is someone says to me, "We are sharing your idea. Let's work together." And I'm sure you will see how I respond to this prize.

USHIROSHOJI: Aside from your work in Singapore and the United Kingdom, you first made your debut with an exhibition of your work here in Fukuoka in 1991. In addition, your receiving the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize means your connection with Fukuoka must be very deep, I'm sure. Can I ask you to talk about your impressions of Fukuoka, either the city itself or the people?

TANG DA WU : That's not an easy question. So far so good. I already have many friends. So this time being here, renewing friendship, people whom I already met before, that is one thing, and making new friends is another thing. Also, you know, every time I came to Japan, it was always very brief, short time. I didn't get enough time to go around and find out more about how people live and their cultures and traditions. And this time I have plenty of time. It would allow me to understand more of the traditions and culture in this country. One of the things I always think is that by knowing other's culture, understanding other's culture and tradition you can also make reflections to your own culture. By looking at other's culture, you also will see your own culture. I strongly believe that. So I'm looking forward to my staying here.

USHIROSHOJI: This time you're not just in Fukuoka to receive the Fukuoka Asian Culture
Prize, you're scheduled to stay for 6 months in order to participate in our "Artist In Residence"
program here at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. This program is not limited to the confines of the museum but will see you working while participating in exchanges with communities and people outside the museum and, finally, the results of your experiences are to be introduced in the form of an exhibition.

Two days ago, you held a workshop with the theme of bananas and together with 30 groups, altogether some 100 parents and children, you painted, talked and ate snacks. That workshop, together with today's performance form one program entitled "Jantung Pisang* - Heart of a Tree, Heart of a People." I'd like to ask you about these words, "Heart of a Tree, Heart of a People."

TANG DA WU: I was interested in banana tree two years ago. Many reasons. I realized that banana tree has been used widely in Southeast Asia, in the places like Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Burma, Indonesia, all over. Most common use is to make offerings. With banana leaf decoration as well as flowers and fruits and everything when people have prayer.

They usually put them on the altar and pray to Nature and God. And before you ironing clothes, you would iron on banana leaves. And it's like collecting all the blessings and transfer them on to your clothes. People of Southeast Asian countries are all sharing the same tradition of this kind. And we have our daily meal, rice and vegetables and everything on banana leaf on the table, and we eat it. I see it not just a practical practice, but it's a blessing and good luck. And also between human and nature, there is a kind of togetherness. In today's performance I did share with you the experience of eating food from banana leaves and you have good luck.

There are many other examples. The other thing. Banana tree is always associated with the spirits. Sometimes you can call it ghost if you like. Quite often parents tell their children not to play under banana trees. A spirit might come out. And there are many ghost stories related to banana tree. One of the things which has been going around is the following story. *Push a pin to the banana flower and tie a little red thread and bring it all the way into your house, into your bedroom and tie the red string on to your toe before you go to sleep. And in the middle of the night, one spirit from the banana tree will follow this string and come to you."

So I told you of two sides of banana tree. One is very blessing and graceful and related to prayers, God and Nature. And the other side is ghost and fears, just the opposite. But the banana tree do not change. It's always the same banana tree. Only the human change. One time they say there are ghosts and spirits with banana tree, and one time they say banana trees are related to prayer and good luck. That's why I was very interested in this project and I developed it. And it also tells me that you always get things you want, things you made. It is very much depending on yourself. When I want good luck I get good luck. It tells me that I can be myself.

I did this project in many places, Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia and I collected many stories. The show upstairs has got a large part of the banana tree mythology. Please come and see and I can tell you more and I'lI be there all the time.

Then I come back to a Ushiroshoji-san's question about the "Heart of a Tree, Heart of a People," what is people. Banana trees are found in tropical countries and a little south of tropic countries around the world. In the countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and a bit of Thailand and Laos and the other side, Africa and all that South America. And you can understand the geography. They are all Third World countries. People are not so rich in the Third World countries around the world. That is what I want to point out with the expression "heart of a people." "Heart of a Tree, Heart of a People." There is an important meaning to me. Banana tree has very shallow roots like democracy. In many Asian countries and many of the third world countries, democracy is like a banana tree. Very shallow roots. And we need to deepen them. We need to make the meaning of the democracy more democratize, if I may use this word, make it real democracy. Places like Indonesia and Burma, and many places, people are really suffering, and who is controlling? The military. Military controls all the people, and democracy is just not there. And we need to rethink about democracy and we need to deepen it, and we need to democratize democracy. I would be very happy to talk to you when you come to my studio and look at all the banana project photographs and documentation. I have a lot to explain.

