Kappa Suit Crawl

Tokyo, Japan

2002

Jimmy Kuehnle rolls down the street in a Kappa suit in Tokyo, Japan.
Jimmy Kuehnle shows that the Ginza strip does not only cater to fancy shoppers but Kappa as well.
Jimmy Kuehnle gets in close to two Japanese women sitting on a bench in Ueno Koen in Tokyo, Japan.
The subway is the only way to travel around Tokyo when you are a Kappa.

In Japan, foreigners or gaijin are outsiders viewed as a novelty and kept at a safe distance. By exaggerating this perception with costumes and performances, I created situations for interaction that exceeded the ritual "hello." To call attention to Japan's cultural insularity and over unrestrained consumerism, I crawled and rolled around the rich Ginza strip in Tokyo in a green Spandex suit reminiscent of the Japanese mythical creature called Kappa. I entered elite stores where merchants stood perplexed, as I rolled myself across the floor towards affluent shoppers.

In order to explore the Japanese concept of soto (outside) and uchi (inside), I once I walked around Osaka with a national celebrity in search of people who hated my work. (see Tante Knight Scoop) Japanese express themselves differently to their "in-group" than the rest of society. Directness of speech is not allowed and is replaced with superficial politeness. My performance allowed Japanese women to directly voice their opinion to a stranger.