USHIROSHOJI: During today's performance, the audience talked, under the banana leaves, about their wishes, dreams and hopes and, faced with a microphone, people wish for things such as the happiness of people all over the world. However in truth, people also think of all sorts of bad things such as, "I want to be rich." or " want to kill him." You said earlier that bananas are like people in that they have a duality but during the performance earlier, would it have been wrong to think of bad things like that?

TANG DA WU: It's a free country. It's democratic. Yes, say anything you want. I don't think saying you want to be a millionaire is a bad thing. I would think killing somebody is bad thing. Not good thing. In a space I opened up, make your wish about anything you want. I am embracing democracy.

USHIROSHOJI: Let's now broaden the topic of conversation to your work as a whole. The first time I met you was in 1990. At that time you were performing alone. Since then you have created a very great number of works with the involvement of all kinds of people, what you call project type works. Even at the workshop the other day with the children, they did as they pleased and rather than controlling that, the impression I got was that you were letting them do as they wanted. Has the way you think about your art changed to that kind of style during the 90s, during these last 10 years? Could you tell us about this way of thinking?

TANG DA WU: Yes, of course. There are times that I perform by myself. There are times that I perform with people. Quite often my audience become performer as well. In the workshop the other day, I didn't see any mischievous children. I only saw very lively happening. It was good. I encouraged them. Children need to be running around. That is a part of the workshop. I don't see any reason for stopping them. None at all. I had another similar experience recently in Singapore in a secondary school. I did my water game project, "North-East Monsoon - A Water game," and in the end, all the students splashed water at each other and everybody got wet. And the teacher asked me why didn't I stop them.I said that's the important part of it. I thought it might have been one of the very rare opportunities for the students to play like that. And I want you to know my way of working. Play. Playing is the most important part of my work. And when I grow up I still want to play. Honestly, when I grow up I still want to play.

USHIROSHOJI: In art, or the fine arts, I think there is the view that the artist himself controls the creation of his work 100% and that no one is allowed to interrupt this process. But you don't control the creation of your work alone, you feel that the participation of different kinds of people, and in a sense, letting them do what they want is art. Could you tell us about that?

TANG DA WU: Thank you, this is a fantastic question. I love to talk about it. It's very important. I don't know whether it is my artwork or not, you know, but I enjoy it. For example, (pointing at the costume) this is the costume one of the volunteers suggested that I should wear. This is somebody else's T-shirt, they said I must wear it. The formation of the five performers was also suggested by one of the participants. Today's performance is not my sole performance. I'm only part of the performance, and there were about twenty to thirty people all joined in with ideas and we worked together. And we all had fun. We all enjoyed it. I think it was a very happy, very fun performance. Why do we have to worry about the ownership?

USHIROSHOJI: I understand very well. Now I'd like to change the subject slightly. When I first met you in Singapore, I was very struck when you said that you are Chinese, that your Singaporean nationality is an administrative matter and that culturally or ethnically you are Chinese. However, yesterday you said that you are not Chinese. So in the last 10 years you have gone from being Chinese to not Chinese, but something else. Your self-identity is extremely complex and I think there is a part that Japanese people would find difficult to understand. That you were born in 1943 in what is now Singapore means that at the time it was under Japanese occupation. It is something that you made the subject of a work entitled "I was born Japanese." Following that, there was the reversion to a British colony and becoming British, independence with Malaysia and becoming Malaysian and after that becoming Singaporean, a change of 4 nationalities. I gather that your ancestors probably came from China but the background is culturally and ethnically complex. Please tell us the details of going from being Chinese to becoming something else.

TANG DA WU : I changed. This is another fantastic question. Thank you very much for asking me. It gives me so much pleasure to talk about it. I love to talk about it. I will enjoy talking about it. Yes, I remember very well when I met you and Tsuzuki Etsuko san. I told her about my experience in London where I spent nearly twenty years before I returned to Singapore.

In those days people always reminded me that I was Chinese, and I was very conscious about everything Chinese, Chinese culture and tradition and all that. But now, I changed. You know, physically, blood-wise, I'm not really sure that I am aChinese. I was told by my parents and grandparents thatI was Chinese. When they talk about Chinese theyalways think about people inthe middle region of China,where Han people live. They called them Chinese. When Mongolian people controlled the main, middle China for 300 years, and the Manchurian people controlled the center of China for another 300 years, they didn't call them Chinese, they called them Mongolian and Manchurian people. So who is the Chinese or the Han people? But, really talking about blood, I'm not sure if I'm 100% Chinese blood. I'm sure my ancestor has got mixture of Mongolian and even Thai and Miao people. We are all mixed, and this is true. But I always like to think that there is only one race in the world. We are all one human race. I'm not interested in ancestor tracing and finding out family trees. I think it is a waste of time. And all that issues involving identities and different groups of people like in Kosovo, and ethnic cleansing. What kind of crazy idea is that? Ethnic cleansing! In Indonesia as well. It's crazy. You probably noticed that I have given up using kanji, Chinese characters, for my name. I'm happy with just katakana and romanized spelling. So that it matches with my thinking of only one human race. Have I answered your question?

USHIROSHOJI: Thank you very much. We tend to always think of things in terms of being Japanese but are we really Japanese, or should we be Japanese, is it necessary to be Japanese? When I hear you talk, I feel as if I can become a little bit freer from these considerations. For my last question, please tell us about your hopes and specific aims from now on, during your stay in Fukuoka for the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum program.

TANG DA WU: My starting point is to meet people. I want to meet people all the time.
Whenever possible, I will go to you and to talk about your culture, tradition and life in this place.
And gradually we will develop something. I don't know what. I'm interested in what you are doing, what your life is about. I'm sure something interesting can be developed. Again, this may not be my 100% personal work. It may become everybody's work together. And again, why do we have to worry about ownership? That's my attitude. I enjoy listening to people. So, please come and see me and let me listen to you talking about your life. My studio is always open.

USHIROSHOJI: I have now finished my questions but because Mr. Tang Da Wu is the person he is, I'm sure he would like to hear from the audience. Your opinion, impression, a question, anything is fine. Please feel free to speak. Audience: So it's all right to think of you as a human being who lives on the earth and who had a Mongolian mark.

TANG DA WU: No, I don't have Mongolian spot.

Audience: I would like to hear you talk about many kinds of things, can I visit you anytime? And, I only speak Japanese so is there a person who would be able to translate?

TANG DA WU: I'm sure language shouldn't be any problem if we are willing to communicate. We will find a way to communicate. It is very true, you know, that hand gesture with a bit of drawings will help us greatly. And furthermore I understand and write kanji. That is a very good way of communication. I wouldn't worry about language difference. Please come and see me. I welcome you anytime. Of course, if you want to be 100% sure that we meet and we don't miss each other, then we can make appointment to be 100% sure.

Audience: At the Fukuoka Art Museum in 1991, you performed completely by yourself and what is more, everything, even your face and your clothes, was painted red. It was a frightening image but after you finished, I was deeply moved. In comparison, today you're wearing a pink T- shirt, pink clothes and on top of that you performed with a large number of women and the strong feeling I had was "What on earth is this change!" But listening to you talk, ti was good to feel like I understand that change slightly. Thank you very much.

TANG DA WU: I change all the time. In the show, the performance I did in 1991, if you heard what I say all the time during the performance, you must have noticed I was saying "I was representing the tiger, and I say to human. You wear my blood." That was why red paint was used. And today, they say boys don't wear pink. And pink is a color for girls. But I like pink. That's why I had pink costume. Thank you.

USHIROSHOJI: It would be delightful to continue talking like this but we will finish here. Thank you for your attention.

TANG DA WU: Thank you very much for my performance that we worked together. I wouldn't say thank "you", because it's "our" performance, and I don't want to mention each name in case I miss some names. But I can recognize every face. I enjoyed very much working with you. Everybody, thank you.